After 7 months, here's what we noticed in OTT shows of 2024 so far!

Way beyond the halfway mark of 2024, OTT shows in 2024 witnessed many trends, from disappointing new seasons to TVF-winning hearts. 

2024 has kept us all very busy with its content so far. While many of us spent our free time scrolling on social media, keeping tabs on what's happening at the Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant wedding, a good line-up of OTT shows also kept us wrapped up in their carefully curated plotlines! So far into 2024, there were huge announcements on OTT like Heeramandi, Indian Police Force, the third season of Mirzapur, Panchayat, Kota Factory, and some unique shows like Killer Soup and more that everyone eagerly awaited.

Even though some shows broke all expectations, others were an unpleasantly uneventful ride, which gave way to chatter, trends, memes, and a whole lot more. Today, we're unpacking some of these trends to understand what happened in the OTT space over the last seven months of the year! 

Also Read: 7 K-dramas that kept us on the edge of our seats in the first half of 2024!

Here's what we think!

Not standing tall on the big promise

The biggest promises of this year were Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi and Rohit Shetty's Indian Police Force. While both shows created buzz and had the mark of the two maverick directors, their OTT debut fell short of recreating the magic they did on the big screen. Similarly, other series like Pill, Gaanth, Showtime, and Bad Cop and shows focused on young adult women like Big Girls Don't Cry or Dil Dosti Dilemma didn't have a lasting impact. They showed immense potential but somehow followed the same run-off-the-mill pattern of OTT, leading to a sense of middling mediocrity in the world of TV series. Even a new entrant like Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper didn't have a lasting impact!

Refreshing yet intriguing content 

Despite some big shows not making their mark, there were some shows which, with their unique blend of storytelling and dialling up the entertainment value to the highest order, left us completely in awe of them. Killer Soup, with its inventiveness; Poacher, with its realistic portrayal, Maamla Legal Hai, with its hilarious sitcom-style ride, Murder in Mahim's dramatic mysteryful essence, Lootere being an informative thriller and Love Storiyaan's wholesome real-life love stories offered a breath of fresh air with their flair of intrigue that was otherwise missing. 

Much-awaited new seasons of the popular shows were disappointing 

Amidst new shows attempting to reign in something different or new, we were looking forward to new seasons of legacy shows like the third season of Aarya and Mirzapur or the second season of The Broken News. Unfortunately, they couldn't deliver the satisfaction that everyone had craved for so long! 

TVF shows ruled everywhere 

This year so far could easily belong to TVF, given the success its had with its many releases. And we have memes, trending songs, or social media posts as proof! Whether it was the third season of Panchayat and Kota Factory, Gullak season 4, or even a new gems-like Industry, Very Parivarik, it seems like TVF has cemented its place by hardly disappointing people and making them fall in love with its content over and over. 

The era of exploring something new

Another way to describe OTT shows up until August could be that it's been an era of testing and trying out something new. While some platforms choose to release shows with weekly episodes, there is also an attempt to recreate TV for OTT with dramatic shows like Raisinghani VS Raisinghani or reality shows like The Great Indian Kapil Show. Even animated shows related to films like Baahubali: Crown of Blood or B&B: Bujji and Bhairava are trying to take the cinematic universe forward, and short limited series like Family Aaj Kal or Jamnapaar are paving the way for light-hearted, relatable content. 

What have you thought of OTT shows in 2024 so far? Tell us in the comments below!

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