Indian Web Series That Made Everyday Life Binge-Worthy: ‘Dupahiya 2’, ‘Panchayat’, ‘Gullak’ & More

Written By: Entertainment Desk

Oct 06, 2026 16:22 IST ⓘ

Indian web series that turned hometown chaos, family arguments and everyday dreams into comforting entertainment.

Sometimes, the most satisfying thing to watch after a long day is a group of people turning a perfectly ordinary problem into a community emergency. A missing motorcycle. A family expense nobody budgeted for. A government employee wondering how, exactly, he ended up here. Indian streaming has found plenty of warmth in these everyday situations, giving us characters whose arguments, ambitions and awkward silences feel wonderfully familiar. The humour comes from recognition: we know that parent, have met that neighbour and have probably survived that family discussion.

ALSO READ | What To Stream In October 2026: ‘Sardar 2’, ‘The Diplomat’, ‘Lupin’ & More

Before long, watching another episode begins to feel like dropping in on people we know. As ‘Dupahiya’ returned to Prime Video for its second season on October 1, that appeal is back in the spotlight. Its Dhadakpur residents join a growing collection of screen communities viewers can revisit for company, comedy and the occasional emotional wallop.

The small-town label needs a little room here: alongside fictional villages, this list includes neighbourhood and family stories set in cities such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Indore and Dehradun. What connects them is their attention to ordinary lives, local relationships and the peculiar comfort of a place where everyone has an opinion about your business.

ALSO READ | From Munna Bhaiya To Srikant Tiwari: 10 Iconic Characters That Shaped Indian OTT

1. Dupahiya

Director: Sonam Nair | First season premiered: March 7, 2025 | Seasons released: 2 | Watch on: Prime Video

Imagine being the village that proudly advertises its spotless crime record, only for a motorcycle to disappear just before a wedding. That is the gloriously inconvenient starting point of ‘Dupahiya’, set in the fictional Bihar village of Dhadakpur. The stolen two-wheeler is tied to a marriage arrangement, so finding it quickly becomes everybody’s problem. Around the search, the show builds a world of parental expectations, romantic complications, aspirations to leave home and villagers determined to protect their reputation. Gajraj Rao, Renuka Shahane, Sparsh Shrivastava, Bhuvan Arora, Shivani Raghuvanshi and Yashpal Sharma make up its principal ensemble.

Created and written by Avinash Dwivedi and Chirag Garg, with Salona Bains Joshi and Shubh Shivdasani serving as creators and executive producers, the series returned with season two on October 1. Dinesh Lal Yadav, also known as Nirahua, joins the cast, while an exam-paper-leak storyline and a dispute over a mobile tower bring fresh trouble to Dhadakpur.

2. Panchayat

Creators: Deepak Kumar Mishra and Chandan Kumar | First season premiered: April 3, 2020 | Seasons released: 4 | Watch on: Prime Video

Abhishek Tripathi arrives in Phulera with the energy of someone mentally drafting his exit plan before unpacking. An engineering graduate short of better options, he becomes the secretary of a village panchayat in Uttar Pradesh, hoping the posting will be temporary. Instead, the fictional village slowly makes room for him – and, more unexpectedly, he begins making room for it. Jitendra Kumar leads the series alongside Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Faisal Malik and Chandan Roy, with Sanvikaa and Durgesh Kumar becoming important parts of its expanding world. The first season was directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra and written by Chandan Kumar.

The fourth season, directed by Mishra and Akshat Vijaywargiya, premiered on June 24, 2025, bringing village elections and competing political camps to the centre of the action. A fifth season has been announced. ‘Panchayat’ earns its comfort-watch status through the relationships beneath all that bickering: colleagues becoming companions, an outsider finding belonging and familiar faces making a modest office feel like a place worth returning to.

3. Gullak

Creator: Shreyansh Pandey | First season premiered: June 27, 2019 | Seasons released: 5 | Watch on: SonyLIV

In the Mishra household, a relatively minor expense has all the makings of a major family summit. Set in a small North Indian town, ‘Gullak’ finds comedy and tenderness in the daily negotiations of middle-class life: money, children’s futures, parental expectations and the endless business of keeping a household running. Jameel Khan plays Santosh Mishra, Geetanjali Kulkarni is Shanti, and Harsh Mayar plays their younger son Aman. Vaibhav Raj Gupta portrayed elder son Annu across the first four seasons; Anant V Joshi took over the role in season five. Sunita Rajwar’s Bittu Ki Mummy adds another memorable presence to the neighbourhood.

Created by Shreyansh Pandey, the series began with Amrit Raj Gupta directing and Nikhil Vijay writing its first season. Its fifth season arrived on June 5, 2026, with Pandey and Abhay Raut directing. There is something deeply reassuring about a show that gives household concerns this much attention. The Mishras can irritate one another spectacularly, yet their affection keeps surfacing through the arguments. That balance makes ‘Gullak’ particularly easy to revisit: the family feels recognisable, right down to the way a conversation about one thing somehow becomes an argument about five others.

4. Gram Chikitsalay

Creators: Deepak Kumar Mishra and Arunabh Kumar | First-season director: Rahul Pandey | First season premiered: May 9, 2025 | Seasons released: 2 | Watch on: Prime Video

A medical degree is useful. Convincing a village to trust you can require an entirely different education. ‘Gram Chikitsalay’ follows Dr Prabhat Sinha, played by Amol Parashar, as he tries to revive a neglected primary health centre in the fictional village of Bhatkandi. His enthusiasm runs into sceptical residents, entrenched habits and the messy realities of rural healthcare. Vinay Pathak, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, Anandeshwar Dwivedi, Akash Makhija and Garima Vikrant Singh round out the main cast. Created by Deepak Kumar Mishra and Arunabh Kumar, the TVF series launched with Rahul Pandey directing its first season.

Season two premiered on June 23, 2026, continuing Prabhat’s efforts amid medicine shortages, corruption and an attempt to secure the Adarsh PHC Award. The premise allows the show to move between workplace comedy and questions that genuinely affect people’s lives. Its warmth comes from watching a doctor learn that serving a community involves understanding its fears, loyalties and resistance to change. If you enjoyed the awkward newcomer-to-village adjustment in ‘Panchayat’, Prabhat’s education in Bhatkandi offers another version of that pleasure – with considerably more pressure to get the job right.

5. Yeh Meri Family

Original creator and director: Sameer Saxena | First season premiered: July 12, 2018 | Seasons released: 4 | Watch on: Prime Video / Amazon MX Player

For a child, a summer holiday can contain more drama than an adult’s entire working year. ‘Yeh Meri Family’ understands that scale beautifully. Its first season takes us to Jaipur in the summer of 1998, following 12-year-old Harshu Gupta through friendships, sibling tensions, school concerns and the confusing business of loving your family while desperately wanting them to leave you alone. Vishesh Bansal plays Harshu, with Mona Singh and Akarsh Khurana as his parents, and Ahan Nirban and Ruhi Khan as his siblings. Created and directed by Sameer Saxena, the series first premiered on TVFPlay in July 2018.

There is an important distinction for anyone starting a binge: seasons two to four follow a different household, the Awasthis, rather than continuing the Guptas’ story. Set in 1990s Lucknow, these seasons feature Juhi Parmar, Rajesh Kumar, Hetal Gada, Anngad Raaj and Veena Mehta. The fourth season arrived on August 16, 2024. Jaipur and Lucknow are cities, but the show’s intimate family life and neighbourhood atmosphere fit this mood perfectly.

6. Ghar Waapsi

Director: Ruchir Arun | First season premiered: July 22, 2022 | Seasons released: 1 | Watch on: JioHotstar

Returning home sounds comforting until someone asks why you are back and you have no answer you want to give. That uncomfortable situation drives ‘Ghar Waapsi’, in which Shekhar Dwivedi returns to Indore after losing his job in Bengaluru, keeping the news from his family. Vishal Vashishtha plays Shekhar, while Atul Srivastava and Vibha Chibber play his parents, with Saad Bilgrami and Anushka Kaushik as his siblings. Directed by Ruchir Arun and produced by Dice Media, the six-episode series premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on July 22, 2022, and is now available on JioHotstar.

Indore is a major city, so this is best understood as a hometown story within the broader list. Its appeal lies in the feeling of returning to a household that has continued living while you were away. Shekhar has career anxieties; his family has its own plans, expectations and concerns – including finding him a bride. The familiar surroundings offer reassurance, but being home also forces him to confront things he could previously keep at a distance. For anyone who has felt both relieved and overwhelmed after going back to their parents’ house, the premise is instantly inviting.

7. Home Shanti

Director: Aakanksha Dua | First season premiered: May 6, 2022 | Seasons released: 1 | Watch on: JioHotstar

Building a dream home is an excellent way to discover that every family member has a different dream. ‘Home Shanti’ follows the Joshi family in Dehradun as they attempt to become homeowners, with Sarla Joshi’s approaching retirement adding urgency to the project. Supriya Pathak plays Sarla, a school principal, and Manoj Pahwa plays her poet husband Umesh. Chakori Dwivedi and Poojan Chhabra play their children. Directed by Aakanksha Dua and produced by Posham Pa Pictures, the series premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on May 6, 2022; its single season is now on JioHotstar.

The family has spent years in government quarters, making the new house far more than a construction project. It represents security, independence and a future everyone wants some say in designing. Budgets and differing preferences provide plenty of room for comedy, while Pathak and Pahwa give the household an inviting familiarity. Dehradun supplies the hometown setting, but the central concern travels easily: how do you build something together when nobody quite agrees on what it should look like? It is a wonderfully domestic problem to turn into a series.

8. Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam

Director: Naga | First season premiered: September 20, 2024 | Seasons released: 1 | Watch on: Prime Video

‘Panchayat’s’ awkward government posting also finds a home in Tamil. Its official adaptation, ‘Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam’, follows Sidharth, an engineering graduate from Chennai who reluctantly becomes the secretary of a village panchayat in Tamil Nadu. Abishek Kumar plays the newcomer, alongside Chetan, Devadarshini, Niyathi, Anand Sami and Paul Raj. Directed by Naga and written by Balakumaran Murugesan, the TVF-produced, eight-episode first season premiered on September 20, 2024.

For viewers familiar with Abhishek Tripathi, the underlying situation will be recognisable: a city-bred graduate has a job he barely wants and a community he does not yet understand. The Tamil setting brings its own speech, social details and performers to that relationship. Sidharth’s frustration gives the comedy its starting point, while his encounters with the villagers supply the warmth.

9. Sivarapalli

Director: Bhaskhar Maurya | First season premiered: January 24, 2025 | Seasons released: 1 | Watch on: Prime Video

The Telugu adaptation of ‘Panchayat’ takes the same predicament to Telangana. In ‘Sivarapalli’, Shyam, an engineering graduate from Hyderabad, reluctantly accepts a panchayat secretary’s job in a remote village because his alternatives are limited. Rag Mayur leads the series, with Muralidhar Goud, Rupa Lakshmi, Uday Gurrala, Sunny Palle and Pavani Karanam in key roles. Directed by Bhaskhar Maurya and written by Shanmukha Prashanth, the TVF production premiered on January 24, 2025, with an eight-episode first season.

Like its Hindi and Tamil counterparts, ‘Sivarapalli’ gets much of its appeal from the gap between the newcomer’s expectations and the community’s everyday priorities. Shyam may regard his posting as an unfortunate detour, but the people around him have lives, loyalties and concerns that demand his attention. The village gradually becomes more than the place where he works.

10. Bandwaale

Directors: Akshat Verma and Ankur Tewari | First season premiered: February 13, 2026 | Seasons released: 1 | Watch on: Prime Video

In Ratlam, finding your voice can mean finding a way around everybody else’s expectations first. ‘Bandwaale’ follows Mariam, a young poet who starts sharing her writing anonymously online while trying to claim some independence in a restrictive environment. Her journey brings her together with Robo, a local singer, and DJ Psycho, turning an unlikely friendship into a creative partnership. Shalini Pandey plays Mariam, with Swanand Kirkire and Zahan Kapoor as her companions; Ashish Vidyarthi, Anupama Kumar and Sanjana Dipu also feature. Created and written by Kirkire and Ankur Tewari, the musical dramedy is directed by Akshat Verma and Tewari.

Its place on this list comes from the combination of small-town dreams, music and the reassurance of finding people who understand what you want to do. Ratlam’s local culture shapes the story rather than simply supplying a backdrop. In an interview, the creators discussed their intention to make something hopeful, drawing on their own small-town backgrounds. There are family pressures and obstacles along the way, but the friendship at its centre gives the series its warmth – and adds a different flavour to a watchlist otherwise full of households and government offices.

11. Gutar Gu

Creator and director: Saqib Pandor | First season premiered: April 5, 2023 | Seasons released: 3 | Watch on: Amazon MX Player

Before romance becomes a discussion about compatibility and life goals, it can be an elaborate operation involving coaching classes, nervous conversations and friends offering spectacularly questionable advice. ‘Gutar Gu’ begins in Bhopal, where Anuj meets Ritu, who has moved from Gurgaon. Vishesh Bansal and Ashlesha Thakur play the teenagers as they navigate first love, strict parents and the insecurities that make a small misunderstanding feel like a relationship-ending crisis. Created and directed by Saqib Pandor and produced by Sikhya Entertainment, the series first premiered on Amazon miniTV on April 5, 2023.

Its hometown beginnings give it an inviting familiarity, although the story moves beyond Bhopal as the couple grows up. The third season, released on July 17, 2025, brings Anuj and Ritu together in Mumbai, where sharing a home introduces a fresh set of challenges. That makes it a romance with hometown roots rather than a show set entirely in small-town India. For this list, its strongest draw is the affection with which it treats young love: the awkwardness, overthinking and tiny moments that feel enormous to the two people living through them.

12. Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare

First-season director: Vikas Chandra | First season premiered: May 18, 2018 | Seasons released: 3 | Watch on: Amazon MX Player

Some people build their neighbourhood reputation through hard work. Ronny takes a shortcut: letting people believe that an influential politician is his uncle. Created by and starring Zakir Khan, ‘Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare’ follows this unemployed Indore youngster as his inflated importance collides with family expectations, friendship, romance and increasingly troublesome political situations. Kumar Varun and Vyom Sharma play his friends, while Zakir Hussain and Alka Amin feature as his parents. Vikas Chandra directed the first season, which premiered on Prime Video on May 18, 2018.

Season three, directed by Gaganjeet Singh and written by Zakir Khan and Gopal Datt, arrived on April 25, 2024, with Abhimanyu Singh among its key players. Indore is a major city, so the connection here is its neighbourhood and hometown atmosphere. Ronny’s desire to be someone important, his friends’ faith in him and his family’s concern about his future make his world recognisable even when his schemes become ridiculous. Its comedy is more mischievous than Gullak’s, but the familiar relationships beneath the political complications make it an enjoyable addition.

13. The Aam Aadmi Family

First-season director: Apoorv Singh Karki | First season premiered: November 5, 2016 | Seasons released: 4 | Watch on: ZEE5

If ‘Gullak’ leaves you wanting another household where everyone has something to say, the Sharmas are ready to welcome you. ‘The Aam Aadmi Family’ builds its comedy around a middle-class family’s everyday habits, disagreements and emotional entanglements. Brijendra Kala and Lubna Salim anchor the show as the parents, with Chandan K Anand as their son Bobby and Gunjan Malhotra playing daughter Sonu in the earlier seasons. Kamlesh Gill plays the grandmother. The series began on The Timeliners’ YouTube channel in November 2016, with Apoorv Singh Karki directing its first season.

The fourth season, directed by Himali Shah, premiered on ZEE5 on November 24, 2023, with Saadhika Syal playing Sonu. Its strongest connection to this article is the domestic comfort-watch mood, rather than a firmly established small-town location. The family’s familiar routines give viewers an easy way into its world, while later episodes also tackle grief and physical and mental health concerns. Like several shows here, it can become more emotional than its cheerful premise initially suggests – but that attention to ordinary family life is precisely what makes it a companion to ‘Gullak’.