Citadel (TV series)

Citadel (TV series)
Citadel is an American spy action thriller television series created by Josh Appelbaum, Bryan Oh, and David Weil for Amazon Prime Video, with the Russo brothers acting as executive producers. It stars Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Citadel agents Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh, respectively, with Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville among the main cast.
With a production budget of US$300 million, the six-episode first season ranks as one of the most expensive television shows of all time. The first season premiered on April 28, 2023, with its first two episodes. In March 2023, it was renewed for a second season, with Joe Russo announced to direct all the episodes in the season.
Citadel will include spin-off shows in different languages set in the Italian Alps, India, Spain, and Mexico. The Indian series, starring Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, will be directed by Raj & DK. The Italian series, titled Citadel: Diana, is produced by Cattleya, part of ITV Studios, and will be released in 2024.
Cast
Main
Richard Madden as Mason Kane, a top-class Citadel spy agent and Nadia's work partner/lover; and as Kyle Conroy, Mason's identity after his memory was erased by Bernard; Abby's husband
Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Nadia Sinh, a top-class Citadel spy agent, Mason's work partner and lover; and as Charlotte Vernon, a restaurant manager in Valencia after her memory was wiped by Bernard
Ashleigh Cummings as Abby Conroy, wife of Kyle; and as Celeste Graham, a former Citadel spy
Roland Møller as Anders and Davik Silje
Osy Ikhile as Carter Spence
Caoilinn Springall as Hendrix Conroy, “Kyle” and “Abby’s” daughter
Lesley Manville as Dahlia Archer, a UK ambassador and Manticore agent
Stanley Tucci as Bernard Orlick
Guests
Moira Kelly as Joe
Timothy Busfield as Simmons
Nikki Amuka-Bird as Grace
Paul Bazely as Rahi Gambhir
Production
Development
Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke first came up with the idea for the series and approached the Russo brothers and their independent studio AGBO about creating an ambitious, global spy show in mid-2018. The series was originally a partnership between AGBO and the screenwriting collective Midnight Radio, comprising Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec. Appelbaum and Nemec departed the show during production in 2021, due to creative differences with the Russos. The Russos set up a second editing team and cut an alternate version of the season to compete with the main team, and Amazon chose the Russos' version after focus-group testings. This led to the hiring of David Weil as the new showrunner and extensive reshoots in 2022.
As of 2023, Citadel was the second most expensive series of all time with a budget of US$300 million, largely due to the reshoots following Weil's hiring. Prime Video renewed the series for a second season on March 14, 2023.
Casting
Starring alongside Madden and Chopra, Roland Møller will play Laszlo Milla, a lead operative of Citadel's rival intelligence agency, Manticore.
Filming
Filming on the main series began in January 2021 and wrapped the following December. However, reshoots occurred in early and mid-2022 under the supervision of Weil, the Russos, and director Thomas Sigel.
Episodes
Music
Alex Belcher composed the first season, while Henry Jackman served as score producer. Sony Classical released the soundtrack.
Release
The six-episode series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on April 28, 2023, with its first two episodes.
Spin-Off
At the end of season 1 of Citadel, there was a trailer for the franchise's spin-off titled Citadel: Diana, which will air in 2024.
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 54% approval rating with an average rating of 5.7/10, based on 72 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Citadel spares no expense but still feels underdeveloped, yielding a fairly fun spy caper that nonetheless creaks under the weight of its own exorbitance." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 51 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The Economist called it "a big-budget, low-imagination thriller with plenty of explosions and no surprises."
References
External links
2023 American television series debuts
2020s American drama television series
2020s American science fiction television series
American action television series
American spy drama television series
Espionage television series
English-language television shows
Science fiction adventure television series
Amazon Prime Video original programming
Television shows filmed in the United Kingdom
Television series by Amazon Studios
Television shows filmed at Pinewood Studios
Television shows filmed in India