The Turkish TV series industry continued to grow further in 2023 and spread across the world. According to The Economist, our country became the 3rd country that exports the most TV series.
Turkey’s rise, which is behind the USA and England, started with Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Magnificent Century), which hit the screen in 2011. The series has become popular not only in the Middle East, but also in Europe and Latin America. According to research by Parrot Analytics, global demand for Turkish TV series increased by 184% between 2020 and 2023, compared to 73% for Korean TV series.
It is known that Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Magnificent Century), which had an incredible impact both in Turkey and the surrounding region when it was published and was shown in more than 70 countries, was watched by more than 500 million people in the intervening time. Among the fans of the series is the famous rapper Cardi B.
The crime and action series Kara Para Aşk, starring famous actors such as Tuba Büyüküstün, Engin Akyürek and Erkan Can, attracted great attention in the world as well as being loved in Turkey. In a photo shared by the famous football player Lionel Messi of his children in 2018, Kara Para Aşk was seen on television. It was noted that the TV series Kara Para Aşk was on.
The historical drama Diriliş Ertuğrul, starring Engin Altan Düzyatan, attracted great attention especially in countries such as India, Pakistan and the Middle East. The Urdu dubbing of the series, whose episodes were also broadcast on Netflix for a while, received 153 million views on YouTube. According to Parrot Analytics, it was the fourth most in-demand TV series globally in May 2020, when much of the world’s population was in isolation due to Covid-19. That year, Pakistan’s then prime minister, Imran Khan, praised the program for its “Islamic values” and a statue of Ertugrul was erected in Lahore.
The TV series featured by The Economist, which mentions that bolder programs are being made on digital, is Kulüp (Club). The Club “follows an ex-con who reunites with his daughter after years in prison. The series depicts pogroms against minorities in Istanbul in the 1950s – a politically sensitive topic to say the least.” It is introduced as. It is also noted that the Club has 20 episodes so far, compared to the 139 episodes of Magnificent Century.
Another point is that “relaxing” what can appear on screens could increase Turkey’s chances of reaching English-speaking audiences, who are more resistant to dubbed or subtitled series than in many other countries.
Even though The Economist states that, unlike Spain (La casa de Papel) or South Korea (Squid Game), Turkey has not yet had a great success in America or England, Turkish TV series need to be watched in England and America. He also points out that he doesn’t need to conquer. He even mentions that even Sultan Suleiman, who annexed North Africa and parts of Europe to the Ottoman Empire, could not go this far.
Among the local TV series that attract great attention and are watched all over the world are:
- * Muhteşem Yüzyıl
- * Kara Para Aşk
- * Diriliş Ertuğrul
- * Ezel
- * Aşk-ı Memnu
- * Kulüp
- * Sen Çal Kapımı
- * Kurtlar Vadisi
- * Gümüş
- * Erkenci Kuş
- * Medcezir
- * Karadayı
- * Binbir Gece
- * Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman Ki
- * Fatmagül’ün Suçu Ne?
- * Sıla