Season 3 for any OTT series is crucial. There are many shows which will be out with their third season

Sheetal

On every OTT platform there is, there’s an Indian franchise that it is known for. While series like Little Things and Inside Edge have managed to stay relevant with four seasons each, there are many OTT originals which will go through the litmus test with the release of the third instalment this year.

As 2023 is all about Season 3, the testing arena for would-be Indian OTT franchises, we bring you the list of shows to watch out for…

The pressure was immense when I came on board for Gullak after Season 1, which was written by Nikhil Vijay. To fill into somebody else’s shoes is tough. So, instead I worked on the writing keeping in mind the expectations of the audience. As for Indian franchises becoming bigger and bigger with each passing season, I feel it’s just a start. — Durgesh Singh, writer of Gullak 2 & 3

Family entertainers

When it comes to family binging, Gullak has become the most popular series. Again a production of TVF, acquired by Netflix, it follows the rotational rule for directors and writers, similar to other family entertainers like Criminal Justice on Disney+Hotstar. Gullak’s third season, which released last year, was counted in the list of best Indian series of that year.

Indian spy genre with action, drama and relatable family drama has become an immense hit. The Family Man and Special Ops on Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar, respectively, are two series in the category, which have successfully transformed into franchises.

The college connection

Web series Mismatched introduced many fresh faces besides featuring some known ones like Rannvijay Singha. Based on Sandhya Menon’s novel When Dimple Met Rishi, it is adapted by director Gazal Dhaliwal. What made it click with the audience is the chemistry between the lead characters Dimple and Rishi, played by Prajakta Koli and Rohit Saraf and the songs.

Another relatable college story is that of Sony LIV’s College Romance. Its first season streamed back in August, 2018 on You Tube and TVF Play. Owing to the popularity of the show , The Viral Fever (TVF) production’s streaming rights were bought by Sony LIV announcing its renewal for second and third instalment in 2021 and 2022, respectively. While the season one is now removed from YouTube, its trailer alone has 5.2 million views and the show continues to be in the news. Recently, an FIR was lodged for its obscene language. Nevertheless, another season is already in production.

Another TVF production, Kota Factory, acquired by Netflix is about school students who are put under intense pressure of competition to crack entrace exams.

Crime zone

A series that highlighted the Nirbhaya rape case of 2012, Delhi Crime’s close-to-reality depiction won many hearts. Netflix renewed it Emmy Award-winning series for another season but only to bring another crime file from Delhi, this time the Chaddi Baniyan Gang. And American filmmaker Tanuj Chopra took over the reins as a director from Richie Mehta in the following season. Now, viewers are all excited about Season 3 to be released this year.

Talking of crime, Ali Fazal and Pankaj Tripathi-starrer Mirzapur from Prime Video will not be forgotten by the audience. The memes on this series tells a different tale of its popularity. The upcoming season of the series is currently in post-production stage.

Another underdog Netflix gem, She, created by Imtiaz Ali, has established itself as a franchise with its last outing and now gears up for the release of Season 3. It introduced Aaditi Pohankar’s acting chops to the audience. Interestingly, the actress is a part of another crime thriller, Aashram, by Prakash Jha. The MX Player’s Aashram gets the biggest credit for re-launching Bobby Deol or should we say giving second innings to his acting career. Where there’s praise, there’s criticism too and the director faced hatred when Bajrang Dal activists assaulted the cast and crew while they were shooting for Season 3 in Bhopal in 2021. Cut to 2022, the director hails the positive response to the series. The director announced Season 4 with a teaser, Ek Badnaam… Aashram Season 4.

Reality reel

When it comes to reality shows, Shark Tank India that airs both on television and OTT platform SonyLIV, has made Indian audience think about start-up, investment and what not! This international franchise when first aired in India immediately became talk of the town. Influencers and memers had a go at it . They have already started inviting applications for the third seasons from start-ups looking for investments from the sharks. Also, Indian Matchmaking and Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives are two reality shows on Netflix, which have a divided audience. Some love it while others watch it as cringe-binge and FOMO on memes. While the former is releasing episodically from April 21, the latter’s airing date is yet to be announced.