‘Citadel’ Was A “Victory” For Amazon Says Drama Chief, But It “Needs Time To Grow” As Streamer Eyes More Global Franchises – Banff

Citadel, the big-budget drama starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden, was designed as a global franchise with a U.S. series and planned spinoffs set in countries including Italy and Mexico.

A few days after its launch in April, Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke said it “attracted one of the largest global audiences in the history of Prime Video”.

But the show failed to make the recent Nielsen streaming charts since its launch.

Odetta Watkins, Head of Drama Series, Amazon Studios, backed up the show’s performance, calling it a “victory” for the streamer and revealed that the company has plans to develop similar global franchises, in other genres including YA and mystery.

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Speaking on a panel at the Banff Media Festival, Watkins, “I think the show was conceived to be able to speak to the world and it has. Every show is not going to hit in every place on the same level. But as the franchise grows, I feel like the numbers will grow all over, including domestically. You’ll start to see the audience respond differently as it goes on.”

She added that audiences in the U.S. can be “jaded”.

The series, which comes from Josh Appelbaum, Bryan Oh and David Weil and is exec produced by the Russo Brothers, was recently renewed for a second season with Joe Russo set to direct every episode of season two.

Watkins called it “bold” and that it will be a “door opened” for others looking to do the same thing.

“[Jennifer Salke] wanted something that could speak to the world. The idea of franchise from its inception with different chapters around the world, I’ve never seen this before. It is the first of many to come,” she added.

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