A $300 million series with a second season and two spin-offs on the way continues failing to justify the expense

Not to sound too harsh right off the bat, but in the broadest of terms, does anyone really care all that much about Citadel?

Sure, the blockbuster-sized espionage series may have been reigning supreme at the top of the Prime Video episodic most-watched list for weeks on end, but that’s to be expected given the scope and scale of the show, never mind the fact the streaming service doesn’t drop must-see episodic exclusives anywhere near as regularly as Netflix; thus creating less competition for the top spot.

There’s also the fact reviews have been less than kind, and the news that Avengers: Endgame director Joe Russo would be flying solo to helm the entirety of season 2 wasn’t exactly greeted with widespread enthusiasm. Nonetheless, there are already a pair of spin-offs on the way, with Citadel: Diana dropping its first teaser trailer after the credits of the main drag’s recent finale.

The Citadel Spyverse is a thoroughly awful name, too, but that’s besides the point. What isn’t worth overlooking is that even with a budget of $300 million, plenty of high-profile talent attached on either side of the camera, and the promise of many more offshoots to come, the freshly-minted franchise has yet to crack Nielsen’s Top 10 streaming charts.

That includes both on-demand originals and legacy projects, too, which makes it all the more alarming that Citadel has had three weeks to stake its claim as one of the biggest shows available to subscribers of any platform, and has so far failed to accomplish the feat just once. Not to project doom and gloom, but once the dust settles on the various in-development offerings, Prime Video could be staring a near-billion investment inn the face with almost nothing tangible to show for it.