Amazon Prime Video just raised concerns for Citadel's Season 3 renewal chances. Citadel was originally charted as not just one spy series, but an internationally connected universe spanning multiple shows and spin-offs. After launching in April 2023 with Citadel Season 1, starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra, the world of espionage expanded in October 2024 with the Italian Citadel: Diana, and again in November 2024 with the Indian Citadel: Honey Bunny. More recently, the core English-language show returned for Season 2 with a seven-episode binge release on May 6, although the future beyond that is uncertain.
According to a report from The Ankler, Citadel wasn't mentioned at all at Amazon's 2026 Upfronts presentation, despite releasing Season 2 just days before. Interestingly, this marks the second year running that the Citadel universe has been omitted from the Upfronts, despite carrying a major presence at the 2023 and 2024 Upfronts to tout the unique multi-show strategy.
While Citadel was championed by former Amazon MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke, who ideated the multi-series, multi-country spy universe, her surprise exit in March 2025 left the franchise's fate uncertain. Deadline reported that plans for further spin-offs, including one set in Mexico, had been "put on hold" to prioritize completing Citadel Season 2, which was one of many shows delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes and has only just arrived now after three years of waiting.
The Citadel franchise is often considered one of the biggest blunders from Salke's tenure at Amazon MGM Studios. Salke was bullish on her spy plan, bringing in the directors of Avengers: Endgame, the Russo Brothers, to oversee, and spending $300 million on Season 1 (making it the second-most-expensive TV show of all time), only to attract middling reviews and strong, but not insane, viewership.
The Citadel universe quickly began to shrink after Salke's exit, as the Indian and Italian offshoots were canceled just months after airing, with their storylines folding into the mothership's second season. That decision was touted by Salke's TV-focused replacement, Vernon Sanders, as a triumph, declaring that the "successful and widely enjoyed" spin-offs would continue their stories in Citadel.
Citadel's second season has now arrived to much stronger reactions, jumping from a 51% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes for Season 1 to 71% this time around. For now, no financial information has been reported, but its costs are believed to be drastically down from Season 1, as it required no major reshoots or overhaul.
Upon release, Citadel Season 2 managed to rank second on Amazon Prime Video's Top 10, behind only The Boys Season 5's latter episodes, although it has since been exceeded by Off-Campus. Regardless, it managed to exceed Invincible, Young Sherlock, and The House of the Spirits (via Mashable India).
According to data gathered by Luminate and shared by Variety, in the week of May 8-14 (the series premiered on May 6), Citadel Season 2 ranked fifth with 492.6 million minutes watched, one place ahead of The Boys Season 5's 406.3 million. However, unlike The Boys, Citadel had just dropped seven new episodes at once.
In further Luminate numbers from Ted On TV, Citadel has taken a major viewership dive from Season 1. The sophomore season picked up just 1.1 million viewers in the first five days versus 4.1 million for Season 1, a drop of 72%, despite dropping seven episodes at once, while the first season only had two in that time.
The second season was released last week as a binge (S1 was weekly) with seven episodes / 302 minutes of content, and is averaging 1.1M viewers after the first five days of availability. Compared to days 1-5 for S1, this is down -72% and is very low-rated among Amazon TV seasons since 2022 (see table below).
Nadiah Sinh actress Priyanka Chopra recently told Variety in February that she has "no idea" what the future holds for Citadel, if anything, sparking concerns that Amazon is no longer quite as invested in the spy saga's future.
Why Citadel Season 3 Probably Won't Ever Happen At Amazon
Deadline noted that Citadel would likely face a "significantly higher bar than Season 1 to earn another renewal." Since then, Amazon MGM Studios has changed heads again, with Peter Friedlander tagging in for Vernon Sanders.
Interestingly, Citadel Season 2 had already completed production before Jennifer Salke left her post at Amazon MGM Studios. Since her exit, the Citadel universe has been scaled back from a whole spy universe to just one show, and hasn't been mentioned at the Upfronts by either of Salke's successors, indicating that Amazon doesn't see much interest in pursuing the franchise going forward.
It seems increasingly doubtful that it will return for a Season 3 or any future spin-offs due to its high price tag, which would likely require it to become a sensation on par with The Boys or Stranger Things to be viable. The studio has seemed ready to hang Citadel out to dry, dropping Season 2 without much fanfare or marketing.
While all signs suggest that the door is closing on Citadel, it should be noted that its absence from the 2026 Upfronts is no major indicator. The event is designed for studios to promote their next 12 months of TV content to advertisers, and, as Citadel Season 2 had already come and gone before the event, it was always unlikely to have much of a presence, unless it was to highlight its recent success.
