Priyanka-starrer Citadel was conceived 'to be able to speak to the world'

The high-budget spy thriller drama Citadel, which stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas, has received a somewhat lukewarm reception and performed sluggishly in the US.

In response, Amazon Head of Drama, Odetta Watkins has called the show a “victory” but also that it “needs time to grow” as it is yet to crack Nielsen’s weekly streaming rankings.

Watkins spoke about the slow performance of the show in the US and 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.”

She further added, “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. I think there are so many chapters to this. I think you’ll see the audience start responding differently as it goes on. In the US, 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.”

The series created by Josh Appelbaum, Bryan Oh and David Weil, and executively produced by the Russo Brothers, has been renewed for a second season with Joe Russo set to direct every episode of season two. In addition to Priyanka Chopra, the show also stars Richard Madden, Ashleigh Cummings, Roland Moller, Osy Ikhlie, Caoilinn Springall, Lesley Manville and Stanley Tucci. Furthermore, the show is set to have multiple spin offs in various countries such as India, Mexico, Italy and Spain.