Exclusive | The Royals, Black Warrant, Maamla Legal Hai to return with S2 on Netflix; Mismatched set to end run with 4th

Second seasons of The Royals, Black Warrant, and Maamla Legal Hai have been greenlit by Netflix, while Mismatched is also returning for its final season.

Streaming giant Netflix is bringing back some of its most talked-about Indian shows for second seasons soon. HT can exclusively report that The Royals, Black Warrant, and Maamla Legal Hai will all be returning for second seasons on the platform. Mismatched, the slice-of-life romance that has been a part of the streamer for half a decade, will also return for a fourth and final season.

The Royals, Black Warrant, Maamla Legal Hai greenlit for S2

The Royals - a rom-com starring Ishaan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar - released earlier this month on the platform. And despite divisive reviews, the show on Indian royalty topped the charts, trending in 58 countries. Buoyed by this, Netflix has greenlit the show for a second season almost immediately. Rangita Pritish Nandy, the co-creator of The Royals, says the team is 'still mapping that based of our learnings and findings on season 1', but will push the envelope in season 2. “What’s clear is that we will continue to push through on the romantic comedy heart of our show whilst adding newer royalty, their intriguing echo chambers and inner worlds, crack new characters,” she adds.

Joining The Royals is Vikramaditya Motwane's critically acclaimed prison drama Black Warrant. The second season will bring back Zahaan Kapoor as jailer Sunil Kumar Gupta for newer adventures in the Tihar Jail. Maamla Legal Hai, the quirky comedy set in a fictitious district court in East Delhi, will also return on Netflix. 

Starring Ravi Kishan, the show received unanimously positive reviews upon its release in 2024. Sameer Saxena, the show's creator, says, “There are new quirky cases as well as new characters. You will see a lot of newness in this season, while the essence of season 1 will remain intact.”

Tanya Bami, Series Head—Netflix India, calls it a 'special kind of joy, nervousness, and excitement' to bring back these shows. “What’s exciting and special is how diverse these stories are—from young love to prison drama to a royal rom-com and a sitcom. Our audiences love different genres and moods, and we are happy to bring back their favourites,” she adds.

Mismatched S4 and what the future holds

Mismatched, one of the most-loved rom-coms on the Indian streaming scene, will also return. It trended nationally each season, and its songs generated millions of YouTube views. “We are thrilled to bring back Mismatched for its fourth and final season, making it one of our longest-running fan favourite shows from India,” says Tanya, adding, “The music from the show has set records season after season. Dimple and Rishi’s journey has sparked endless emotions, reactions and conversations, with fans deeply invested in their friendship, their romance and waiting for the answer to the big question - what does the future hold for Dimple & Rishi?”

How Netflix greenlights shows and measures success

In an exclusive chat with HT, Tanya explains how Netflix goes about greenlighting shows and why some announcements happen immediately after the release of S1, while others take months and years. "We don't follow a one-size-fits-all model," she says, adding, “Some stories are built with a long arc in mind from the start, while others earn that next chapter through the love they receive after release. Sometimes we wait to see how it lands before greenlighting the next season, and other times, we know right away that we want to continue the journey. Either way, our aim is to honour both the creator’s vision and the audience’s emotional investment.”

In the theatrical model, measuring success is more apparent with box office receipts. But on streaming, the answer is not always as crystal clear to the outsider. Talking about how success is measured and on what basis Netflix decide which shows should return, Tanya explains, “Success on streaming isn’t just about numbers, it’s about engagement - did audiences press play and stay? This is the single most important indicator for us. It’s about how much a story is watched, talked about and remembered. So when the music of Mismatched makes it to the top of music charts across the world, we know audiences have enjoyed the show, and it has stayed with them. When younger artists and actors like Zahaan Kapoor become popular because of the character they played in our show, we know we are giving audiences moments to take back from our shows. When we sweep all major award shows for our titles, we know our work is being loved, appreciated and recognised.”

Why are seasons 2 delayed sometimes?

Fans often complain that there is a large gap between two seasons of a show. Some shows in the Indian streaming world have taken as long as four years to return. Addressing that, Tanya says, “Absolutely, it’s the best kind of validation. When fans say, “It’s been too long!”—what they’re really saying is they’ve missed the characters, the world, the story.”

Talking about why it takes 'too long' for some shows to return, she explains, “Of course, we want to bring stories back as soon as we can, but we also want to make sure that when we do, it’s worth the wait. There is an expectation along with that anticipation, and it is something we take very seriously with our partners in every aspect of designing a returning season. The conflict, the characters, raising the stakes season on season, isn't easy, and we want to give our creators the intentionality to bring their best to the fans! Yet we are committed to bringing back our subsequent seasons in about 18 to 24 months from the previous one.”

Learning from criticism and feedback

Oftentimes, shows receive polarising reactions. Art is subjective, and hence, audience reactions vary. But it has been evident in recent times that such divisive reactions can often spur shows to the top of the viewing charts. Chatter helps! But creators and the streamer say that they learn from the feedback. “We are intentional and mindful about our audience and how they respond to our content,” says Tanya Bami, adding, “It matters to us how a series performed, did the conversation around the show, enter the zeitgeist, did it inspire fans to talk about it and discuss its details, make fan art, make reels with our music, idolise our protagonists or be upset with the choices they made or did not make… It's a testimony to what stayed with them.”

But Tanya is clear that critical praise is not the sole determinant for whether a show merits a return or not. “Sometimes a show might not receive unanimous praise from critics, but it really resonates with viewers, and that’s incredibly valuable because at the core, Netflix is not an exclusive experience with a single tone or style; we are an inclusive experience,” she explains.

The Royals, for instance, received mixed reviews, yet it trended internationally. Its creator, Rangita Pritish Nandy, echoes Tanya's sentiment and says they listen to 'the good and the ugly' while charting out the path for the second season.