Mirzapur tops IMDb's decade of Indian streaming with nine Top 10 appearances

The crime drama Mirzapur has appeared more often than any other show in IMDb's yearly Top 10 Most Popular Indian Series lists over the past decade, according to a report the film and TV database released on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. The report, titled 10 Years of Streaming in India, says Mirzapur made the list nine times between 2016 and 2026, every year since its launch, while Scam 1992 was second with five appearances. The report also finds that Indian viewers' interest in streaming series on IMDb grew about 17 times over the decade, even as the number of new shows being made has fallen since 2023.

India's streaming story is now ten years old, and this is one of the few long-run looks at what viewers actually sought out, rather than what platforms said was popular. IMDb's rankings are built from page views by its users, so they measure interest, not viewing hours or subscriptions. Even with that limit, a decade of yearly lists shows clear patterns.

The first is the hold of crime and thrillers. Nearly half of all the chart positions went to that genre, and Mirzapur, a crime drama, is the clearest example. Its lasting presence suggests that viewers return to long-running series with strong regional settings and familiar characters. Shows rooted in small towns and specific places, rather than only big cities, have become a defining feature of Indian streaming.

The second pattern is less cheerful for the industry. Interest has grown many times over, but the number of new titles has been shrinking since its 2023 peak. Platforms have become more cautious about spending, preferring fewer shows, more sequels and proven formats. For writers, actors and technicians who found new work in the streaming boom, fewer commissions mean fewer opportunities, even as the audience keeps growing. One commentary on the report argued that this gap between rising interest and falling production is the more important finding of the study.

The report also shows how a single strong season can matter. Scam 1992 reached second place with five appearances on the strength of one season, a sign that a well-made show can stay in viewers' minds for years. Mirzapur, by contrast, has kept its place through repeated seasons and a film adaptation now heading to streaming.

Short-term: The report gives platforms, producers and advertisers a decade of data on which genres and shows held Indian viewers' attention, and it adds to the buzz around the Mirzapur franchise's next release.

Long-term: If commissions keep falling while interest rises, competition among creators for fewer slots will grow, and platforms may lean further on sequels, franchises and crime dramas, unless new genres prove they can draw similar audiences.

Who is affected: Indian streaming viewers, writers, actors and crews who depend on new commissions, streaming platforms planning their slates, and regional storytellers whose settings have shaped many of the decade's most-searched shows.

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