Since its debut in 2022, Reacher has emerged as a breakout hit for Prime Video, becoming one of the streamer's most-watched returning shows over three seasons. Although one might suspect that the Alan Ritchson-led action series is one of the more expensive TV productions for Prime Video, that's not the case. Despite Reacher's incredible setpieces, stunning production values, and elaborate stunt work, the highest-budgeted Prime Video action series to date is actually Citadel — but how did this project become one of the most expensive television shows in history?
'Citadel' Suffered From Various Production Issues
Citadel possessed a strong pedigree, starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra as two rogue spies, as well as great talent behind the camera. Avengers: Endgame filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo were attached as executive producers, as the series is a co-production from their ABGO banner, with Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol writers Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec serving as lead writers. However, the high-stakes espionage series faced various issues during its production that caused its budget to balloon out of control.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon executives were not happy with the early footage of the series. This prompted the Russos to come in and have greater creative involvement. It reportedly divided the creative team into factions, with the Russos pushing forth their own cut against Appelbaum and Nemec's. Amazon MGM Studios opted to move forward with the Russos' version, leading to the exit of Appelbaum as lead showrunner, as well as other creatives.
Said creative shuffle and increased oversight from the Russos at ABGO initiated costly rewrites and reshoots, with Amazon bringing on David Weil to rewrite the series and provide "more grounding," as THR reported. Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel took over directing the reshoots, with costs already exceeding a whopping $165 million. The reshoots added $75 million on top of an already exponentially high budget. Other factors likely added to the high budget, such as delays and costs accrued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In defense of Citadel, THR noted that the additional expenses due to the pandemic were not originally factored into the show's budget during its development.
'Citadel' Is the Second-Most Expensive Television Series Ever Made
With the Prime Video series going way over budget, the final price tag of Citadel totaled about $300 million based on current market inflation, making it the second most expensive television series of all time. It's only surpassed by another Prime Video series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which saw a first season priced at $465 million. Unfortunately, despite an unusually high budget, a lavish international production, and an impressive international cast, Variety reported that Citadel failed to chart in the Nielsen Top 10 streaming shows for multiple weeks, likely falling below Prime Video's high viewership expectations.
Prime Video greenlit a second season of Citadel ahead of the series' April 2023 premiere. Per the official logline, the plan for Season 2 is to "deepen the emotional journeys" of the show's lead characters, Nadia Sinh (Chopra), Mason Kane (Madden), and Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci), as they continue to face off against "the relentless force that is Manticore." However, unless Citadel performs above and beyond expectations in its return, the future of the series might be in jeopardy.
Is Prime Video Scaling Back on 'Citadel' in Favor of More 'Reacher'?
According to a study by Parrot Analytics, Reacher has generated an estimated $279 million in subscriber revenue for Prime Video. The series continues to dominate the streaming charts, with strong viewership continuing in Season 3, on top of excellent reviews from critics. It's no wonder Prime Video is scaling back on its efforts with Citadel, instead opting to dive further into the Reacher saga. A fourth season is currently in the works, based on Lee Child's novel Gone Tomorrow. Additionally, the Reacher franchise's first spin-off, Neagley, is on the horizon, with the series slated to debut later this year. With all four seasons of Reacher filming in Canada, it's also likely not as expensive to produce, since Citadel utilizes massive action sequences and a wide variety of international locations for its production.
Meanwhile, Prime Video confirmed the cancellation of its two international spin-offs for Citadel, Citadel: Honey Bunny and Citadel: Diana, earlier in the year. For now, the flagship series will continue with its second season, which wrapped shooting last November, although its premiere has been delayed to spring 2026. However, with all the production issues, Prime Video scaling back on its Citadel Universe plans, the delay for Season 2, and the first season's insanely expensive budget, the series will be very lucky if it makes it to a third season.
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