While season 4 of Panchayat released just two weeks ago, the makers have already announced season 5 of the acclaimed Prime Video series. The streaming giant took to social media on Monday to share a new poster of the series in which Ashok Pathak’s Binod, whose performance was lauded in the recent season, can be seen being lifted by other members of the cast. Although the exact date of release is not given, the new season will be coming next year. “Hi 5. Phulera wapas aane ki taiyyaari shuru kar lijiye Panchayat On Prime, New Season, Coming Soon,” the makers have captioned the post.
The show’s first season released during the lockdown in 2020 and garnered much acclaim because of its calm pacing, a feel-good experience and affable characters. Panchayat has an ensemble of actors like Jitendra Kumar, Raghubir Yadav, Neena Gupta, Faisal Malik, Chandan Roy, Sanvikaa, Pankaj Jha, Durgesh Kumar, Sunita Rajwar and Ashok Pathak. The recent season also had lyricist and actor Swanand Kirkire in a pivotal role.
There were reports stating that Panchayat’s season 4 has delivered the best opening for the franchise. The reviews, however, were middling. Our take on the series read: “Panchayat, when it started, carved its own niche amidst an OTT space inundated with crime thrillers and heavy dramas. It offered a slow-paced, low-stakes narrative, which felt soothingly fresh. Now, these same strengths it is using as formula. The quirks are becoming predictable, as is the narrative. Organic storytelling is turning into a packaged item.”
Panchayat has been created by Deepak Kumar Mishra and written by Chandan Kumar. It is from the house of Arunabh Kumar’s The Viral Fever (TVF).