Amazon pull plug on James Bond TV present labelled “shoddy” and “boring” by critics
Amazon’s big-budget James Bond-themed television game show 007: Road to a Million has reportedly been axed by its makers after failing to connect with fans of the famous franchise
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Amazon’s efforts to steer the James Bond franchise ship having been hit by something of a rocky start, with their big budget 007 television game show reportedly getting the can after just two series.
007: Road to a Million saw participants go head to head in teams of two competing at Bond-inspired challenges in the style of The Amazing Race or Traitors, with its winners taking home a whopping combined £9 million across the two seasons.
Hosted by British actor and Succession star Brian Cox, Road to a Million received mixed reviews, with Lucy Magnan of the Guardian calling it “shoddy, boring and soulless” in a particularly damning summation.
The critics’ opinion, it seems, were reflected by the general public, with Amazon Prime pulling the plug on the multimillion pound project after just two seasons and 16 episodes, the first of which aired in November 2023.
While the first season seemingly generated a decent amount of interest from viewers, its follow up fell somewhat flat, pushing Amazon higher ups to pull the plug on the idea altogether.
A Prime Video spokesperson reportedly said that “there are no current plans to extend beyond the two seasons.”
An industry insider reportedly told The Sun that the concept had been met with a deal of scepticism from Bond fanatics, and that despite hopes it would be a “surprise success”, its failure was being seen as “a slight embarrassment” for Amazon due to the “massive expense” the show had caused.
Amazon, who acquired creative control of the Bond franchise in March 2025 having bought its parent company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer three years prior for $8.5 billion, are currently searching for a new man to play the lead role in the next 007 film, with the likes of Dua Lipa partner Callum Turner and Australian hunk Jacob Elordi apparently on the shortlist.
Turner, who recently wedded to pop star Dua at a wedding in Italy, has not been shy about his links to the role, calling the speculation “weird”.
The 36-year-old Brit said: “I’ll tell you what’s so funny about the Bond thing: Even your best friends ask you, people text you that you haven’t spoken to for 10 years – and you know nothing.”
“It’s such a weird thing of something happening and nothing happening at all.”
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