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New Delhi: Streaming services Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, SonyLIV and Zee5 are packing ample programming, including new as well as returning shows to keep audiences entertained throughout 2024.
Here are some of the most anticipated shows of the year:
Netflix
Killer Soup: The first new original series from the streamers stars versatile actors Manoj Bajpayee and Konkona Sensharma. Directed by Abhishek Chaubey of Udta Punjab and Sonchiriya fame, the comedy crime-drama will release on Netflix on January 11.
It follows Swathi Shetty (Konkana), an aspiring yet talentless home chef, who cooks up a bizarre plan to replace her husband, Prabhakar (Bajpayee), with her lover, Umesh (also played by Bajpayee).
Kapil Sharma’s new comedy show: Comedian Kapil Sharma will join the streaming bandwagon in 2024 to bring a “fresh, new and an exciting comedy extravaganza' to his fans all over the world. In his new adventure, the comedian will be accompanied by his fellow members from The Kapil Sharma Show — Archana Puran Singh, Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda and Rajiv Thakur.
Prime Video
'Indian Police Force: Bollywood star Sidharth Malhotra and filmmaker Rohit Shetty will make their OTT debut with the seven-part show, set to be released on January 19. Also starring Vivek Oberoi and Shilpa Shetty, the series is billed as a homage to the “relentless commitment of Indian police officers”.
Indian Police Force is the next chapter of Shetty’s cop universe that he started with 2011 movie Singham and expanded with Singham Returns (2014), Simmba (2018) and Sooryavanshi (2021).
Paatal Lok season 2: The critically-acclaimed series is expected to return with its sophomore chapter in 2024. Jaideep Ahlawat is reprising his role of Hathiram Chaudhary in season two.
Written and created by Sudip Sharma, the first season of the Prime Video show featured Ahlawat as a washed-out Delhi police officer who lands the case of a lifetime when four suspects are captured in the assassination attempt of a prime time journalist.
Disney+ Hotstar
Showtime: The new series hails from Karan Johar's Dharmatic Entertainment and is billed as an 'epic saga of legacy and ambition in the world of cinema'. It features an ensemble cast of Emraan Hashmi, Mahima Makwana, Mouni Roy, Naseeruddin Shah, Rajeev Khandelwal and Shriya Saran.
Showtime is created by Sumit Roy and showrun Mihir Desai, who also serves as the director along with Archit Kumar.
Karmma Calling: Raveena Tandon stars in the lead in this yet-another new title from Disney+ Hotstar. Based on the popular American series Revenge, the show is set in the world of glitz and glamour, filled with deceit and betrayal, and will feature Tandon as Indrani Kothari, the reigning queen of the Alibaug society.
Adapted and directed by Ruchi Narain of 'Guilty' fame, 'Karmma Calling' will debut on the streamer's platform on January 26.
SonyLIV
Maharani: The Huma Qureshi-led series will be back with its third season, which is expected to come out in 2024. Created by Subhash Kapoor, Maharani features Qureshi as Rani Bharti, a village woman who is handpicked by her husband and politician Bheema Bharti (Sohum Shah) to become the chief minister of Bihar.
The second season of the show, which premiered in August 2022, saw Rani learn the ropes of politics as she is accused of misgovernance and fight her greatest enemy, her husband.
Gullak: In 2024, SonyLIV is bringing back the fan-favourite show, produced by The Viral Fever (TVF) for its season four. Starring Jameel Khan, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vaibhav Raj Gupta and Harsh Mayar, the show revolves around the Mishra family, comprising parents Santosh and Shanti Mishra, and their sons Annu and Aman.
The show is created by Shreyansh Pandey and directed by Palash Vaswani.
Zee5
Sunflower: Season two of Sunil Grover-led series will be the first release from the streaming service in 2024. Touted as a situational crime-comedy, the series revolves around a middle-class housing society in Mumbai called Sunflower which is filled with quirky characters.
Directed by Vikas Bahl, the first season of the show also starred Ranvir Shorey, Girish Kulkarni, Mukul Chadda, Shonali Nagrani, Sonal Jha and Ashish Vidyarthi.
Crime Beat: The show comes from critically-acclaimed filmmaker Sudhir Mishra. It is expected to premiere in 2024. The streamer had announced the project in May 2023 when it unveiled its content slate of over 100 titles.