Dead Pixels is an Indian Telugu-language fantasy comedy television series written by Akshay Polla and directed by Aditya Mandala. The series was produced by Saideep Reddy Borra, Sameer Gogate, and Rahul Tamada under the banners of BBC Studios India and Tamada Media Ltd. It stars Niharika Konidela, Akshay Lagusani, Sai Ronak, Harsha Chemudu, Rajeev Kanakala, and Bhavana Sagi in lead roles. The series premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on 19 May 2023. It is a remake of the British comedy series Dead Pixels created by Jon Brown.
Premise
The series follows Gayathri, Bhargav, and Anand, three young friends whose lives revolve around the fictional online video game "Battle of Thrones." Their pursuit of completing the game takes an unexpected turn with the arrival of Roshan at Gayathri's workplace. Roshan is integrated into their gaming group, introducing new dynamics into their relationships in both the virtual world and reality.
Cast
- Niharika Konidela as Gayathri
- Akshay Lagusani as Bhargav
- Harsha Chemudu (Viva Harsha) as Anand
- Sai Ronak as Roshan
- Bhavana Sagi as Aishwarya
- Rajeev Kanakala as Bhargav's father
- Bindu Chandramouli as Bhargav's mother
- Jayshree Rachakonda as Roshan's mother
Episodes
The series consists of a single season of six episodes, all released on 19 May 2023:
| No. | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | "Big Green Women" |
| 2 | "Motherless Boy" |
| 3 | "The Wedding" |
| 4 | "The House Party" |
| 5 | "Red Light Cafe" |
| 6 | "The Final Battle" |
Production
The series was produced by BBC Studios India and Tamada Media Ltd, with animation by Keyframe Studios. The adaptation was announced in February 2023 by Disney+ Hotstar and BBC Studios. The cinematography was handled by Fahad Abdul Majeed, music by Sidhartha Sadasivuni, and editing by Srujana Adusumilli.
Reception
Critical reception for the series was mixed to negative. Paul Nicodemus of The Times of India gave the series 2.5/5 stars, praising Niharika Konidela's performance but noting that character backgrounds remained unclear and that the gaming-centric humour may not engage non-gamers. A critic from 123telugu gave the series 2/5 stars, describing it as catering predominantly to gamers with a lacklustre storyline. Maragani Govardhan of Hindustan Times gave the series 2.25/5 stars. Avad Mohammad of OTTPlay gave the series 2/5 stars, citing limited emotional depth. A critic from Sakshi TV gave the highest rating among reviews at 2.75/5 stars. On IMDb, the series holds a rating of approximately 4.7/10.
