Turkish series - then and now!
Turkish series are without a doubt something that this country is known for. Over the years, they have become a favorite program for many.
The digital platform Netflix was the first to enter the market of series in Turkey. With 'The Protector' series, they opened the door to the market in that country. This was followed by the Netflix film 'Miracle in Cell no. 7', which is considered as one of the best achievements of this type in the last decade.
Now we are witnessing that also other digital platforms are fighting for their place among viewers in Turkey. Two very powerful international digital platforms, beIN Connect and Amazon, also announced their first series in Turkey. The Turkish national channel TRT also announced its digital platform called TRT0. The race is getting more and more interesting.
Turkish television series - a brand that conquered the world!
However, despite the increasing influence of digital platforms, Turkish TV series are something really special. The most watched are the Historical series. They are often talked about and still enjoyed to be re-watched. Many believe that such series will never be repeated. The first thing that comes to our mind is definitely the 'Suleiman the Magnificent' series, which for many is the first association with the Turkish series.
Younger generations fondly remember and re-watch the series 'Dirilis: Ertugrul'. For the last year or two, we can watch and follow Kurulus Osman. The latest in the row is the series Destan | The legend. They are conquering an increasing number of viewers with its story and overall production.
With the development of technology, the possibility to faithfully portray a certain historical period in these series came. Over the years, dozens of historical series were filmed and everyone has their favorite. When it comes to the Turkish historical series, it is impossible not to highlight the name of Mehmet Bozdag. This man and people from his company 'Bozdag film' have raised the bar when it comes to historical projects. In addition to two already big hits, the series 'Dirilis: Ertugrul' and 'Kurulus Osman', he also signs the series 'Destan | A legend' that attracts more and more attention. The center of the plot of this Turkish series is Akiz, a female warrior, who is brave, powerful and fearless.
The story of the Turkish historical series would not be complete if we did not mention the series 'Filinta', 'Vatanim Sensim', 'Muhtesem Yuzyil: Kosem', as well as the more recent series 'Payitaht Abdulhamid', 'Alparlsan Buyuk Selcuklu' and others.
Each of these series made the main actors world famous. The impression is that the 'Suleiman the Magnificent' series brought the greatest popularity to the main actors of all the mentioned projects. Many identify Halit Ergenca and Meryem Uzerli with the characters from that project. Even Burak Ozcivit is remembered as Bali-Beg, regardless of quite a large number of successful projects and good roles after that series.
Burak Ozcivit was the most popular Turkish actor for a long time after the 'Kurulus Osman' series. However, that primacy was taken over by one of his colleagues, at least when the number of followers on social networks is taken as a parameter. It's about Hande Ercel, who thanks to her talent, and beauty, and then the series Sen Cal Kapimi | Love is in the air collected over 25 million followers on her official Instagram account. In this way, she became the most followed among her male and female colleagues. The popularity of the Turkish series is also indicated by the fact that some actors have gained real fan bases in other countries.
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Can Yaman also, can be mentioned as an example. He is an actor that gained popularity after the series Erkenci Kus | An early bird and his role in it became the favorite of a large number of people, in the first place of ladies in Italy. He became so popular that he decided to continue his professional career in that country. Yaman made a real brand out of his name, and recently he released his autobiography and a perfume called “Mania”.
We cannot leave the story of Turkish TV series only on historical series. The series 'Ezel', '1001 night', 'Soz', 'Istanbullu Gelin', 'Mrs. Fazilet and her daughters' are also very popular around the world. 'Kara Para Ask', 'Kuzey Guney', 'Gumus', 'Yaprak Dokumu| When the leaves fall' are the series that made new heroes. Kenan Imirzalioglu became one of the most attractive men in the world, and he is known for his charisma and appearance precisely because of his role in the series Ezel.
Among the newer series, we can highlight Cukur | The pit, Bir Zamanlar Cukurova, the mentioned series Erkenci Kus | Daydreamer and Sen Cal Kapimi | Love is in the air, which in the final episode "beat" the global hit Game of Thrones in terms of the number of tweets.
We could continue like this for a long time and we would surely forget some successful projects. Turkish series are a real brand of this country and something that Turkey is known for. It is interesting that the phenomenon of the popularity of the Turkish series was the subject of research by prestigious faculties. The text of the British "Guardian " cites the analysis of professor Dr. Arzu Ozturkmen from the University of Istanbul, who insists that Turkish series are not soap operas because they have nothing to do with telenovelas, but that they are "dizi" (Turkish word for series).
In addition to ratings, which are of key importance for the survival of series on the air, almost equal importance is attached to the sale of projects abroad. Turkish series are popular in Russia, Korea, China and Latin American countries. Chile led the way in terms of the number of purchased series, while Mexico and Argentina were the countries that paid the highest amounts for the purchase of series, so this ranks them among the best buyers, from the point of view of production.
1001 nights, Suleiman the Magnificent, What is Fatmagül's crime?, and other hits
Many see the series 1001 Nights | Binbir gece as a turning point in the global conquest of the market. Izet Pinto, the founder of the Global Agency from Istanbul, also makes this claim. That attitude has a basis, especially when you take into account that the series has been sold in over 80 countries around the world. In the countries of the Middle East, the Gumus series left its breakthrough and a significant mark.
After her, the already mentioned 'Suleiman the Magnificent' series was a huge success around the world. The success of this project can even be called gigantic, given that it is estimated that the series were watched by 500 million people around the world so far, not counting views in Latin America. Impressive, isn't it? Latin American countries were left out of this calculation only because the project only started broadcasting in those countries a few years ago. This series is still talked about and discussed in many social circles today. In the production of the 'Suleiman, the Magnificent' series 130 people were employed, and 25 of them worked only on making costumes. This information really says a lot and shows how serious and dedicated the work on this historical series was.
Fatmagül'ün Suçu Ne? | What is Fatmagül's crime? series stands out as a turning point in the plot of the Turkish series. It is a project from 2010 that made Beren Saat famous, the main actress in that series. It is about the plot of the series that put a woman, the heroine Fatmagul, in the foreground. She experienced difficult moments in her life and managed to deal with all the bad things that happened to her. This series talks about women's place in society, and family relationships are in the center of the story, along with abuses of the power of the rich. In some analyses, that project was marked as a real revolution in the world of the Turkish series. Civil justice is chosen in the plot of this series, but there is also "divine" justice that punishes bullies. The action was such that the woman was no longer subjugated and invisible. The woman was in the center of attention in the series ' 1001 nights', but this project went one step further.
The 'Soz' series brought a military story. The action in this project takes place in an atmosphere of violence and struggle for existence. What sets it apart is the fact that the series became the first "dizzy" with over a million followers on YouTube.
In the detailed texts dealing with the topic of the Turkish series, some characteristics that are often imbued in them are presented, namely:
- never put a weapon in the hands of the main character,
- the center of every drama is the family,
- external characters always experience a socioeconomic upswing, most often moving from the village to the city,
- broken hearts and tragic love are always relevant,
- nothing can beat a love triangle.
Of course, not everyone agrees that these are the characteristics of the Turkish series, but it must be admitted that a large number of them, perhaps all of them, really have a basis. The wealth of Turkish television series is reflected, among other things, in a large number of characters around whom the action takes place.
Finally, one interesting thing. The series that survived the longest is 'Kaynanalar', with an incredible 950 episodes that were filmed in the period from 1974 to 2004 with some breaks in filming.
Of course, Turkey is not one of the largest countries in the world in terms of size, but in terms of series distribution, it is in the second position globally, right behind America. Another proof of what was written earlier –Turkish series are the real brand of this country.
Post By: Vanessa F.
