Okay, the first season is very entertaining and well-made. The first two episodes alone are extraordinary and have enough substance to provide viewers energy for the next episodes even if some of them, particularly in the second season, do not quite live up to the premise of the first. The entire first season is nonetheless an eminently watchable show and its development is wonderfully handled. It's captivating, well-written, and a visual treat. The second season, while also enjoying the same benefits of cinematographic excellence and superb actors, is much less alluring, and it requires patience as it keeps wandering around its own story, dragging the narrative with less interesting characters, slow-paced subplots with spiritual tracks which hardly ring true here and are a little boring. The entire second season seems confused by its own pretensions.

The show is indeed, brilliantly photographed, and its technical excellence is matched by superior acting. Saif Ali Khan returns big time with a strong performance in a very strong character. Those familiar with Khan's resume right from his early days as a young star in the 1990s, would never have guessed his development into a fine actor a decade later with Dil Chahta Hai, Hum Tum, and Omkara; but this one is just even farther beyond imagination. Great work. The show, however, belongs to Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and he is tremendous in a complete performance where he not just acts but becomes and grows as a character. The flashbacks chronicling his life story are unquestionably the strongest part of the entire series, and his voice over is very soothing and commanding. Sacred Games is a great invention which has a brilliant first season which is well worth watching.