‘Citadel’ Just ‘Needs Time to Grow’ Domestically With ‘Very Jaded’ U.S. Audiences, Says Amazon Studios’ Head of Drama Series
variety.comManori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Amazon Studios’ head of drama series Odetta Watkins says big-budget drama “Citadel,” which has yet to crack Nielsen’s weekly streaming rankings, still “needs time to grow” with “very jaded” U.S.
audiences. The exec was speaking at the Banff World Media Festival in Alberta, Canada, on Sunday, where the global-facing “Citadel” was a key topic of conversation during an international media leaders panel, moderated by The Ankler’s Elaine Low.
In response to a question from Variety about “Citadel’s” sluggish domestic performance but strong showing overseas — and whether that matters to Prime Video — Watkins said: “I can tell you from a creative perspective, for me, it’s a victory, because the show was conceived to be able to speak to the world.” Watkins allowed that “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.” She continued: “I think there are so many chapters to this.
I think you’ll start to see the audience start to respond differently as it goes on. In the U.S., we are very jaded and watch everything with a discerning eye, like, ‘Hmm, that [season] wasn’t as good as the last one.’ I just think [‘Citadel’] needs time to grow.” Despite its ambitious premise, “Citadel” has so far received mixed reviews from critics, who’ve remained wary of its formulaic approach to creating an international franchise à la “Squid Game” or “Money Heist.” The $185 million spy series, starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden, was missing for the third week in a row from Nielsen’s weekly streaming rankings last week.
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