Critical response
Sreeparna Sengupta of The Times of India rated four out of five stars and wrote "What keeps Panchayat ticking are the well-timed dialogues and situations that keep you chuckling all along." Nandini Ramanath of Scroll.in wrote "The series is better placed to explore the foibles of its handful of characters. Panchayat unfolds as a comedy of mofussil manners. A proposal to install solar-powered lights teaches Abhishek the art of negotiating with the locals. A poorly phrased slogan for family planning leads to the discovery of hidden allies. The theft of a computer monitor is a sign that Abhishek is finally settling into his role." Ruchi Kaushal of Hindustan Times stated "Panchayat is a perfect example that what you really need to make a series sing is a solid script. If you are looking for something beyond the good old Ramayan and Mahabharat during the lockdown, Panchayat should definitely be on your must-watch list."
Ektaa Malik of The Indian Express gave three-and-a-half out of five stating "Panchayat incisively breaks the dual-tone presentation of the Indian small town in mainstream narratives. Jitendra Kumar is continuing his fine form after Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and his 'hairan-pareshan' expression has only gotten better. Though we wonder how long will he keep doing these underdog-needs-to-be-rescued roles." Nairita Mukherjee of India Today summarised "Panchayat teaches us why rural India is possibly more equipped to handle isolation compared to its urban counterparts. Jitendra Kumar and Raghuvir Yadav drive the show, but we wanted to see much more of Neena Gupta." Saraswati Datar of The News Minute stated "There are plenty of laughs but just as many genuine moments of emotion which force you to pause and feel for the people in this quirky tale. Go ahead and watch Panchayat, it's exactly the ray of sunshine we need in gloomy times like these."
Rahul Desai of Film Companion stated "The TVF show has one of the finest ensembles of recent times with Chandan Kumar's screenplay ensuring characters don't come across as caricatures." Udita Jhunjhunwala of Firstpost gave three-and-a-half out of five stating "On-target casting, immersive production design, crafty dialogue, and situations handled with a light touch to make Panchayat a satisfying watch. And who would have thought lauki (bottle gourd) could be such an effective peace offering!" Tanisha Bagchi of The Quint gave four out of five stating "Panchayat scores in its opening credits too, and by the time the sun sets on the worn-down office, we know one thing for sure - it takes a village to drive away from the fatigue that has crept in owing to Bollywood's obsession to set every other film in a small town."
Priyanka Sinha Jha of News18 reviewed "City-slickers, small-town audience or country hicks, whichever category you may fall in, Panchayat is a must-watch for those who enjoy India stories." Shilajit Mitra of Cinema Express reviewed "Though the show progresses quickly, with a new distraction emerging every episode, Abhishek stays focused on his goal. He's least bothered about Phulera and its going on. All he wants to do is study, bide his time and clear out. Writer Chandan Kumar and director Deepak Kumar Mishra steer clear of obvious heroism. When Abhishek gets into a scuffle and his ego swells, the scene quickly turns to slapstick." Tanul Thakur of The Wire wrote "Panchayat has a constant lightness of touch, and that is reflected in the aesthetics, too. Its scenes aren't hurried; a consistent relaxed rhythm informs the entire show."
Ronak Kotecha of the Times of India rated the season 3.5/5, stating that "Panchayat 2 doesn’t try hard to be comedic or slapstick, it doesn’t try to change the world of patriarchy, societal ills like dowry, or rally for women empowerment. It just exists in a simple no-frills rural life set in the heartland of India. It’s the kind of escapism we need from the grimness of life and that makes it watchable, all over again."
A critic for Bollywood Hungama rated the season 4 stars out of 5 and wrote "Panchayat Season 3 fulfils all the humongous expectations and rests on bravura performances, some funny and dramatic sequences, nail-biting climax and meme-worthy dialogues. This time, the show also scores on the emotional front and also boasts of action scenes."
