There was a time when sitcoms were a part of everyday life in India. They were easy to watch, instantly relatable, and built around characters that felt like people you knew. You didn’t need to commit to a long, heavy storyline. You just showed up, laughed, and came back the next day.
Today, that experience is surprisingly hard to find.
Despite the explosion of OTT platforms and an ever-growing library of content, comedy, especially grounded, character-driven comedy, has quietly faded into the background. In its place, darker, more intense genres have taken over.
The arrival of Maamla Legal Hai Season 2 only highlights how sorely missing light-hearted, relatable everyday comedies have become in the OTT landscape. For Aaroosh Kohli, this shift is both noticeable and important. Currently based in Los Angeles and working with Olive Bridge Entertainment, Kohli has worked across a wide range of Indian streaming projects, including Kota Factory, Class, Guns & Gulaabs, and Kaala Paani. His experience across both India and the U.S. has given him a clear view of how storytelling trends are evolving and where the gaps are forming.
The Disappearance of Everyday Humor
Streaming platforms today are filled with high-stakes narratives. Crime thrillers, survival dramas, and layered mysteries dominate release cycles. While these genres have found success, they don’t fully reflect how people actually live or what they often want to watch at the end of a long day.
“What’s missing right now is simplicity,” Kohli says. “There’s a space for stories that don’t try too hard, that just feel real and make you laugh.”
Sitcoms once filled that space. They thrived on everyday situations, small conflicts, and consistent characters. They didn’t rely on scale or spectacle. They relied on writing, timing, and familiarity.
That format, while proven, has not been explored enough in the OTT era.
Why Comedy Isn’t Being Prioritized
One of the reasons comedy has taken a backseat is the industry’s shift toward scale. Platforms are competing for attention in a crowded market, and high-concept dramas often feel like safer bets for visibility and awards.
But in chasing scale, something more fundamental is being overlooked – connection.
Comedy, especially grounded comedy, builds a different kind of relationship with the audience. It creates comfort. It becomes part of routine viewing. And most importantly, it reflects real life in a way that feels effortless.
“There’s a perception that comedy is harder to market or doesn’t travel as well,” Kohli explains. “But when it works, it connects in a very direct way.”
The Young Audience That’s Being Missed
India’s OTT growth is largely driven by younger viewers, an audience navigating early careers, relationships, and identity. For them, relatability matters as much as storytelling quality.
This is where young adult comedies can play a crucial role.
Projects like Maamla Legal Hai, along with shows like Panchayat, Gullak, and Kota Factory, highlight how strongly audiences respond to content that feels personal and grounded. But these examples are still few and far between.
“There’s so much more to explore in that space,” Kohli says. “We’re only scratching the surface.”
Kohli’s work on Maamla Legal Hai reflects this belief. A project he pushed for and believed in deeply, the show found a strong audience and built momentum across seasons.
For him, it reinforces a simple idea, audiences are ready for comedy. They just need more of it.
Rethinking What Success Looks Like
One of the biggest opportunities in this space is that comedy doesn’t demand massive budgets. It thrives on strong writing, memorable characters, and authenticity.
In a market as diverse as India, this creates space for stories that are hyper-local, culturally specific, and deeply relatable without requiring large-scale production.
“Not every show needs to feel like an event,” Aaroosh Kohli says. “Some shows just need to feel like home.”
The Road Ahead
India’s OTT industry is still evolving. The scale is there, the audience is there, and the platforms are constantly expanding. But the next phase of growth may depend on how well the industry balances intensity with lightness.
Right now, the gap is clear.
There are millions of viewers looking for stories that are easy, honest, and fun. Stories that don’t just engage, but comfort. Stories that bring back the simple joy of watching something and laughing without overthinking it.
In the middle of India’s streaming boom, the return of the sitcom might not just be nostalgia. It might be exactly what the audience has been waiting for.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
