Amazon Prime Video’s unlikely international hit Citadel will gestate two spin-off series, the Italy-set Citadel: Diana, and the India-based Citadel: Honey Bunny.

The original Citadel, produced by the Russo Bros. with a $300 million production budget, was Amazon Prime’s second most expensive endeavor ever next to its Lord of the Rings-based Rings of Power.

Also Read: Amazon Studios Exec: 'Jaded' U.S. Audiences Just Need Time to Warm Up to 'Citadel'

In early June of 2023, Citadel generated a less than stellar domestic performance, earning a 51% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes and failing to crack any weekly Nielsen audience rankings following its release. On high-profile U.S. TV critic even called the series a "disaster." 

Based on what it said was a much warmer foreign reception -- but not releasing any supporting audience data -- Amazon defiantly renewed the second season of Citadel and revealed the first Citadel universe spin-off, an Italian series titled Citadel Diana, which will bow Oct. 10.

Diana will be the first addition to the universe when it arrives, and will follow undercover agent Diana Cavalieri (Matilda De Angelis) as she attempts to escape from the enemy syndicate.

Citadel: Honey Bunny is set in ‘90s India, and will premier globally on Nov. 7.

The spin-off will be directed by Raj & DK and executive produced by the Russo Bros’ independent production firm, AGBO.

Watch the trailer for both series below.

Trying to put the best possible spin on a very expensive TV show that hasn't caught on in its most important market, Amazon Studios dramatic series chief Odetta Watkins told a Banff Media Festival audience in Alberta, Canada Sunday that Citadel simply needs more time to catch on in the States. 

Also read: Yes, We Can Now Safely Call Amazon's Russo Bros. Spy Thriller 'Citadel' a $300 Million Disaster

"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," said Watkins, who was quoted by several Penske showbiz trades in attendance. 

(Editor's note: Given the sheer number of fight scenes on trains in espionage-themed action-thrillers in recent years, it might not be fair to judge American audiences on their reaction, or lack of one, to a series that opens up with an 11-minute choo-choo-based brawl.)

“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 added. 

Produced by Joseph and Anthony Russo at a reported cost of $300 million, the six-part first season of spy-thriller Citadel debuted on April 28 and didn't show up once in Nielsen's U.S. rankings of subscription shows. 

Next TV agreed with Rolling Stone's assessment that the production, scoring an aggregated 54% among critics, could rightly be called a "disaster," given its steep reported production cost. 

Next TV received a phone call Friday from Amazon Studios press rep, informing us that the series -- the second most expensive ever made behind Amazon's Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power -- has been enthusiastically received oversees. 

Is "disaster" too harsh?

The series, parts of which were shot in the UK, and which stars Scottish stage actor Richard Madden alongside Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, did get picked up for a second season. 

Yet, Amazon hasn't disclosed any Citadel metrics for Europe or any other territory. 

With a reported first-season production budget of around $300 million, Amazon's Russo Brothers-produced spy thriller Citadel is also the second most expensive TV series ever produced, trailing Amazon's Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power. 

With the tepid reviews rolling out -- Rotten Tomatoes aggregation scored it at 54% --TV writer Alan Sepinwall had a story published in Rolling Stone, the day prior to the series' April 28 all-at-once binge drop, caustically headlined "Citadel is a $300 Million Disaster for Amazon."

Turns out, Sepinwall and the Penske pub weren't wrong. 

We don't love Nielsen's weekly U.S. audience rankings of subscription streaming movies and shows for lots of reasons. But Nielsen's rankers, which provide viewership snapshots from a month ago, do deliver some insights. 

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And not once in the three weeks following Citadel's drop did the pricey six-part first season crack any of Nielsen's rankings. The research company did say that for the week of April 24-30, the show came close, garnering 306 million minutes of streaming in the U.S. 

This suggest to us that a number of folks tuned in for the first couple of days and quickly checked out. 

Again, Nielsen's rankers only account for U.S. viewing. And the series, parts of which were shot in the UK, and which stars Scottish stage actor Richard Madden alongside Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, did get picked up for a second season. 

Updated: An Amazon Studios press rep reached out to Next TV on Friday and implored us to ditch the term "disaster" from our headline. The rep said Citadel has performed well in international territories, drawing the second most audience ever for Amazon behind Rings of Power. The rep has yet to follow up with tangible metrics suggesting this audience performance. And until we peruse those, we'll base our word choices on what we can see in Amazon Prime Video's biggest market. 

Amazon Studios announced several new production deals, including an overall deal with Academy Award winning director/producer Steve McQueen, during its TCA executive panel Tuesday (Jan. 14).

McQueen, who won an Academy Award for producing 12 Years a Slave, will produce a new series for Amazon dubbed Last Days, according to Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. McQueen’s drama series Small Axe will also premiere on Amazon Prime Video later this year.

Salke also announced a new production deal with Brad Pitt’s Plan B production company, which is currently producing The Underground Railroad with Barry Jenkins for Amazon. The company will work on a new series, Outer Range, for Amazon.

Also signing new production deals with Amazon are producers Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, according to Salke. The duo will serve as executive producers on the Amazon original series Untitled Cortés and Moctezuma Project.

On the series side, Amazon announced that it will develop a new series based on the Jack Reacher series of books from writer Lee Child, said Salke. Amazon also signed Priyanka Chopra, Richard Madden to appear in its global drama series Citadel from producers Anthony and Joe Russo. 

Dish and Citadel have extended their carriage agreement for ABC affiliate WLNE-TV Providence, Rhode Island, for a few more days while they continue to try and hammer out a retransmission consent agreement.

The agreement has been extended to 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 14.

The contract between the two had been set to expire at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, according to Dish.