Why are OTT shows making us wait so long—and can we even be bothered?

For a medium built on providing instant gratification, why is the time between seasons of hit OTT shows being stretched almost indefinitely?

When the third season of the action crime series Mirzapur released on Amazon Prime Video in 2024 after a gap of four years since its previous iteration, the internet was abound with loyal viewers complaining about having to watch the previous two seasons just to refresh their memory. Having long gaps between seasons of Hindi web series seems common on OTT platforms in India of late—Made in Heaven (2019, 2023-), Paatal Lok (2020, 2025-), The Family Man (2019, 2021-) are some examples. 

For a medium built on instant gratification, OTT show delays and the long, unpredictable gaps between seasons of shows feels almost like a betrayal. What was once a reliable rhythm of annual releases has now become a waiting game—one that audiences aren’t necessarily winning. Whether it’s Delhi Crime orStranger Things, or any number of Hindi and global streaming hits, the space between seasons is stretching into years, often without explanation. Is this the price of prestige storytelling, or are OTT giants deliberately reshaping audience expectations based on global streaming trends?

The concept of seasons in shows was introduced in India with OTT platforms, unlike the West which has followed such a structured network model for decades together. American sitcom Seinfeld (1989-1998) ran for nine seasons, whereas CID (1998-2018) followed a completely different format—airing weekly episodes on Indian television without seasonal breaks, culminating in its 1500th episode in 2018. 

“Hollywood’s annual, structured 20-episode-long seasons keep viewers coming back for more. India has a 10-episode OTT model,” observes Abhimanyu Mathur, a Mumbai-based film critic of six years and journalist for the last 11 years.  “A newness [is] reflected in how most Hindi web series, other than Gullak (2019-2024) and Kota Factory (2019-2022-2024), seem like eight-hour-long films cinematically, including Panchayat’s (2020-2022-2024) action or thriller scenes,” he adds. 

Why OTT shows in India take years to release: A shortage of writers

One of the biggest roadblocks to quicker season turnarounds is the chronic shortage of experienced writers. “The West has well-defined roles for writers and showrunners, leading to efficiency. We only have that with TV shows,” explains film writer Karan Anshuman, who is working on the second season of action drama Rana Naidu (2023- ). Unlike Hollywood’s writers' rooms, which have teams of 10–12 specialists—including those who focus solely on character arcs, world-building, or dialogue—writing teams in India are often capped at four, many of whom are still finding their footing in long-form storytelling.

Even industry veterans face these challenges, leading to OTT show delays. Screenwriter Sudip Sharma, who led the writing team in Paatlak Lok—despite it being his first time writing a long-form show—acknowledges the complexity. “It takes me at least a year to write a decent show,” says Sharma, who has just finished shooting for the second season of Kohrra(2023- ). Without a steady pool of experienced writers, delays in production are almost inevitable.    

Further complicating the matter is the overlap of projects across platforms. Writing teams in India are spread thin, often juggling multiple projects at the same time. The Ormax OTT Audience Report: 2024 states India's OTT audience was made up of 54.73 crore people in 2024, marking an increase from 2023 by 13.8 per cent. The demand for entertainment on OTT platforms is rising, but the capacity to deliver high-quality, timely content remains limited. “So, the second season of Jubilee (2023- ) will take time because the creators—Vikramaditya Motwane and team—were working on Black Warrant (2025). And this will then impact Black Warrant’s second season,” explains Mathur. 

How streaming numbers decide the fate of OTT shows in India 

Most OTT  shows are conceived with only one season in mind, with additional seasons getting greenlit based on how the pilot season fared. Beyond viewership numbers, streaming platforms also analyse  character popularity  and engagement data, influencing how the next seasons are shaped. This data-gathering process alone can take a month. “Inputs from the network lead to a back and forth, plus shooting at actual locations instead of sets is logistically challenging,” explains Anshuman, who worked on the first two seasons of Mirzapur. 

OTT shows are also how actors and filmmakers propel to fame, making them less available for follow-up seasons. “A hiccup Mirzapurmust have faced given that actors Vijay Varma, Pankaj Tripathi, and Ali Fazal became famous [after the first season],” says Mathur. 

After Paatal Lok, Sharma got busy with Kohrra, director Avinash Arun with School of Lies, and actor Jaideep Ahlawat with other projects. “There was also the pressure of living up to season one. However, that made it easier to convince casting non-established stars in lead roles,” says Sharma.  

Even returning actors don’t always commit. Adarsh Gourav, an integral part of Hostel Daze (2019- ), didn’t return for the show’s third season (2022). “It only makes sense to return if it’s a continuation of your career arc,” says Gourav, who felt he had nothing new to bring to the character despite its recognition. “As an actor, you do need to take up other work between season gaps. You also want to take a break from playing the same character after three months, getting a fresher perspective,” he adds.

Masala, marketing, and OTT delays: How platforms keep shows relevant 

Streaming platforms have found ways to keep audiences engaged during these years-long gaps. Bridgertonhad a highly-successful spin-off, Lady Charlotte in 2023, bridging the  18-month-long gap between seasons. Similarly, Squid Games (2021, 2024) kept its brand alive with the reality game show Squid Game: The Challenge (2023) and even an interactive game on Google’s search page.

“‘Mass-y’ shows that know they have enough ‘masala’ for only four seasons will not be able to stretch it beyond. But platforms also know they will have something else for viewers to watch in the interim,” says Mathur, who admits he completely lost track of Bandish Bandits, which took four years to release the second season. 

TVF’s web series have also seen extended gaps. TVF Pitchers (2015- ) took so long to release a second season in 2022 that even the platform had changed—from Youtube to Zee 5—and the lead actor Jitendra Kumar didn’t return. Permanent Roommates (2014, 2016) also resurfaced after seven years, moving from YouTube to Amazon Prime Video.   

“The show’s shelf-life plummets further when you can’t match the anticipation that has been built, like in Scam [which had a three-year-long gap between seasons],” says Mathur. However, he didn’t mind waiting for five years for Pataal Lok because the makers ensured each season was satisfying to watch on its own. 

Having well-developed, relatable characters like Paatal Lok’s Hathi Ram Chaudhary (played by Jaideep Ahlawat), rather than  exaggerating  to the point of caricature, is what ensures long-term audience investment. Sharma’s approach to writing Pataal Lok 2 was to avoid replicating the success formula of the first season.. “Thinking there’s a formula is how you fail,” explains Sharma. And no cliffhangers, which he considers as a sign of insecure storytelling. “It shows that you don’t have the confidence that the story you’ve told over six hours will be liked enough for viewers to come back for. Then don’t do a second season. People don’t like investing time and not getting closure,” he explains. Sharma had to choose between writing Paatal Lok or Sacred Games—the latter notably ended on a cliffhanger. 

Gourav, however, sees cliffhangers differently. They build curiosity for what’s to come. “It also works better than post-credits scenes because not everyone watches those,” he says. Meanwhile, platforms continue leveraging social media to sustain interest. For Delhi-based teacher Nayonika Bose,Instagram recommendations for fanpages,  memes, and video edits keep her engaged with shows even during long hiatuses between seasons. 

Recaps versus binge-watching: How viewers keep up with long-awaited shows

Long gaps in the age of a sea of content on streaming platforms creates room for recap videos. Mathur prefers ones created by the platform/creators, like Paatal Lok’s, which focus on what is relevant for the forthcoming season. Sharma edited the recap himself, ensuring it was less than two  minutes long, with just a focus on protagonist Hathi Ram’s struggle to find a place in life, his relationship with his wife Renu (played by Gul Panag), and his colleague Imran Ansari (played by Ishwak Singh). 

“Recaps are evolving as an art form, and are almost like a shortened version of a season, which doesn’t just explain the plot but also the emotions it evokes,” observes Anshuman, who watched explainer videos for Dark on YouTube, including those with maps and family trees, over the official recap. 

Bose uses recaps to finish shows she lost interest in but was still curious about, including Manifestand 13 Reasons Why. She enjoys YouTube channels such as Only Desi, which focus on details from movies from the 1990s, like the fact that several of Yash Chopra’s films were allegedly shot in the same hotel in Switzerland. “Straightforward Indian explainer videos on YouTube don’t work because due to copyright issues, the video usually features a person delivering a monologue. And it only gives one person’s perspective,” adds Mathur. 

Recaps, however, have the tendency to skip the nuances. Mathur admits he missed out on a few in Paatal Lok, like Hathi Ram repeating his “Pehle se suspend hoon” line from the first season. You don’t miss out when you binge-watch, which is easier with 30-minute episodes, making it 3.5 to 4 hours of content, akin to a long movie. “But only if there’s three seasons or less,” says Bose. 

“Rewatching is when you search the screen for details you’d missed earlier, or Easter eggs while still being emotionally invested,” says Gourav, who has watched The Office eight times, and only recently that Jim Carey stars in an episode. “Binge-watching also adds pressure, as it’s like writing 300-400 pages,” says Anshuman, who prefers the weekly format because it gives him something to look forward to, while allowing him to keep up with multiple shows. 

Others like Bose find it easier to give up on weeklies like Voltaire High (2021) which, she thought, fizzled out after a strong start. She’d rather wait for a few episodes to release and watch them together. “There’s a sense of continuity, which is rewarding. To suddenly have 50 episodes lined up is fun,” says Anshuman, who watched Lost across seven years, with weekly episodes. 

Mumbai-based PR manager Gunjan Sharma focuses on the need for continuity so much that she waits until all the seasons of a show have been released in order to watch it. For instance, she watched The Crown(2016-2023) in 2023, living through spoilers for seven years, which, she says, helps ease her anxiety. “I did give in during Sacred Games but abandoned it. I haven’t watched The Game of Thrones,” says Sharma. 

A major downside to these long gaps between seasons is that the actors visibly age, sometimes making it difficult to convincingly portray their roles. Stranger Things exemplifies this—its cast started as teenagers in 2016, but by the latest season, they are well into their 20s, and are now married adults. “When shows are not periodical, viewers might not even recognise the cast, which happened when I was watching Hostel Daze,” says Mathur. 

While streaming services argue that longer gaps elevate the quality of storytelling, the reality is that the audience is running out of patience. As a culture of binge-watching fades and delayed seasons become the norm, will viewers adapt, or abandon shows altogether? If the OTT boom in India has proven anything, it’s that audiences will move on unless they are actively kept engaged. Either way, the golden age of instant gratification in streaming seems to be officially over.

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