When new fiction falters: Can TV’s past shape its future?

In an era where audiences have an abundance of choices, from linear TV to OTT to short-form content, the Indian television landscape is undergoing a critical reset. General Entertainment Channels (GECs), once the undisputed kings of household entertainment, are now being forced to re-evaluate what kind of fiction content truly clicks with viewers.

Despite the heavy churn of new shows across major GECs, very few have been able to sustain ratings or build long-term audience loyalty. Instead, a pattern has emerged: clear, emotionally rooted storytelling continues to work, while cluttered or half-baked experiments are quickly abandoned by viewers.

Nostalgia TV: Revival or regression?

One of the biggest talking points in the television industry lately has been the growing reliance on nostalgia and legacy content. From reboots to repackaged dramas, broadcasters seem increasingly inclined to revisit the past rather than take creative risks with fresh ideas.

Sony Entertainment Television recently brought back the iconic CID, banking on the familiarity and enduring popularity of the long-running crime drama. Meanwhile, JioStar is reviving Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi with much of its original cast — a move that has sparked industry-wide discussion about whether the nostalgia factor still holds commercial and emotional value in today’s viewing landscape.

Even beyond cult classics, the trend of recycling content is evident. Earlier this year, SET launched Radhika Dil Se, a daily soap that is essentially a rebranded version of Mann AtiSundar — a show that originally premiered on Dangal TV in July 2023 and continues to air on that network. This raises the question: are audiences truly craving older formats and familiar stories, or are broadcasters simply avoiding the risks of untested concepts?

Sanjay Dwivedi, Group CEO, Balaji Telefilms, believes nostalgia still has weight, but with caveats. “Nostalgia remains a powerful hook for our Hindi GEC audiences, but is it enough to guarantee success? It depends on how we innovate on nostalgic elements to create fresh, evolved stories that resonate for today's GEC preferences. Our own Balaji classics have proven that emotional familiarity creates deep-rooted loyalty. But nostalgia can't save weak stories.”

Anil Solanki, Director, Denstsu X, offers the advertiser perspective, “The reboot of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi is likely to attract a mix of legacy FMCG and regional brands, with potential interest from premium advertisers if the storytelling resonates with today’s viewers. While nostalgia offers a strong emotional hook, in today’s fragmented content landscape, it must be paired with contemporary relevance to drive meaningful ad revenue — especially on linear TV. Advertisers will assess the balance of risk and reward carefully, weighing the familiarity of a known IP against the freshness of new content.”

The iconic soap Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi is making a comeback with a rebooted Season 2, slated to premiere on July 29, at 10:30 PM timeslot on Star Plus with simultaneous streaming on JioHotstar. The reboot, produced by Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms, has been conceived as a finite series of approximately 160 episodes.

While some industry experts believe that original content is the need of the hour, others feel that if the Kyunki reboot manages to resonate with today’s audiences, it could open the floodgates for a wave of legacy shows making a comeback.

According to an industry expert, who did not wish to be named, with increasing innovation and content fragmentation, the industry is choosing to play it safe.
“He added that the innovation and experimentation is expensive and risky. Especially when there is an option to recreate an existing successful show from the same network. The chances of success are significantly higher.

“If the Kyunki reboot performs well, it could open the floodgates. We might see a barrage of iconic shows from 20 years ago — Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Kasautii Zindagii Kay, Kahiin To Hoga — making a comeback, possibly with a modern twist. And if it clicks for Star, other networks may follow suit. If there’s relevance — if the story resonates again — then yes, both audiences and advertisers might return,” the expert said.

“However, I believe we are at the end of the remake era. Most successful shows have been done already. And the cycle of content innovation & newer storylines will have to restart,” he said.

New fiction shows failing to stick?
Despite launching with high hopes and big budgets, many new fiction shows have collapsed within weeks. One major reason, experts say, is the lack of strong story differentiation and the over-reliance on recycled formats.

“Core GEC audiences prefer simpler but fresh family-friendly drama with clear moral anchors,” says Dwivedi. “Audiences today also strongly stick to established long-running shows. A key insight from week-on-week data for us is that if a new show’s opening episodes don’t hook audiences, ratings drop sharply within the first 3–4 weeks and recovery rarely happens. If new shows fail to differentiate from existing offerings and rely on recycled tropes, we see viewer fatigue.”

Solanki points out the pitfalls from an advertiser and brand point of view: “Many new fiction shows across GECs struggle to sustain ratings because they often lack a sharp point of view, rush into launch without sufficient audience testing, or fail to strike a balance between tradition and today's sensibilities. In a world with endless choices, relatability and freshness win over formulaic storytelling. Indian viewers are not against tradition — they’re against predictability.”

Emotional anchors and familiarity still rule prime-time
According to Dwivedi, “GEC audiences prefer clear, emotional stories over ambiguous or twisted thrillers — there has to be a clear relatability. Prime-time family dramas and long-running family sitcoms remain powerhouse performers. While family drama works, pure kitchen-politics shows with stale plots have seen consistent rejection if they don’t evolve beyond clichés.”

He adds that the ratings data makes one thing clear: “Hindi GECs need mass appeal. Urban-niche shows can’t survive without small-town and rural viewership. Shows that mimicked urban OTT stories, focusing on college life, startup worlds, or westernized love stories, struggled outside metro audiences where these stories don’t resonate.”

Solanki echoes this: “In today’s Indian TV landscape, family dramas with deep-rooted emotional conflicts, shows around social justice (like women empowerment or regional pride), and light-hearted slice-of-life narratives are still resonating strongly with audiences, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. What viewers are clearly rejecting are overly regressive tropes, repetitive supernatural plots, and hyper-melodramatic storytelling that feels disconnected from current realities.”

Fiction favourites hold ground across pay, free, and combined viewership universes
The latest data for Week 25 shows minor shifts in Hindi GEC viewership trends, with drama-heavy lineups continuing to dominate across both pay and free platforms, even as most shows maintained stable performance week-on-week.
In the Pay category, Advocate Anjali Awasthi on Star Plus held strong with a rating of 1.31 in Week 24 and 1.27 in Week 25. Jaadu Teri Nazar was at 0.96 and 1.02, while Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin were at 0.67 and 0.63.

On Colors, Shiv Shakti Tap Tyaag Tandav had a rating of 1.07 in week 24 and 1.11 in week 25, whereas Ram Bhavan remained almost flat at 0.53 and 0.54. Zee TV’s Kumkum Bhagya had a rating of 1.34 and 1.38. Jaane Anjaane Hum Mile was at 1.40 and 1.31. Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki on Colors remained almost flat at 0.98 and 1.00.
Dangal dominated the Free universe. Mann Sundar had 3.04 and 3.43 rating, while Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin on STAR Utsav had 3.14 and 2.99. On Dangal, Mann Ati Sundar stood at 2.39 and 2.74; Pati Brahmachari secured a rating of 1.78 and 2.04, while Gehna Zevar Ya Zanjeer had 1.05 and 0.70.

In the combined universe, the ratings for Kumkum Bhagya on Zee TV were 0.93 and 0.95. On Star Plus, Advocate Anjali Awasthi was at 0.91 in Week 24 and 0.88 in Week 25. Gehna Zevar Ya Zanjeer from Dangal remained flat at 0.23 and 0.27. Jaadu Teri Nazar was at 0.67 and 0.71. Shiv Shakti Tap Tyaag Tandav stayed at 0.7. Ram Bhavan remained the same at 0.37. Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki stayed steady at 0.68 and 0.70.

Indian GECs today are caught in a delicate balancing act — maintaining mass appeal while evolving content to reflect modern realities. The challenge lies not just in rehashing past formulas or chasing urban trends, but in crafting grounded, emotionally resonant stories that offer something genuinely new.

As more data on show performance rolls in, the verdict will become clearer on which content themes truly endure and which ones the audience has left behind. But one thing’s certain: in today’s fragmented, fast-moving TV universe, both viewers and advertisers expect more than just comfort — they expect clarity, creativity, and connection.