New Delhi, June 3 -- Much like the wave that took over Bollywood around the early 2010s, when movie plotlines shifted to small towns, original shows on video-streaming platforms too are being set in tier-two and tier-three locations.

The trend may have started with shows such asPanchayat in April 2020. Now, it has spread as makers take shows to small, remote parts of the country, whether it is Punjab inKohrra or the northeast in the latest season ofPaatal Lok, cashing in on local dialects and talent.

While the common perception is that OTT is an upmarket, metro phenomenon with limited viewership in smaller towns, executives said that in the effort to widen audience reach, writers and makers are setting stories in the hinterland, which m...