While Amazon’s streaming service continues to invest in blockbuster franchises like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and The Boys, a ruthless cost-cutting strategy has left a trail of cancelled shows, disappointed fans, and unfinished stories.
Eight major series have been axed so far this year, with cancellations spanning from beloved dramas to highly anticipated freshman shows that barely got a chance to find their audience.
The decisions reflect broader industry trends: streaming services are no longer willing to give shows time to grow, viewership metrics matter more than critical acclaim, and even successful series aren’t safe if they don’t meet increasingly stringent performance thresholds.
This is the complete story of every Prime Video cancellation in 2025, why they were cancelled, and what fans lost.
ALSO READ: Every Netflix Show That Got Cancelled in 2025
1. Countdown (Cancelled After 1 Season) – October 2025
When a Department of Homeland Security officer is murdered in broad daylight, LAPD detective Mark Meachum (Jensen Ackles) is recruited to a secret multi-agency task force to investigate.
What begins as a murder investigation quickly uncovers a plot far more sinister than anyone imagined, kicking off a race against time to save a city of millions.
Created by Derek Haas (under an overall deal with Amazon MGM Studios), the show had serious pedigree and star power.
Prime Video opted not to proceed with a second season in October 2025, despite the show performing well enough to stay in the top 10 most-streamed shows for almost two months after its release, an achievement very few series manage.
Its cast members include Jensen Ackles, Eric Dane, Jessica Camacho, Violett Beane, Elliot Knight, and Uli Latukefu.
2. Butterfly (Cancelled After 1 Season) – October 2025
Set in South Korea, Butterfly followed complex storylines involving crime, mystery, and international intrigue. The series was developed by Daniel Dae Kim’s production company, 3AD, under its first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios, and filmed entirely in South Korea.
This represented Prime Video’s serious investment in Korean content beyond just licensing K-dramas.
With Daniel Dae Kim‘s involvement both in front of and behind the camera, Butterfly had the potential to bridge Western and Korean storytelling styles.
Announced alongside Countdown in October 2025, Butterfly was cancelled after just one season. Unlike Countdown’s strong streaming performance, Butterfly struggled to find its audience despite the global appetite for Korean content.
Its cast members include Daniel Dae Kim, Kim Ji-hoon, Park Hae-soo, Kim Tae-hee, Charles Parnell, Sean Dulake, and Nayoon Kim
3. The Wheel of Time (Cancelled After 3 Seasons) – June 2025
Based on Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s epic fantasy book series, The Wheel of Time follows Moiraine, a member of a powerful all-female organisation, as she embarks on a dangerous journey with five young people, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn who will either save or destroy humanity.
This was Prime Video’s attempt at creating its own Game of Thrones, a prestige fantasy epic with massive production values.
The series became Prime Video’s most-watched series premiere in 2021 and was one of the Top 5 series launches of all time for Amazon Prime.
After lengthy deliberations, Prime Video announced in June 2025 that The Wheel of Time would not return for a fourth season. The decision came more than a month after the Season 3 finale was released on April 17, 2025.
Unlike many cancelled shows, The Wheel of Time at least received the opportunity to craft its finale with some closure, sparing fans the agony of an unresolved cliffhanger.
Cast: Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Zoë Robins, Madeleine Madden, Marcus Rutherford
4. Citadel: Honey Bunny (Cancelled After 1 Season) – April 2025
Set in India in the 1990s, this prequel/spinoff of the main Citadel series follows the origin story of spy agency operatives navigating dangerous missions across the Indian subcontinent.
Part of the Russo Brothers‘ ambitious Citadel universe, Honey Bunny was supposed to demonstrate that the franchise could work globally with localised stories. The India-set series had strong production values and local star power.
On April 16, 2025, Prime Video confirmed that both Citadel: Honey Bunny and Citadel: Diana would not return for second seasons. However, there’s a twist: the storylines and characters from both international offshoots will be woven into Citadel Season 2, premiering in 2026.
Vernon Sanders, head of television at Amazon MGM Studios, stated:
“Having successfully traversed India and Italy, storylines from both Citadel: Honey Bunny and Citadel: Diana will be woven into the upcoming second season of the mothership series Citadel. While these successful and widely enjoyed international chapters will not continue as individual series, Season 2 of Citadel will be our most exhilarating yet.”
5. Citadel: Diana (Cancelled After 1 Season) – April 2025
The Italian iteration of the Citadel franchise, Diana, debuted in 2024 and followed the European wing of the spy organisation, with storylines centred in Italy and featuring distinctly European espionage intrigue.
