Do you all remember the 90s? India had some of the best sitcoms ever during that time like Hum Panch, Office Office, Dekh Bhai Dekh, and many more. But as we entered the 2000s, the number of sitcoms started decreasing rapidly. Nowadays, it is very hard to find a quality comedy show that possesses an outstanding sense of humour and makes us laugh from the heart.
Reasons for lack of sitcoms on OTT
There was a time when all generations of a family could enjoy a good comedy series together. But those days are gone. We can all admit that the sense of humour of today’s generation has stooped so low that they need either adult comedy or comedic punches that have strong cuss words in them to crack themselves up.
Also, the arrival of various OTT platforms in the country has changed the entire dynamic of this drastic situation. The record-shattering success of Sacred Games lured other production studios or streaming services to explore and suck every bit of crime, thriller, and drama genres.
The world of OTT has expanded its roots vastly in the last 4-5 years. And we have tons of drama or crime thriller entries. Some of them turned out to be great. But the remaining ones can be surmised in one word only: crap. Accidentally and unfortunately, we, the viewers, have given birth to a strange trend. Whenever we start adoring a genre, we like to stick with it until that genre loses all its worth. When Sacred Games got dispatched on Netflix, people got immediately drawn to the mysterious, unpredictable, thrilling, and adult tone of the show. Soon, a sea of crime thriller shows started flooding the Indian streaming platforms. However, this scenario ended up frustrating the viewers. They have stopped caring about the upcoming OTT shows in present times. And most importantly, they want the OTT show makers to do something different or conduct experiments on their content.
Another thing that has become quite a problem with the Indian audience is that we have become over-sensitive. Producers do not know whether a joke will make us smile or hurt our feelings these days. The line between ‘laughing out loud’ and ‘getting offended’ by a joke has become invisible. Presently, a lot of people cannot tackle jokes because they are too susceptible to accept them.
How did Indian sitcoms become a massive hit in the 90s?
People can point out various reasons for the success of shows like Dekh Bhai Dekh, Office Office, Flow Show, Hum Panch, and many more. But the thing that made them an instant hit was their flawless execution of “safe and clean comedy”. Additionally, those projects treasured phenomenal performers like Shekhar Suman, Deven Bhojani, Ashok Saraf, Pankaj Kapur, Manoj Pahwa, Sanjay Mishra, Hemant Pandey, and many more. Their impeccable comic timing, acting skills, and charm were enough to captivate the audience. Unluckily, we don’t see these things today. Plus, they did not even consider utilising adult jokes.
Will we get quality sitcoms on OTT in future?
Honestly, no one knows what the future holds for sitcoms. But we do know that bestowing a quality sitcom is no doubt a difficult task but not an impossible one. OTT show makers have to start thinking about this scenario. They cannot just expect the current era of crime thrillers to last forever. Every good thing comes to an end. And they need to accept this fact. People always prefer quality shows irrespective of the genre they possess.