Dupahiya S2, Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya show that formula or not, slice of life is here to rule OTT

Dupahiya S2 and Gullak S5 succeeded despite lukwarm reviews, while Adarsh Baal Vidyalalaya had more viewers than even India's Got Latent.

The second season of Dupahiya, the much-loved Prime Video series, dropped on the platform last weekend. The show, about a crime-free (formerly) village, had captured the audience’s attention when the first season was released last year. The second season yet again topped the charts. A few weeks ago, Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya not only achieved record viewership but also exploded in pop culture. And then there is the sustaining excellence of Gullak over five seasons. The signs are there. The slice-of-life comedy, set in a small town, is the new heartbeat of Indian streaming. Most big streaming platforms have shows in this milieu, and many have multiple titles. And it all seems to work.

The boom of small-town comedies

Dupahiya S2 was the #1 show on Prime Video in the week of its release.

Streaming in India began before the advent of Netflix and Prime Originals, with YouTube, particularly TVF, churning out the first content. They were stories largely set in small towns, such as Kota Factory, even if they weren’t heartwarming comedies. The scale went up as shows like Sacred Games and Mirzapur gained success. But it took the success of a Panchayat to introduce a new sub-genre of comedies in this space - the small town, slice-of-life stories. What initially began as aping the success of one or two hit shows (Panchayat and Gullak were the earliest hits) soon transformed into an organic push. At FICCI Frames earlier this month, Gajraj Rao, who stars in Dupahiya, attributed this change to a shift in viewing patterns. “Earlier, OTT was watched alone on a phone. Now, families watch shows together on TV. So, platforms are creating shows for families.”

Panchayat was among the first shows to begin the trend of comedies set in the heartland.

The critic-proof success

These comedies began as niche, but over the years, they have grown large enough to go head-to-head with mainstream titles. According to Ormax Media, in the first week after its release, Adarsh Bal Vidyalaya had 4.5 million views on streaming, more than those of Lock Upp and India’s Got Latent, two of the most talked-about shows in India at the time. In fact, data from Ormax shows that the biggest opening (week one viewership figures) for any Indian web series in 2026 belongs to MX Player’s Waiting Hai, a small-town comedy crime drama. With 5.8 million views, it beat much bigger titles.

Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya grabbed more eyeballs than even India's Got Latent, as per Ormax Media.

Clearly, these shows are among the biggest titles on their respective platforms. And they have done so, without big stars, big budgets, or explosive plot lines. These TV adjacent shows capture the best of what a large segment of the audience wants - clean entertainment, presented in a relatable fashion.