Fall is almost here and barring all the crazy COVID news that never seems to go away, there’s a lot happening in Turkish diziland. Here are some updates on what you can find expect to find on your screens this fall.
Let’s start with some of our favorites.
The long running popular series Bir Zamanlar Cukurova returns to the screen for a fourth season. But this time with a new leading man. The series will take a completely different turn with the departure of Demir Yaman and the arrival of Ibrahim Celikkol as Hakan Gumusoglu (a former slighted business partner of Demir), who will take over the reigns of Cukurova. The series will air Thursdays on ATV. For more information about Ibo in the BZC check out this article on Ibrahim Celikkol North America.
A popular show during its first season since its debut in January 2021, Son Yaz returns to the screens with a new location. The team goes to Istanbul after the tragic death of Canan which changes everything. With Selim in seclusion and Akgün on the run, nothing is the same as before. The series will also add some new characters including actors Yılmaz Bayraktar and Birce Akalay among others. The series airs on Saturdays beginning September 18 on Fox.
Ask Mantik Intikam starring Burcu Ozberk (Afili Ask) and Ilhan Sen (Ramo) was one of the brightest stars of the summer season. The series will continue through the fall season and through the end of December (at least).
Shows that have been cancelled before they really even got going include, Askin Tarifi, Bas Belasi, Cam Tavanlar and Kahraman Babam. Social media favorite Sen Cal Kapimi wrapped up in a neat and tidy package before the official start of the fall season with 52 episodes.
Returning to the Screen
Here are the shows you can continue to enjoy on the screen this fall season. All but Yesilcam, which is a BluTV production, is coming to public TV. Yesilcam will return with its second and final season but the date hasn’t been announced yet.
Netflix
For a comprehensive list of what’s coming on Netflix check out our recent article here and added onto that list are the following:
Another Self
Filming for the the Netflix Original series Another Self featuring Tuba Büyüküstün and Murat Boz continues. The new series also features Boncuk Yılmaz, Seda Minister, Serkan Altunorak, Fırat Tanış and the very talented Rıza Kocaoğlu.
Büyüküstün plays the character of Ada in the story which is about a group of school friends, one of whom suffers from cancer. Singer Murat Boz plays the character of Toprak who becomes Ada’s love interest. In the story, Ada, who is married, falls in love with Toprak, creating additional challenges in the storyline.
The 8 episode series will be directed by Burcu Alptekin, written by Nuran Evren Şit and produced by OGM. Another Self is expected to be released on Netflix in 2022.
Sahmeran
Netflix Original Series Sahmeran will feature Serenay Sarıkaya and Burak Deniz and will be directed by Umur Turagay. The series produced by Tims & B production, is expected to begin filming in September 2021 for a first quarter 2022 release. The 8 episode series, which is named for the mythical Persian half woman half snake, will be filmed in Adana Turkey and is expected to be fast moving and exciting.
Midnight At The Pera Palace
‘Midnight at the Pera Palace’ is adapted from Charles King’s eponymous award-winning non-fiction book and is produced by Emre Sahin, Kelly McPherson, and Sam Anzel for television, written by Elif Usman, and directed by Emre Sahin. Produced by Karga Seven Pictures, which also produced Rise of Empires: Ottoman for Netflix, wrapped up filming in July 2021.
Set in the 1920s and 1930s, it is based on a young journalist named Esra and her experience with the famous Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul as the city goes through transformations after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
Cast includes Hazal Kaya, James Chalmers, Selahattin Pasali, Claire Louise Frost, Jordan Gallagher, among others.
Code Name: Club
The new Netflix series Kod Adi: Kulup (Code Name: Club) will include Gökçe Bahadır and Barış Arduc in leading roles. The series produced by O3 Media, directed by Seren Yuce and Zeynep Gunay Tan and written by Necati Sahin, will have 8 – 10 episodes and will also include master names such as Salih Bademci and Firat Tanış.
The events of the series will take place in a nightclub in 1995.
Barış Arduç will play the character of the taxi driver, Fistik İsmet and will be joined by Metin Akdülger, Fırat Tanış and Salih Bademci, who are acclaimed for their strong acting.
Release date unknown.
Below are a few of the fall season series coming on Turkish television that we found to be interesting. We think you might like them too.
TRT1
Alparslan: Büyük Selçuklu
Baris Arduc and Fahriye Evcen will share lead roles in the new TV series “Alp Arslan” which will air on Monday nights. Akli Film’s series will be directed by M. Çağatay Tosun and tells the story of the Selcuk Sultan that greatly expanded the the Seljuk territory and consolidated his power in 1071, ushering in the Turkoman settlement of Anatolia.
Included in the cast of the series, which will be screened on TRT1 this fall, is Zeynep Özder (Payhitaht Abdulhamid) who will play the role of Begim Şehver, the older sister of Alp Arslan (Barış Arduç).
The large budget series will be shot at the TRT International Film Studio in Çekmeköy.
Cast: Barış Arduç Fahriye Evcen Production Company: Akli Film
Mevlana
Mevlana tells the story of the great Persian poet Celaleddin Rumi, known as Mevlana. The highly anticipated series is being filmed in Konya Turkey, the final resting place of Rumi.
The series is produced by Ahmet Okur and Kerim Ayyıldız, who have successfully produced important productions such as Çırağan Raid, The Longest Century, Saruhan, Yamak Ahmet, Bir Yusuf Tale and Seddülbahir 32 Hours. Can Ulkay, who is the director of blockbusters such as Ayla, Müslüm, Türk İşi Ice Cream and Paper Lives, will sit in the director’s chair of the series signed by Kale Film. It is expected to hit the screens in 2022.
The cinematography is done by Cesare Danese.
Barbaroslar Akdeniz’in Kılıcı (Barbaroslar The Sword of the Mediterranean)
Barbaroslar Akdeniz’in Kilici is the upcoming Turkish historical fiction television series created by ES Film, starring Engin Altan Düzyatan and Ulaş Tuna Astepe in the lead roles. The series will depict the life of Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha, a “Kapudan Pasha” of the Ottoman Empire. Barbaros: Sword of the Mediterranean will premiere on 16 September 2021 on TRT 1.
Doğan Ümit Karaca sits in the director’s chair of the series.
ATV
Destan
There will be no shortage of epic historical, period dramas this season. ATV is not to be outdone and will feature Destan, Bozdağ Film’s Epic series about the love of a young girl and the son of a khan in the story set in the 8th century before the Turks accepted Islam. The series is written by Ayşe Ferda Eryılmaz and Nehir Erdemir, directed by Emir Khalilzadeh (Siyah Beyaz Ask), and includes Kaan Cakir, Filiz Ahmet and Selim Bayraktar (Muhtesem Yuzel).
The series begins filming in September and is expected to air on ATV in October.
FOX
Yalanci ve Mumlari
This Med Yapim production which will air in September is an adaptation of the British series Mistresses. The series features Elçin Sangu (Carpisma), Ceren Moray and Şafak Pekdemir and is directed by Koray Kerimoğlu (Vatanim Sensin).
Yalanci ve Mumlari is about the love life, relationships, secrets, lies and, above all, the friendship of four friends, Meliha, Elif, Şebnem and Leyla.
Elkizi
NTC Medya’s El Kızı is about the painful life of Ezo, orphaned at an early age and living her mother’s fate and vengeance at the hands of an abusive father. Sevda Erginci (Uyanis: Buyuk Selcuk) plays Ezo Bozdağlı and Ismail Ege Sasmaz is her counterpart. The series is directed by Feride Kaytan and written by Hilal Yıldız and will be filmed in and around Muğla.
Kanunsuz Topraklar
Another period drama, this series is set in the 1940s.
The series centers around the love story between a mine worker Davut (Uğur Güneş) and Gülfem (Esra Bilgiç), the daughter of Mr. Malik, a mining boss in Zonguldak. The age old story of an impossible love told so well by Turkish television is produced by Gold Film, directed by Faruk Teber and written by Zulkuf Yucel.
İmkansız
This series starring Hazal Kaya (Aski Memnu) and Bugra Gulsoy (Kuzey Guney) based on The Japanese Series OASIS, follows a 27-year-old girl unwanted by both her mother and father who attempts suicide. Unsuccessful in her endeavor she meets a widowed detective with three children. The detective takes pity on her and decides to take care of her until she regains her memory. A story that started as a lie turns into an unexpected happy ending with a family she could only hope for. The series is produced by MEDYapım.
Show TV
Kaderimin Oyunu
Kaderimin Oyunu (The Game of my Destiny) starring Akin Akinozu (Hercai) and Oyku Karayel (Ethos, Kuzey Guney) will be airing on Show TV this season. Joining Akinozu and Karayel is Sarp Apak known for the movie Organize Isler (2005). The series will be produced by NGM Media, which has produced successful series such as Sefirin Kızı and Kardeş Güvenlik and will be directed by Emre Kabakuşak (Sefirin Kizi, Sen Anlat Karadeniz). The screenplay of the series will be written by Gül Abus Semerci who has written for the popular series Kardeslerim and the movie Seni Seviyorum Adamim.
According to entertainment journalist Birsen Altuntas the story revolves around a woman in her 30s named Asiye. Raised by her stepmother, Asiye decides to run away from home when she turns 17 after a difficult childhood. She meets Cemal, marries him and has two children, Nergis and Umut. Financial problems plague the marriage and Cemal leaves his wife and children for a better life with a wealthy woman named Helin. Asiye must move on with her life with her two children, and in the process she meets Mahir and everything changes.
The series is expected to air in the October-November timeframe.
Uc Kurus
Uc Kurus starring Uraz Kaygilaroglu (Sefirin Kizi), Nesrin Cavadzade (Yasak Elma, Ethos), and Ahmet Rifat Sunar (Vatanim Sensin) is about three old friends, each one on a different life path: one an arms dealer, one a police officer, and the other a prisoner. Their paths will cross again after years in an atmosphere of excitement, adventure and action. The series is produced by Ay Yapim and is expected to premiere in October.
Aziz
The 1930s period drama Aziz starring Murat Yildrim (Ramo, Asi) and Damla Sonmez (Cukur) tells the story of Aziz Aziz Payidar (Murat Yıldırım), the affluent son of the largest and only carpet manufacturer in Antakya. Aziz’s fate changes when he causes the death of a French delegate’s son. He is forced to leave behind the land of his birth, his only love, in short, everything he has. Thought to be dead, he unexpectedly returns two years later to find that everything has changed. He has not only lost everything he owned but French occupied Antakya is worse than ever. He learns that his first love Dilruba (Damla Sönmez) is engaged to be married and is faced with an emotional dilemma when Efnan (Simay Barlas), a simple peasant girl, unexpectedly enters his life. Over time he will find both himself and his true love. The series is directed by Zeynep Günay Tan (Istanbulu Gelen), directed by Recai Karagoz and written by Eda Tezcan (Hercai).
Yalanci
Yalanci starring Burcin Terzioglu and Salih Bademci is a remake of British series Liar and is about the two sides of every story. Deniz is a smart, talented, and dedicated literature teacher. Mehmet Emir is a famous surgeon. The attraction between the two leads them to dinner together, and leads to a series of events that turn their lives upside down. Nobody knows what happened that night except Deniz and Mehmet Emir and they both have a different view of the night. A story of the two sides of truth. The film is produced by Surec film for Show TV.
Kanal D
Yargi
Yargı, an Ay Yapim series, starring Pinar Deniz and Kaan Urgancioglu explores the question of family values and the concept of justice. The series written by Sema Ergenekon and an directed by Ali Bilgin, focuses on a murder case that brings together a lawyer and a prosecutor.
Intibah
Based on the book of the same name by Namık Kemal, İntibah (Awakening), is written for the screen by Melek Gencoglu and Su Ersoz and directed by Hilal Saral. The series focuses on the love of an educated man who falls for an unsuitable woman which ultimately leads to his financial and moral destruction. The series produced by BKM will begin filming in September for an October release.
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I really enjoyed reading the dizi summaries. I’m looking forward to watching hours of quality programming. I do have a question though. Is it my imagination, or are there many women directors, writers, and producers in Turkish programming? In the US, women have been fighting their way into leadership positions in the movie industry. It seems that Turkey is way ahead of our industry. Why is Turkey so progressive in this area?
Thank you so much for this 101 on the fall season of dizis, Even though it will be a long time (probably) before we in the U.S. are able to watch them, it’s exciting to see what’s coming. I’m so delighted to see that Bugra Gulsoy will star in a new drama. He has really grown on me as I watch Kuzey Guney, not an easy thing to do next to the dazzling Kivanc! I applaud him for taking on that challenge and really look forward to seeing him in the lead role in İmkansız.