With movie theatres shut and humankind suddenly being turned into a wholly indoor species, OTT platforms gained not just ground lost by movie halls, but became the salvation of hundreds of millions across the globe. It was also the year we could call the blooming of the Indian web series genre, with some wildly popular breakout hits — and the year we could finally see Indian television shrug off its decades-long obsession with daily television soaps. Shows such as Scam-1992, Tandav, Paatal Lok, Special Ops and Asur led the charge; dozens more followed. Only natural then for the buzz to begin doing the round this summer for when season two of these hit shows might drop — because if there’s one thing the format has mastered, it is satiating viewers enough and yet also leaving them hungering for more.

The steady rise in the number of streaming networks — Amazon Prime, Netflix, Zee5, Disney Hotstar, etc — tells only part of the story. The other, more striking aspect of this surge is the relentless, obsessive search for great stories to tell.

It’s no secret that web series rely on entirely different narrative and storytelling skills than movies — character development is deeply fleshed out, nuances and backstories are possible to weave in ways that give them much greater detail and plausibility, and complexity is not merely possible, it is essential if you are to sustain plot interest not merely over multiple episodes but also multiple seasons.

Different web series use different techniques to achieve this: a few adopt the age-old technique of signing on a cinematic superstar to ensure audiences come back for more, but others have turned to a different source for their appeal: literature. If Tandav, the Saif Ali Khan starrer on Amazon Prime exemplified the latter, the same network’s blockbuster Paatal Lok is vivid proof of the latter approach’s substance. Both shows have generated massive season two anticipation, and with summer the perfect time for a new drop, we’re keeping an eye out for news.

Missed season one? Our quick primer has you covered, and Amazon Prime can take care of the rest.

Paatal Lok

Netflix’s Sacred Games seemed to have walked away with all the kudos — till Paatal Lok dropped. Then, it was a complete and utter rout. And while a spectacularly talented cast, the best show runner in the business and gritty, striking production values all played a stellar role, it is indisputably the story — which the producers and directors of the series acknowledged is loosely based on The Story of My Assassins, the second and widely acclaimed novel by Journalist Tarun J Tejpal. What’s less known though is that it’s not only that the series is largely based on the book — it is that the book itself drew heavily from the real life incident that gives the book its title: an apparent hit job was commissioned to assassinate journalist and author Tarun Tejpal in the year 2001. ‘Paatal Lok’ seems to have dug into both — the fictional novel written by Tarun Tejpal as well as the facts of the real-life events in which his alleged “assassins” were arrested before they could actually attempt a hit on him. The result is a series rich with texture, twists and turns, and a tremendous amount of authenticity, because The Story of My Assassins itself had vivid, incredibly rich characters drawn out by Tarun J Tejpal, whose career and experiences as a journalist and editor added unmatched realism to his central characters. ‘Paatal Lok’ takes the viewer into the gritty underbelly of crime, politics, and corruption. While season one had all the ingredients of a wildly successful crime thriller, it remains to be seen which thread the show’s makers will follow come season two. Reading through Tarun Tejpal’s novel, it is evident the story can follow any of the characters down a whole new and fascinating narrative hole, so anticipation is high as audiences guess what story arc awaits. Unsurprisingly, the book The Story of my Assassins penned by Tarun Tejpal has seen a resurgence of interest as viewers await season two with breathless anticipation — while the announcement of the second season of the web series came as early as May 2020, no specific release date has yet been indicated. One thing is for sure: Amazon Prime knows they have a winner on their hands, so it will hopefully be soon. Moreover, the name of the prime suspect of the assassination Hathoda Tyagi was also adopted by Tarun Tejpal in his subsequent novel. Let’s hope the follow-up season of this web series is as thrilling as Tarun’s book.

Tandav

Star power is what Tandav banked on, and star power is both what nearly derailed them and saved them. Season 1 of the web series generated a lot of controversy because it included some scenes and dialogues that according to some members of the audience were ‘insulting’ to the Hindu god Shiva. In fact, the makers of the series eventually wrote an apology to the audience. Despite the raging controversy — or maybe because of it — the web series starring Saif Ali Khan was highly praised and enjoyed by the audience. Season-2 of the show is highly in demand and the makers have assured that the next season will be even more thrilling than the first. Although there has been no official announcement of the follow up season of 'Tandav’, rumours now suggest it may wait for a 2022 release instead.

Going by the ever-expanding menu of offerings on every network, the loss may well be the makers’ unless they strike while the iron is hot. One thing is for sure: audiences have never had it so good, ironically in a year that hit rock bottom.