Citadel (TV series)

Citadel is an American spy action 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 as Citadel agents Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh. Mason discovers a new organization named Manticore led by Dahlia which leads to a bad accident. Eight years later, he is living as Kyle Conroy while Nadia lives as Charlotte Vernon, but their memories have been wiped. Bernard seeks their help again.

Citadel
Genre	Action drama Military science fiction[1] Spy thriller Techno-thriller
Created by	Josh Appelbaum Bryan Oh David Weil
Showrunner	David Weil
Directed by	Newton Thomas Sigel Jessica Yu
Starring	Richard Madden Priyanka Chopra Stanley Tucci Lesley Manville
Composer	Alex Belcher
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producers	Jake Aust Chris Castaldi Scott Nemes Newton Thomas Sigel Sarah Bradshaw Patrick Moran Brian Kirk Bryan Oh Melissa Glenn Jeff Pinkner Scott Rosenberg Josh Appelbaum André Nemec Mike Larocca Angela Russo-Otstot Anthony Russo Joe Russo David Weil
Production location	United Kingdom
Cinematography	Newton Thomas Sigel Michael Wood
Running time	39–49 minutes
Production companies	Amazon MGM Studios Gozie AGBO Midnight Radio PKM Picrow
Budget	$300 million
Original release
Network	Amazon Prime Video
Release	April 28, 2023 (2023-04-28) – present
Related
Citadel: Diana Citadel: Honey Bunny

With a production budget of US$300 million, the six-episode first season ranks as one of the most expensive television series ever made. The first season premiered on 28 April 2023, (first two episodes). In March 2023, it was renewed for a second season with Joe Russo directing all the episodes in the season.

Multiple non-English language spin-off shows have been announced, with settings in the Italian Alps, India, Spain and Mexico. The Italian series, Citadel: Diana, premiered on 10 October 2024, while the Indian series, Citadel: Honey Bunny, premiered on 7th November 2024.

Cast

Main

• Richard Madden as
  • Mason Kane: a top-class Citadel spy agent; Nadia's husband and work partner; Asha's father (2023–present)
  • Kyle Conroy: Mason's identity after his memory was erased by Bernard; Abby's husband (2023)^[2]
• Priyanka Chopra as
  • Nadia Sinh: a top-class Citadel spy agent; Mason's wife and work partner; Asha's mother (2023–present)
  • Charlotte Vernon: Nadia's identity as a restaurant manager in Valencia after her memory was wiped by Bernard (2023)^[2]
• Stanley Tucci as Bernard Orlick: a Citadel associate and key member of the spy team (2023–present)^[2]
• Lesley Manville as Dahlia Archer, a UK ambassador and Manticore agent (2023–present)^[2]

Recurring

• Ashleigh Cummings as
  • Abby Conroy, Kyle's wife; Hendrix's daughter ^[2]
  • Celeste Graham, a former Citadel spy
• Roland Møller as Anders and Davik Silje^[2]
• Osy Ikhile as Carter Spence^[2]
• Caoilinn Springall as Hendrix Conroy, Abby and Kyle's daughter ^[2]
• Matt Berry^[3]
• Michael Trucco^[4]
• Jack Reynor^[5]
• Rahul Kohli^[4]
• Merle Dandridge^[4]
• Gabriel Leone^[3]

Guests

• Moira Kelly as Joe^[6]
• Timothy Busfield as Simmons^[6]
• Nikki Amuka-Bird as Grace
• Paul Bazely as Rahi Gambhir: Older version of Nadia's father, younger version is played by Varun Dhawan in the prequel series Citadel: Honey Bunny.

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.^[7][8]

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.^[9][10] Prime Video renewed the series for a second season on March 14, 2023.^[11]

Casting

Starring alongside Madden and Chopra, Roland Møller will play Laszlo Milla, a lead operative of Citadel's rival intelligence agency, Manticore.^[12]

Filming

Filming on the main series began in January 2021 and wrapped the following December.^[13][14] However, reshoots occurred in early and mid-2022 under the supervision of Weil, the Russos, and director Thomas Sigel.^[7]

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"The Human Enigma"	Newton Thomas Sigel	Teleplay by : David Weil Story by : Josh Appelbaum & Bryan Oh and David Weil	April 28, 2023 (2023-04-28)
Citadel spies Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh are presumed killed during a mission in Italy when they are ambushed by Manticore agents. Eight years later, Mason, with no memory of his previous identity, lives a quiet life as Kyle Conroy with his wife and daughter. When Citadel agent Bernard Orlick learns that he is alive, and that Manticore agent Dahlia Archer is after a top-secret Citadel X case, Orlick abducts Kyle and his family, reveals Kyle's past to him, and persuades him to help retrieve the case to keep its potentially world-altering data out of Manticore's hands.
2	"Spies Appear In Night Time"	Newton Thomas Sigel	David Weil and Bryan Oh	April 28, 2023 (2023-04-28)
Nadia too survived the Italy mission. While escaping, she is held captive by an Italian man; she manages to kill him and escape, but her memory is remotely wiped out by Orlick. Eight years later, Mason retrieves the Citadel X case, but Orlick is captured by Archer's men. After discovering that Nadia is alive, Mason contacts her, helping her regain her memory through a serum in the case.
3	"Infinite Shadows"	Newton Thomas Sigel Jessica Yu	David Weil and Melissa Glenn	May 5, 2023 (2023-05-05)
Mason's vulnerable and confused state makes him susceptible to false stories and propaganda, leading to the question of whether he will trust Nadia or if they will go their separate ways after the crucial mission.
4	"Tell Her Everything"	Newton Thomas Sigel Jessica Yu	Teleplay by : Josh Appelbaum & Bryan Oh and David Weil Story by : Josh Appelbaum & Bryan Oh	May 12, 2023 (2023-05-12)
In Morocco, Mason and Nadia enter the Manticore Black Site to rescue Carter. They tackle an army of unnamed goons, with Nadia taking the lead. However, Mason is still rusty in battle, as his memories and previous skills were lost forever. He nervously follows Nadia’s direction. They quickly make their way to Carter’s cell. The traumatized prisoner looks up at Mason and blames him for this incarceration. The series then jumps back to ten years earlier. Mason and Nadia are living it up in Paris, where they are slowly falling in love with one another. Nadia informs Mason that a new agent is joining the team. She worked with this spy before, and the agent ended up saving Nadia’s life.
5	"Time Renders Us Enemies"	Newton Thomas Sigel	Teleplay by : David Weil and Bryan Oh Story by : David Weil and Bryan Oh & Angela Russo-Otstot	May 19, 2023 (2023-05-19)
Mason learns that Nadia has a secret daughter, shaking the trust between them. As they confront their complicated past, Bernard helps them stay ahead of Manticore. With loyalties in question, the line between ally and enemy grows increasingly blurred, pushing them closer to uncovering Citadel’s true downfall.
6	"Secrets in Night Need Early Rains"	Newton Thomas Sigel	Josh Appelbaum & Bryan Oh	May 26, 2023 (2023-05-26)
Mason, Nadia, and Carter retrieve nuclear cores from a submarine, hoping to trade them for Mason and Nadia’s daughter, Asha. The tense exchange in Valencia leads to a firefight, but Mason saves Asha just in time. Dahlia Archer fakes her death after failing Manticore. Mason regains his lost memories, discovering he was manipulated into betraying Citadel, believing it would protect his family.

Music

Alex Belcher composed the first season, while Henry Jackman served as score producer. Sony Classical released the soundtrack.^[15]

Citadel (Prime Video Original Series Soundtrack)^[15]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Citadel (Main Title Theme)"	1:19
2.	"The Train"	3:37
3.	"Bathroom Brawl"	4:45
4.	"Derailed"	3:38
5.	"Amnesia"	2:21
6.	"I Deserve to Know"	1:50
7.	"Family"	1:50
8.	"Taken"	1:07
9.	"The Brothers"	0:54
10.	"Dahlia Interviewed"	1:34
11.	"A Myth"	2:22
12.	"Backstory"	2:48
13.	"Backwoods Kidnapping"	1:45
14.	"Backstop"	2:20
15.	"It's Time"	2:12
16.	"Exceedingly Untrustworthy"	3:44
17.	"Message to Abbey"	1:20
18.	"Valencia"	0:50
19.	"You're Nadia"	1:11
20.	"Did You Just Throw a Knife?"	1:15
21.	"Nadia Back with a Vengeance"	4:14
22.	"Captured"	1:42
23.	"Stitched Up"	3:15
24.	"Ski Sequence"	4:40
25.	"They Meet"	2:03
26.	"Quite a Story"	1:39
27.	"Nadia & Mason"	1:13
28.	"Blacksite"	1:08
29.	"Rescue Mission"	2:31
30.	"Kiss & Tell"	2:22
31.	"The New Tier 1"	4:49
32.	"Interrogated"	5:00
33.	"You Only Get One Soul"	3:47
34.	"You Did This"	2:46
35.	"What if It Was Real?"	1:08
36.	"Headshot"	1:32
37.	"Did He Know?"	1:29
38.	"Can a Spy Truly Love?"	4:01
39.	"Goodbye"	2:07
40.	"The Truth"	3:35
41.	"The Bracelet"	2:21
42.	"Red Cell Mission"	5:14
43.	"A Seat at the Table"	1:54
44.	"Deactivating the Cores"	4:32
45.	"Reuniting"	2:14
46.	"A Favor"	6:39
Total length:		120:37

Release

The six-episode series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on April 28, 2023, with its first two episodes.^[16]

Spin-offs

Citadel will include spin-off shows in different languages set in the Italian Alps, India, Spain, and Mexico.^{[17][18][19][20]}

The Italian series, titled Citadel: Diana, is produced by Cattleya, part of ITV Studios, and was released in 2024.^[21] At the end of season 1 of Citadel, there was a trailer for Citadel: Diana. The series was aired on October 9, 2024.^[22]

The Indian series, titled Citadel: Honey Bunny, starring Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, was directed by Raj & DK and revolves around the story of Honey and Bunny, who are the parents of the character Nadia Sinh. It premiered on November 7, 2024.^[23][24][25]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 51% approval rating with an average rating of 5.7/10, based on 80 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."^[26] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 51 out of 100 based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[27] The Economist called it "a big-budget, low-imagination thriller with plenty of explosions and no surprises."^[28]

Accolades

Citadel was nominated for two awards at the 22nd Visual Effects Society Awards.^[29]