For years, we were made to think that passing the UPSC was the ultimate level to beat as a final boss. Then they casually let us know in Season 3 that passing the UPSC is just the very beginning of your tutorial! 

Aspirants Season 3 Left Us High & Dry 

Abhilash is now a District Magistrate, which sounds really cool and powerful, until you realise it’s mostly just a lot of stress and a whole lot of formal clothing. Sandeep Bhaiya is back, relationships are more fragile than your confidence would be before an interview, and adulthood has walked into the room as the full-on villain in our story. 

All the boys from Mukherjee Nagar (that we met with chai, notes and dreams) are now dealing with power and politics and all the fallout from those decisions. But the most heartbreaking of all is the fact that even when someone experiences success, they don’t necessarily find happiness! 

Rude.

6 Shows To Devour If You Loved Aspirants Season 3 

So if you have finished watching Season 3 of Aspirants and you are now just staring at the wall like SK after he made a bad decision in life…don’t stress out. We have compiled a list of 10 shows that have the same energy: dreams, damage, dosti, and people just trying their best while being trolled by life at the same time. 

1. Kota Factory

If Aspirants was the emotional aftermath of “the exam culture,” then Kota Factory is where all that trauma started. The show takes you directly into the high-pressure environment of IIT Coaching; an environment in which students are expected to not only complete complex Physics problems but be mentally stable in everyday life. Crazy idea right?

Set in Kota, the show is about Vaibhav and a bunch of students trying to survive one of the most cutthroat places in India full of tests, rankings, burnout, parent pressures and enough tension to power a small town. Jeetu Bhaiya from the show “Aspirants” is like updating the human race here. 

The rest of the cast, including Mayur More, Jitendra Kumar, Ranjan Raj, Ahsaas Channa and Alam Khan, really feel like real people.

2. Panchayat

If you have ever passed a test, got a job with a government agency but were sent somewhere where there’s no Wi-FI, this show is for you.

Abhishek Tripathi has just graduated from engineering school and has no job so he accepted the position of Panchayat secretary for a village called Phulera. What starts out as just a way to “get by” quickly becomes one of the most heartwarming, hysterical and smartest shows in India.

Jitendra Kumar really shines amongst great performances from Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Faisal Malik, Chandan Roy and Sunita Rajwar.

3. TVF Pitchers

If Aspirants is people trying to become successful through the system, Pitchers are people who decide to quit. This popular series depicts how four corporate buddies take the plunge to establish a new startup. How exciting! 

However, once they start paying bills, dealing with egos, making poor choices and facing reality, all their hopes and dreams come crashing down in record time.

Naveen Kasturia, Arunabh Kumar, Jitendra Kumar, Abhay Mahajan and Ridhi Dogra round out the cast.

4. Gullak

Some series come in with all the fanfare of production and stylised advertising. Gullak comes into the room and sits down on the couch and just crushes you emotionally.

This family sitcom follows the Mishra’s family through their everyday, normal family life of paying electricity bills through sibling rivalry, nosy neighbours, budgeting, and parents so wise (even if their wisdoms sound outrageous) that you’re like…wow!

Jameel Khan, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vaibhav Raj Gupta and Harsh Mayar make this family feel so real that you may accidentally call them relatives.

5. Cubicles

Because not everyone becomes DM. Some of us become “Please find attached.”

Cubicles tracks Piyush, a fresh recruit, as he copes with the ludicrousness of being someone that works but doesn’t “really” work (you follow?), deals with the pressure of deadlines, and finally attempts to engage someone at work with the ultimate “corporate small talk”.

The series stars Abhishek Chauhan, Nidhi Bisht, Niketan Sharma and Shivankit Singh Parihar and highlights the outlandish sadness of growing up when you’ve basically gone from being a kid to being an “adult,” but have no clue what’s going on in the surrounding lore of Excel.

6. SK Sir Ki Class

Seriously, how could we have talked about the Aspirants Universe without referencing SK Sir (the man, the myth and the real-life TED talk)?

This spin-off follows SK Sir, everyone’s favourite philosopher-chaos merchant, as he guides students through exam prep while also dropping life wisdom no one asked for but everyone needed.

He continues to be loveable and iconic in the series, and of course, he’s expanded the universe, giving all his fans a chance to enjoy a character who can be ridiculous, brilliant and perplexing at the same time.

Bonus Picks We Think You’ll Like (Because We’re Super Nice)

7. Rocket Boys

A show that is based on two brilliant under pressure boys to create the future of science in India! This one is just perfect for ambitious people who take their first chai ki chuski with a dollop of “kuch kariye, kuch kariye.” 

8. Hostel Daze

Friendship, drama, crazy and males acting like monkeys! If you liked the gang dynamic in Aspirants, this one is for you.

9. Flames

First love, home tutoring, and sweet memories of being young (if you liked the more sentimental parts of Aspirants, we have no doubt you will enjoy this series too).

10. Yeh Meri Family

Childhood entertainment at its purest form! This one is a sweet reminder that life once revolved around summer vacations and not LinkedIn updates.

Aspirants was unique, not because it was about the UPSC, but because it was about friendship, competition, identity, and the somewhat toxic Indian belief that the completion of any one exam would provide everyone with a map for what they needed for the rest of their lives.

The 3rd Season allowed the audience a glimpse at what it feels like to be confused even after you hit your target.

Iconic! (I hope that doesn’t give you any more pressure).

Happy bingeing. Or as SK Sir would probably say, padh lo beta, but emotionally too.