India’s Hotstar Signs Second Season of BBC, Applause Thriller ‘Criminal Justice’

By Naman Ramachandran

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – BBC Studios and Indian content studio Applause Entertainment are returning with the second season of the Indian version of BBC drama format “Criminal Justice” – the inspiration behind HBO’s “The Night Of.”

The series will stream on Disney’s Hotstar platform, as a Hotstar Special, as the streamer’s originals are branded. It is commissioned by for Hotstar Specials and produced by India.

The first season was launched in 2019 and was a critical success. Actors Pankaj Tripathi (“Sacred Games”), Mita Vasisht (“Sense8”) and Anupriya Goenka (“The Final Call”) will return for the second season.

Sameer Gogate, business head of productions at BBC Studios, said: “The success of season one has shown what good content can achieve, and we hope the second season will be equally loved by the audiences.”

The BBC’s original U.K. version of “” won several awards including BAFTAs and an Emmy.

Applause is a division of the $43 billion Aditya Birla Group multinational conglomerate. Other BBC adaptations for India by Applause include “Luther” and “The Office.”

With more than 300 million monthly active users, Hotstar is by some distance the leading streaming platform in India.