The best Hindi web series that released during the 2020 lockdown are Paatal Lok, Panchayat, Special Ops, Four More Shots Please! Season 2, Betaal, Hasmukh, Hundred, State of Siege: 26/11, The Raikar Case and Illegal. Several of them, like Paatal Lok and Panchayat, have since returned with new seasons.
India went into a nationwide lockdown in late March 2020, and streaming became the main source of new entertainment. These ten shows arrived in that window. Here is what each one is about, what has happened to it since, and where to watch it as of October 2026.
1. Paatal Lok (Amazon Prime Video)
Created by Sudip Sharma and produced by Anushka Sharma’s Clean Slate Filmz, Paatal Lok premiered in May 2020. Jaideep Ahlawat plays Hathi Ram Chaudhary, a tired Delhi cop handed a high-profile case: four suspects arrested for plotting to kill a famous TV journalist (Neeraj Kabi). Abhishek Banerjee and Gul Panag also star.
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The show won five Filmfare OTT awards, including Best Series and Best Actor for Ahlawat. Season 2 released on 17 January 2025, with Hathi Ram now investigating a case in Nagaland.
2. Panchayat (Amazon Prime Video)
TVF’s Panchayat released on 3 April 2020. Jitendra Kumar plays Abhishek Tripathi, an engineering graduate who reluctantly takes a job as panchayat secretary in Phulera, a village in Uttar Pradesh. Neena Gupta plays the elected pradhan, Manju Devi, and Raghubir Yadav plays her husband, who runs the panchayat in her name.
It became one of India’s most-loved shows. Seasons 2, 3 and 4 followed in 2022, 2024 and June 2025, and Prime Video has announced Season 5 for 2026.
3. Special Ops (JioHotstar)
Neeraj Pandey’s spy thriller premiered in March 2020, just as the lockdown began. Kay Kay Menon plays Himmat Singh, a R&AW officer convinced that one mastermind is behind several terror attacks in India. Karan Tacker, Vinay Pathak and Saiyami Kher co-star.
A prequel, Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story, came out in 2021. Season 2 released in July 2025 on JioHotstar, with Tahir Raj Bhasin and Prakash Raj joining the cast.
4. Four More Shots Please! Season 2 (Amazon Prime Video)
The second season of the story of four Mumbai friends, played by Sayani Gupta, Kirti Kulhari, Bani J and Maanvi Gagroo, arrived in April 2020. It follows their relationships, careers and mistakes, with friendship as the anchor.
A third season followed in 2022, and the fourth and final season premiered on Prime Video on 19 December 2025.
5. Betaal (Netflix)
Produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment with Blumhouse, Betaal was pitched as a zombie horror series. A paramilitary unit sent to clear a tribal village for a highway project runs into an undead British colonel and his zombie soldiers.
Vineet Kumar Singh and Aahana Kumra lead. Reviews were mixed, and the show did not get a second season, but it remains one of the few Indian zombie series. It streams on Netflix.
6. Hasmukh (Netflix)
Vir Das plays a small-town comedian who discovers he can only be funny on stage after he has killed someone. Ranvir Shorey plays his manager, and their partnership is the show’s highlight.
The dark comedy drew attention for its premise, and Shorey’s performance was widely praised. It ran for one season and streams on Netflix.
7. Hundred (JioHotstar)
Lara Dutta plays an ambitious police officer and Rinku Rajguru plays a young woman told she has 100 days to live. The two strike an unlikely deal, and the show mixes crime with comedy. Karan Wahi co-stars.
It marked Rinku Rajguru’s web debut after her breakthrough in the Marathi film Sairat. Hundred streams on JioHotstar.
8. State of Siege: 26/11 (ZEE5)
This series dramatises the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, focusing on the NSG commandos and the operations at the Taj hotel, Nariman House and other sites. Arjan Bajwa, Arjun Bijlani, Vivek Dahiya and Mukul Dev appear.
It was followed by a film, State of Siege: Temple Attack (2021), based on the Akshardham temple attack. Both stream on ZEE5.
9. The Raikar Case (JioHotstar)
Originally a Voot Select series, The Raikar Case is a family murder mystery set in Goa. When the youngest member of the Raikar family dies, everyone in the house becomes a suspect, and each episode reveals another motive.
Ashwini Bhave, Kunal Karan Kapoor, Reena Wadhwa and Lalit Prabhakar star. After Voot and JioCinema merged into JioHotstar, the series is now listed on JioHotstar.
10. Illegal (Voot, later JioCinema)
Neha Sharma plays Niharika Singh, an idealistic young lawyer who joins the firm of a powerful, morally flexible senior counsel (Piyush Mishra). Akshay Oberoi, Satyadeep Mishra and Kubbra Sait co-star.
The courtroom drama ran for three seasons, with the third released on JioCinema in 2024. Check JioHotstar for the full run, since Viacom18’s library moved there after the 2025 merger.
Quick guide: where to watch
| Series | Platform in India (Oct 2026) | Latest season |
|---|---|---|
| Paatal Lok | Amazon Prime Video | Season 2 (2025) |
| Panchayat | Amazon Prime Video | Season 4 (2025); Season 5 announced for 2026 |
| Special Ops | JioHotstar | Season 2 (2025) |
| Four More Shots Please! | Amazon Prime Video | Season 4, final (2025) |
| Betaal | Netflix | Season 1 (2020) |
| Hasmukh | Netflix | Season 1 (2020) |
For more streaming picks, see our series and listicles sections.
Frequently asked questions
Which Hindi web series released during the 2020 lockdown?
Paatal Lok, Panchayat, Special Ops, Four More Shots Please! Season 2, Betaal, Hasmukh, Hundred, State of Siege: 26/11, The Raikar Case and Illegal all premiered around the first lockdown.
Is there a Paatal Lok season 2?
Yes. Paatal Lok Season 2 released on Amazon Prime Video on 17 January 2025.
When is Panchayat season 5 releasing?
Prime Video announced Season 5 in July 2025 with a 2026 release window.
Where can I watch Special Ops season 2?
Special Ops Season 2 streams on JioHotstar.
Sources: Wikipedia: Paatal Lok, Wikipedia: Panchayat, The Hollywood Reporter India.
