With the dawn of web series in this new era, there have been plenty pouring in from various languages all over the world. Following this "trend", Tamil language shows are also slowly but steadily making their way in. Though there are only a handful of shows, they have managed to make a huge impact as they are able to achieve their goals by being able to satisfy their target audience in turn gaining positive feedback. With the release of the new show Vilangu which seems to be garnering great reviews, let us look at some of the most important Tamil web series which have been of great contribution (in no particular order of importance):

1) VILANGU:

This crime thriller web series is produced as an original for Zee5. It is directed by Prasanth Pandiyaraj of Bruce Lee fame and produced by Escape Artists. The series consists of seven episodes which were released onto the Zee5 OTT platform on 18 February 2022. Starring Vemal in the lead role along with Ineya, Bala Saravanan, Munishkanth and R. N. R. Manohar, the story revolves around Paridhi, a cop undergoing a stressful personal situation, who must solve a mysterious murder case that has put the police department on its toes.

2) IRU DHURUVAM:

Nandha Durairaj's thriller series was the first Tamil original of Sony Liv which started streaming from 2019 onwards and has been renewed for a second season. Starring Ravi Jeeva, Abhirami Venkatachalam, Sebastin Antony and Abdool Lee, the series consists of hard-core police investigation stories dealing with investigation, detection and suspense.

3) AS I AM SUFFERING FROM KADHAL:

This romantic comedy web series is created, directed and written by Balaji Mohan. The ten episode series was released on 16 June 2017 by Hotstar. It opened to positive reception from audiences and has also been renewed for a second season. Starring Sunder Ramu, Yuvina Parthavi, Sananth, Sanchana Natarajan, Dhanya Balakrishna, Balaji Mohan, Nakshathra Nagesh and Abhishek Joseph George, the series narrates the story of three uniquely different young couples and a young divorced father and his 8-year-old daughter and their quirky take on the varied aspects of modern-day love.

4) LIVIN:

This come-of-age comedy web series sheds light on the pros and cons of a live-in relationship. Instead of just focusing on the lead characters, Director Prabhuram Vyas’s Livin also speaks about how a Tamil society reacts to people who pursue a live-in relationship and how their respective parents react to their decision. Exclusively available on YouTube and consisting of 13 episodes, Livin is a feel-good light-hearted entertainer.

5) NOVEMBER STORY:

Written and directed by Indhra Subramanian, this crime thriller web series was made available on Disney+Hotstar in May 2021. The series consists of 1 season with 7 episodes in it. Starring stars Tamannaah Bhatia in the lead role along with Pasupathy M., G. M. Kumar and Namita Krishnamurthy, the series is a classic murder mystery where the quest to find the truth behind the crime unveils a series of hidden truths. It follows Anuradha Ganesan who works as an ethical hacker contract with the Crime Records Bureau.

6) KALLA CHIRIPPU:

Written and directed by Rohit Nandakumar, this thriller web series has a non-linear narrative structure and is available for viewing on the Zee5 OTT platform. It released on the streaming platform way back in 2018 and eventually ended with only 8 episodes. Starring Amrutha Srinivasan in the lead role while Vikas, Vignesh Shanmugam, Rajalakshmi, Uma, Maheshwaran and Nandakumar play pivotal roles, the series follows a 24-year-old Mahati through a series of misadventures that begin after being forced into an arranged marriage.

7) MARMA DESAM (VIDAATHU KARUPPU):

Vidaathu Karuppu was the most successful of the Marmadesam series. The story examines the psychological foundations of the concept of split personalities while exploring the rural cult of Karuppu Sami in detail. Though being a show of the late 90s, it has made an impact on the audience for its content and storytelling unlike any other soap operas of that time. This got it a cult status which has therefore brought it back to the spotlight. From 2019, it started airing on YouTube from Monday to Saturday and now the entire show is available on YouTube with around 80 episodes.

8) QUEEN:

Created by Reshma Ghatala and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and Prasath Murugesan, this period biographical drama is an adaptation of Anita Sivakumaran's novel of the same name and is loosely based on the life of the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. The first season of Queen consists of 11 episodes and Menon has confirmed that the series has been renewed for a second season. Starring Ramya Krishnan in the lead role, it depicts the life and evolution of Shakthi Sheshadri. It is from her childhood days and the reason behind her entry into the cinema industry. It shows what she learned from in cinema, the relationship between her and GMR and finally her entry into politics.