Picture: Netflix
Earlier this year, a budget dispute prompted Netflix to cancel the second season of the Hindi series Kaali Paani just before production was set to begin. Now, a second previously-renewed Hindi series, Black Warrant, has also been shelved just as filming was set to start, though the reasons for this latest conflict differ from what felled Kaali Paani.
According to a report at Mid-day by Mohar Basu, Season 2 of Black Warrant has been put on hold indefinitely. This comes as production was set to commence before the end of September, in order to complete filming before the end of the year.
Black Warrant debuted on January 10, 2025, and was immediately praised by critics for its social insights and high production values. The series was also nominated for several awards. It spent one week in the Global Top 10 non-English series and has amassed nearly 38 million hours viewed in the first half of the year. A second season of Black Warrant was officially announced on May 28, along with new seasons of Hindi Original series The Royals and Mismatched.
What is Black Warrant about?
Black Warrant is based on the memoirs of prison superintendent Sunil Gupta, who oversaw Delhi’s massive Tihar Jail. Set in the 1980s, the series stars Zahan Kapoor (Faraaz) as Gupta and begins with his first days working in the prison, learning about the harsh realities faced by those behind bars. Tihar is famous for housing some of India’s most high profile criminals and was even the scene of a jailbreak that featured in the recently released Netflix Original Hindi movie Inspector Zende.
Other cast members include Rahul Bhat (Section 375), Paramvir Singh Cheema (Chamak), Anurag Thakur (Vedaa), Sidhant Gupta (Jubilee), Tota Roy Chowdhury (The Girl on the Train), Rajendra Gupta (Paan Singh Tomar), Rajshri Deshpande (Trial by Fire), Joy Sengupta (The Night Manager), and Priya Chauhan (Shrikant Bashir).
What happened to Black Warrant Season 2?
According to Basu’s sources, Netflix wants show creator Vikramaditya Motwane to take the series in a different creative direction in hopes of reaching a wider audience. The report states that the streamer is unwilling to give Motwane the greenlight until he makes changes to the early episodes: “Netflix wants the second season to be more accessible, with a faster hook and more punch.”
A source inside Netflix elaborates: “The first season won critical acclaim, but was not widely watched. We are trying to change that because the show has great direction, good actors, and a hard-hitting story. The drafts will require some rewriting, but the show is happening from our end. That said, if things don’t progress swiftly, it risks losing the buzz generated by the opening season.”
It’s worth noting that Netflix had no hand in the development of the first season of Black Warrant, which was created by by Applause Entertainment before securing a streaming platform. And it’s not like Netflix is unfamiliar with Motwane’s storytelling style. He co-created Netflix’s first Indian Original series in 2018, Sacred Games (which was also cancelled prematurely), and made two delightfully offbeat Original thriller films for the streamer: AK vs AK (2020) and CTRL (2024).
For Netflix to see Black Warrant‘s underwhelming viewership numbers — which weren’t disappointing enough to preclude a renewal — as a content problem and not a marketing problem is odd. The series is sure to make many critics’ “Best of 2025” lists, further raising its profile and making it that much easier to build a campaign around.
Nevertheless, it looks like Black Warrant might be a one-and-done series after all. An actor on the project told Mid-day: “We were to begin table reads around this time, but I have been asked to release my dates now. That means the show is on hold for now.” Given Motwane’s other commitments, it would be at least a year before he could turn his attention back to Black Warrant. The window for Season 2 is closing rapidly, if it’s not already completely shut.
Are you disappointed by the indefinite delay of Black Warrant Season 2? Let us know in the comments below!
