6 captivating Turkish shows of 2021 & 2022 (Plus why Turkish dramas are getting popular)

Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers. Proceed with caution if you have not watched the show/movie.

Turkish dramas are highly popular in many countries beyond Turkey, including in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Thanks to the American Spanish-language free-to-air television network Univision, Turkish series are now seeing a surge in popularity in the US. Audiences around the world regularly and repeatedly watch dramas like Fatmagul (Fatmagül' ünSuçu Ne?) and Ambassador’s Daughter (La Hija del Embajador). Popular Turkish stars like Beren Saat and Engin Akyürek have gained recognition worldwide for their roles as Fatmagul and Kerim.

Turkish dramas hit home with audiences for the powerful storylines, excellent performances of the actors, high-quality productions and gorgeous locations.

Streaming platforms like Netflix picked many of the popular Turkish series for global audiences. Here are some of the dramas that you can watch on popular streaming platforms:

1. “50m2”: It is a 2021 Turkish thriller released on Netflix on January 27, 2021. The series is directed by Selçuk Aydemir, written by Burak Aksak, and stars EnginÖztürk, AybükePusat and Cengiz Bozkurt. “50m2” is a story of a hitman named Gölge who is trying to find his identity. The story will give an image of what everyday life in Istanbul actually is.

2. “Fatma”: Fatma is a different flavored series that gives a crime story of Turkey. Fatma Season 1 was released on Netflix on April 27, 2021. It tells the story of Fatma Yılmaz, a cleaning lady who gets involved in a dangerous path involving criminals and outlaws to find her husband, Zafer. Fatma Season 2 is yet to be announced.

3. “Ethos Bir Başkadır”: Another uniquely portrayed series, Ethos Bir Başkadır is all about group of distinctive characters from dramatically different socio-cultural backgrounds meeting in startling circumstances. The full story covered the life of a part-time cleaner, Meryem from a conservative family who lives on the outskirts of Istanbul. The story shows the viewpoint of educated, non-educated, rich, poor, middle-class and religious people, all of whom live in the same society. “Ethos BirBaşkadır” was released in 2020, and it stars ÖyküKarayel, FatihArtman, FundaEryiğit, DefneKayalar, and TülinÖzen.

4. “Ertugrul: Resurrection” (Resurrection: Ertuğrul): This one is a historical fiction starring Engin Altan Düzyatan as Ertuğrul Bey. The show is set in the 13th century and is based on the life of Ertuğrul, the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. The drama showcase a vivid imagination of a 13th-century Turkik Asian community and Muslim culture. Ertuğrul and his Turkmen did fight for a homeland. The four season’s series has been well received in Turkey and other countries.

5. “The Magnificent Century”: It ran on Turkish TV from 2011 to 2014. The series has been translated into several languages worldwide. However, this particular series is not picked by Netflix; the original broadcaster is Star TV. 

6. “The Club (Turkish: Kulüp)”: The Club (Turkish: Kulüp) Season 2 was launched in January 2022. This Turkish period drama says the story of Matilda, an ex-convict, who works in one of the most prominent nightclubs of Istanbul in 1955. Trying to establish a good relationship with her daughter, Matilda struggles to keep her daughter Raşel away from Pera's troublemaker, Fıstı kİsmet. Matilda also tries to stand against her boss Orhan, nightclub manager Çelebi and artist Selim. The series stars Gökçe Bahadır, Barış Arduç, Salih Bademci, FıratTanış, Metin Akdülger and Asude Kalebek. The Club Season 1 was released on Netflix on 5 November 2021.

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Also Read: Top 10 foreign-language series on Netflix, based on popularity