The year gone by, 2014 has been an eventful one in terms of ushering in some great strategic changes, in terms of content for the betterment of TV. The striking trends introduced by channels this year, have made a great difference to the way the shows have shaped up, and in terms of the numbers the channels have gained. 

Here is Tellychakkar.com analyzing the memorable ‘trends’ of the year 2014. 

‘Finite Series’ have certainly been in demand, with all the three power-houses – channel, production house and actors looking for more creative room and a different approach to the way shows are made. A finite series or a mini-series definitely brings about a greater production value, for the degree of monotony is less when compared to a long-running daily soap. Also, since the channel decides on a start-to-end concept, every single actor working in the project can take his/her own liberties to grow with the character. And above all, finite series are a welcome change for viewers, as they will be provided with a fast-paced story and narrative, good drama and entertainment value that will save them of the never-ending boredom seen otherwise. 

Some of the finite series that have gotten appreciated in the year 2014 are Star Plus’ Airlines- Har Udaan Ek Toofan, Everest and P.I. Private Investigator, Zee TV’s popular show Maharakshak Aaryan, Life OK’s Laut Aao Trisha, Pukaar – Call for The Hero. Guess this is a trend that will be followed all the more in the coming years. 

Another growing trend that has caught the eye of TV buffs happen to be the ‘bold content’ that has been in offer in many shows of today. Laut Aao Trisha heads the ‘boldness brigade’ with its story line that rattles the cheesiest of relationships outside marriage in every character’s track in the show. Doli Armaanon Ki, the Zee TV show can be called ‘bold’ for its earth-shattering content of how a husband subjects his wife to domestic violence and also in terms of the extent to which he goes to humiliate and character-assassinate his wife to prove his dominance. Recently, the other Zee TV show Bandhan thrived on the ratings of a brutal rape sequence in which the rapist, played by Aniruddh Dave had the last laugh. 

Star Plus’ popular show Nisha Aur Uske Cousins realistically dealt with child molestation as its subject in the recent times. And of course, the thriller of Star, Ek Hasina Thi was based on the main plot of an innocent girl’s life getting discoloured owing to the physical violence and rape by a man. Colors’ ongoing season of Bigg Boss, as always has had its share of bold content to please and attract the audience. Just the last week, Sony’s Humsafars saw the pitiable plight of the girl protagonist as she tried to save herself from the wrath of a cab driver. This sequence did emulate the recent Delhi cab rape case. Channel V, often regarded for its daring content has had its share of intense love sequences, the recent one being the kiss sequence between the leads in their recently launched show, Million Dollar Girl. MTV’s Kaisi Yeh Yaariyaan recently dealt with homosexuality and its after-effects. 

The thin line of popularity that separated the Bollywood stars from the TV stars has suddenly vanished. The bigger the star on the Bollywood circuit, the more is the passion to get into TV and enjoy recognition. This year saw the advent of some big film names on TV starting from Amitabh Bachchan, Sonali Bendre, Bhagyashree Patwardhan, Ashish Choudhary, Shilpa Shirodkar, Esha Deol, who tried to assert their supremacy in the TV zone. 

‘Ups’ are always followed by the ‘downs’, and this year saw some extremely sad stories of promising shows being pulled off air abruptly. It takes an average of six months to one year for the show in making to reach the stage of launch. And when the broadcasters show less trust and faith in their own concept, it becomes a pitiable state. And on an average basis, every producer will have to sustain a show for at least six months to break even with his/her cost. And when the broadcasters pull the plug off a show in just its third month of airing, it is a total disaster for the entire team associated with the show starting from the actors to the crew men. This year has seen the abrupt wrapping up of Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya (Jan-Dec 2014), Itti Si Khushi (September 2014– January 2015), Pia Basanti Re (September – December 2014), Khushiyon Ki Gullakh Aashi (September –December 2014), Tum Saath Ho Jab Apne (September – December 2014) among others. 

Youth shows have created a new market to evolve on TV, considering the fact that the majority of the TV viewing audience are youngsters. This is a genre to see immense growth in the years to come. Some of the youth shows that have gained name and recognition in the year gone by are Yeh Hai Aashiqui, MTV Fanaah, MTV Kaisi Yeh Yaariyaan, Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya, Halla Bol, Love By Chance, Sadda Haq, MTV Webbed, Gumrah, Dil Dosti Dance, Heroes, Paanch.  

‘Woman empowerment’ seems to be a hot trend followed by TV shows in 2014.  In an era where the male sex overpowers the woman in most cases, TV has been spreading a lot of awareness to the fairer sex to wake up, smell the coffee and raise their voice, and take a stand wherever needed. The shows which have emulated this theory are many and the list goes like this – Sasural Simar Ka, Tum Saath Ho Jab Apne, Balika Vadhu, Udann, Sadda Haq – My Life My Choice, Diya Aur Baati Hum, Everest etc. 

Replacements have become a norm these days, and at times it is even believed that the channel and makers think of such ideas in order to garner eye balls and of course, numbers. But in most cases, a replacement happens if an actor is not doing well, has other commitments, family issues, performance constraints etc. The year 2014 has seen lot many replacements, with few of them turning into success tales while the rest have been touted as disasters. 

Here is the list of replacements seen in 2014 – Farah Khan replacing Salman Khan as host of Bigg Boss, Esha Deol, Vijendar Singh, Karan Kundra replacing Raghu-Rajiv in Roadies, Raqesh Vashisht and Karnvir Bohra replaced Karan Singh Grover in Qubool Hai, Aditi Sajwan replaced Shubhangi Atre in Chidiya Ghar, Manish Paul replaced Drashti Dhami in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Aasiya Kazi/Sargun Mehta replaced Sriti Jha in Balika Vadhu, Asha Negi replaced Rachana Parulkar in Ek Mutthi Aasmaan, Karan Goddwani replaced Gautam Gulati in Diya Aur Baati Hum, Leena Jumani replaced Madhurima Tuli in Kumkum Bhagya, Shafaq Naaz replaced Debina Bonnerjee in Chidiya Ghar, Gunjan Utreja replaced Vivian Dsena in Madhubala, Neeraj Malviya replaced Kunal Verma in Hum Hain Na, Swati Negi replaced Snehal Pandey in O Gujariya, Rukhsar Rehman replaced Eva Grover in Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, Lavin Gothi replaced Yuvraj Thakur in Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, Karanvir Bohra replaced Abhay Deol in Gumrah, Vibhav Roy replaced Siddharth Arora in Doli Armaanon Ki. Wow, this list is indeed staggering!! 

Comedy is a genre which will never fail to flatter, and Indian television continues to grow with more and more rib-tickling concepts being churned out every year. The year 2014 has also seen the rise of comedy. The very successful show on SAB TV, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah has sustained its popularity and is now a top runner in terms of the number game. Comedy Nights with Kapil is another show that has continued to impress the crowd with its rib-tickling humour. In addition to Taarak Mehta, the other SAB TV shows Chidiya Ghar, F.I.R., Lapataganj have managed to entertain audiences. Neeli Chhatri Wale has been an excellent show in terms of the comic flavour given by the makers. Comedy Classes has also been a rage for its humour content. 

Big Magic, the other channel catering to the audience who love to laugh and enjoy has some brilliantly made shows like Nadaaniyan, Akbar Birbal, Ajab Gajab Ghar Jamai, Raavi which have had an upper hand in 2014. 

Do you need to pull up the drama quotient by adding a flavour of intrigue? Well, dig up a supernatural track to keep the viewers glued. Yes, this is the tailor-made answer!! 2014 has also had a share of supernatural tracks getting woven in daily soaps and other series. Sasural Simar Ka, Adaalat, CID, Shapath, Tum Aise Hi Rehna, Fear Files, Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke are few shows that offered this intriguing flavour. 

Costume Drama is another genre that will never fail to impress!! 2014 has been lucky for such shows, with a great deal of recognition and numbers being derived for the genre. The biggest success story of 2014 happens to be Star Plus’ Mahabharat, which did tremendously well even after going through a very long waiting phase. Maharana Pratap, Jodha Akbar, Singhasan Battisi, and all the shows airing on EPIC have been talked about for its remarkable production value, the opulent sets, glamour and larger-than-life characters. 

Freshness on TV comes with the new budding actors who aspire to make it big by showcasing the acting skills. The year 2014 has seen the advent of lot many promising youngsters who have stolen the show with their entertaining screen-presence and acting. 

Few of the newcomers who have made a mark in 2014 are  Harshad Arora, Mishkat Varma, Vatsal Seth, Zaan Khan, Rohan Gandotra, Sahil Salathia, Mohsin Khan, Tahir Mithaiwala, Aakarshan Singh, Sumit Bharadwaj, Sahil Mehta, Utkarsh Gupta, Parth Samthaan, Vin Rana, Lavanya Bharadwaj, Saurav Gurjar, Thakur Anoop Singh, Yudhishthir, Preetika Rao,Shivya Pathania, Pooja Sharma, Radhika Madan, Pranali Ghogare, Tulip Joshi, Nalini Negi, Shamata Anchan, Chetna Pande, Neha Pednekar, Ishita Ganguly, Rajshri Rani Pandey, Neha Yadav, Mohena Singh. Have a great future, buddies!!

The advent of new channels in the year 2014 has indeed raised the game of competition to the next level!! Of course, the newer introductions have given more scope and variety to the viewers, and have also brought in many fresh talents to the acting fraternity. Channels like Sony PAL, EPIC have made headlines in the year 2014 for its interesting new tales and concepts. Though the to-be-launched channel Zee & has not launched yet, the buzz it has created in the year 2014 has been tremendous.  

As said earlier, the thin line that separated TV and Bollywood has vanished with time. Every small or big Bollywood release has found a place in the TV shows of today, as part of the huge marketing and promotion campaigns. Starting from the biggies Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan to the gorgeous girls Priyanka Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha, Kareena Kapoor, all have staked their claim via their TV visits for the promotion of their upcoming releases. 

Reality shows have again had their ‘say’ in 2014. Glamour, controversy, action, drama – you name it and you would have got it in the reality shows. The shows which have made a mark in 2014 happen to be Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Khatron Ke Khiladi 5, Bigg Boss 8, India’s Raw Star, Nach Baliye 6, Dare 2 Dance, Kaun Banega Crorepati 8, Splitsvilla 7, Family Antakshari, India’s Best Cinestars Ki Khoj, Dil Se Naachein India Waale, DID L’il Masters, Boogie Woogie. 

Rise of episodics on TV has given rise to ad added entertainment value for sure. It has also provided a variety in offer for the audience. And of course, it provides more scope for actors to get work in the acting zone.

And above all, the year 2014 has been huge for the Czarina of Television, Ekta Kapoor as she has risen to fame yet again. She’s strengthened her foot hold in the small screen industry by launching eight interesting concepts in the year 2014. Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, Jodhaa Akbar, Pavitra Bandhan, Kumkum Bhagya, Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hi, Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh, Yeh Dil Sun Raha Hai, Gumrah, Itna Karo Na Muje Pyaar are the launches Ekta has had in the year 2014. 

Well, these are the trends that television has seen in 2014. 

Coming to 2015, viewers will be entertained with more of comedy shows, costume dramas and reality shows with unique concepts. The youth shows will get more popular with time, and the new channels in offer will be keenly watched for its newer content. Also, finite series will be more in the making. 

We hope all you readers out there had a good read!!