2016’s Top 10 TV Shows (By Viewership)

Like most Indians, are you a TV buff too? Wondering which shows made it big in 2016? Here’s our list of top rated shows from last year (by viewership).

Bigg Boss

Not only the most viewed but also the most discussed reality TV show, Bigg Boss ended its 9th season (Bigg Boss Nau) in January 2016. The TRPs of Colors TV were certainly skyrocketing through the final few episodes and the season was won by Prince Narula. Again in October, Bigg Boss came up with its 10th season featuring Swami Om, Gurbani Judge, Lopamudra Raut, Gaurav Chopra, Rahul Dev and others. The popular guests who came on this season include Deepika Padukone, Sunny Leone, Alia Bhatt, Vidhya Balan and Farhan Akhtar.

The Kapil Sharma Show

Between 2013 and January 2016, Colors TV had aired the wildly popular Comedy Nights With Kapil but after a very public spat the show was pulled off air. In April 2016, the comedy star of India Kapil Sharma came back with a new show on Sony TV called the Kapil Sharma Show. While the show received a fantastic viewer response, critics were not greatly thrilled. Critics have often complained that Kapil is unable to keep up the humour quotient in the series. But if the viewers love it, Kapil Sharma is fine.

Naagin

Ekta Kapoor and her banner Balaji Telefilms were always known for their corny saas-bahu soaps, but venturing into the supernatural domain and turning out a superhit series in 2016? Incredible. Naagin premiered on Colors TV in November 2015 and by the time Season 1 came to an end in June 2016, it was already one of the highest rated shows with a great fan following. Season 2 premiered on October 8 and by this time the serial was being telecast in other channels too (including a Dubbed version in Tamil).

Koffee With Karan

Bollywood, candid talk, and coffee. The magic of Karan Johar continued through 2016 with his popular talk show, Koffee with Karan. The early episodes of season 5 aired through end 2016 and the show hosted a number of celebrities including Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, and Anushka Sharma. The episodes featuring Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna and Aamir Khan with his Dangal co-stars garnered high viewership and the one featuring Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma, and Arjun Kapoor was great fun to watch, said the viewers.

MasterChef India

If you think that watching cookery shows is an Indian malady, check the viewership of MasterChef UK, and its USA and Australia series as well. MasterChef India has also become very popular and the Season 5 aired in 2016. Viewers' favorite Kirti won the finale which aired on 25 December 2016. The 20 year old from Kolkata is a nutrition graduate and outran 30 other candidates to lift the season title. MasterChef has certainly succeeded in introducing a number of culinary terms into our regular language and has also spurred a number of local MasterChef contests.

Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat

Historical series have made a major comeback on Indian television in recent years. Starting 2015, Colors TV aired Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat written by celebrated author Ashok Banker (along with Anand Neelakanthan). Ashoka, the Mauryan king is an Indian favorite and the TRPs reflected his undying fame. The series ended in October 2016. The episodes when Ashoka turns to Buddhism remain a favourite with the viewers. Who doesn’t love a tyrant-turns-pacifist story?

Balika Vadhu

Ever since Balika Vadhu started airing in 2008, the TRPs of Colors TV have been through the roof. The 8 year old teleseries managed to maintain its popularity till it ended in July 2016. The story of a young child forced into a marriage in difficult circumstances resonated with the women across the country. No, the series did not champion child marriage but did end up as a family series touching upon social evils. Balika Vadhu has now been dubbed into many languages including Tamil, and Telugu. Cheers to Anandi!

Shakti - Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki

Shakti - Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki - Rubina Dilaik and Vivian Dsena became household names ever since Shakti - Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki premiered in June 2016. Produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms Limited, the series has had women across India glued to their television sets, more specifically to Colors TV on weekdays. The beauty of Punjab, its vibrant culture and the bittersweet relationship between Soumya, Surabhi and with their family members is at the heart of Shakti.

Kumkum Bhagya

After all these popular TV shows in Colors TV, Sony TV, Star Plus, let us come to another one of India's oldest channels - Zee TV. Zee TV, too, came up with its award-winning teleseries Kumkum Bhagya in 2014. Through 2016, the series which is loosely based on Jane Austen's masterpiece Sense and Sensibility, kept its viewers glued to their seats with the story of matriarch Sarla and her daughters - Bulbul and Pragya. In January 2017, the channel announced that the series would telecast 1-hour special screenings of the series on Mondays.

Sasural Simar Ka

Hindi television shows, even soap operas have been setting newer records with their length (in terms of number of episodes aired). Running well into 1685 shows (December 2016 stats) is Sasural Simar Ka. The story of Simar and Roli in their matrimonial home came up with a number of twists and turns in 2016. The viewers, however, loved the performances and the plot. The series has been dubbed in Malayalam and in Tamil and is now a nationwide sensation.