I have always been a huge fan of the impeccable content created by the TVF team over the years from Pitches, Tripling, Yeh Meri Family to Humourously Yours. Expectations are certainly high when they come up with a new show. Initially I thought it is just me expecting too much from 'Panchayat' that was keeping me dissatisfied. But eventually with every new episode, it felt that something was surely amiss here.

The good part of the show is that it never takes itself too seriously. So despite the basic premise of a young man joining the village panchayat, the protagonist never ever falls in love with the village or consciously works towards its upliftment like Mohan Bhargav from Swades. For him, it is just the lack of better employment option that has got him to the village. Instead of getting idealistic, the focus here is more towards the urban protagonist's unusual and amusing escapades and interactions in the village.

The show uses situational comedy format, unlike most other TVF originals, which have a defined season arc. While the character graphs progess very gradually over episodes, most episodes can still qualify as standalone watch.

TVF shows often click with audiences because of their very relatable character conflicts and in very identifiable contemporary setups. This time around they take the challenge to set their show in a village. Under such an offbeat scenario, it becomes important for the audience to, at least, connect with the protagonist and his journey. Somehow we don't completely connect with him.

The show uses simplicity as it's USP and takes a minimalistic approach. However, this very aspect works as a double edged sword because the minimalism often comes across as nativity and, at instances, also leads to nothingness in plot. The basic premise of some episodes are too frail and fail to stand by itself, without an overarching season storyline. At script level, the humour might have sounded funny but when translated on screen, the outcome isn't as expected. One can easily decipher how gags are worked out beat by beat in the screenplay but often fall flat in execution. In its attempt to maintain a feel-good charm, the show doesn't explore the inherent potential of drama that the setting offers.

Another issue is the lethargic pacing. The idea would have been to give a laid-back feel of the village to the audience. But the shot-takings are often stretched and you hit the forward button every now and then when the pace falls. Repeated birdseye aerial view shots of the village get monotonous after a while. You really have to be patient for the first two episodes until you are slowly accustomed to pacing of the show.

Performances from Jitendra Kumar, his sidekick (Chandan Roy) and Raghubir Yadav are quite dependable. Neena Gupta is good but doesn't get much scope.