How dramas shape Türkiye’s perception globally

Lubella Gauna had little idea that her interaction with a Turkish drama series would change her life.

A few years earlier, the Mexican-born violinist and nurse in Los Angeles began watching Resurrection: Ertugrul. She had come across the buzz around the drama serial on social media, and some friends had urged her to watch it.

The sweeping narratives and traditional Turkish music that infused the historical epic, which chronicles the life of Ertugrul Ghazi, father of the Ottoman Empire’s founder Osman I, enthralled her.

Inspired, she picked up her violin and posted a cover of the show’s theme online. The video went viral, eventually landing her on the very set of Ertugrul in Türkiye, where she performed the music that had first drawn her in.

“Everyone in Mexico loves Turkish shows,” she says. Her devotion to Turkish television is shared by her mother, an even more ardent fan who has watched Ertugrul countless times.

Lubella’s engagement with Ertugrul went beyond music. The historical narrative drew her in, but its focus on family and faith held her attention. “It opened my eyes to Turkish history,” she tells TRT World.

The show also sparked Lubella’s curiosity about Islam. What began as a fascination soon became a personal exploration, leading her to read the Quran and, eventually, convert to Islam. Raised in a Catholic household, Lubella reflects that the process felt “natural,” – the show amplified a latent spiritual connection.

Nimet Ersin, from the Istanbul Yeni Yuzyil University’s Radio Television and Cinema faculty, points out what research confirms: viewers with preconceived negative attitudes towards Türkiye often develop a more favourable opinion after engaging with Turkish series. “People even watch Turkish shows without the subtitles.”

Beyond anecdotes

The influence of these series is more than anecdotal. Television exports from Türkiye reached $600 million in 2022.

Turkish soap operas have taken the world by storm. Its drama industry has become the second largest in the world, with international demand growing by 184 percent between 2020 and 2023. For scale, Korean dramas only saw a 73 percent increase.

Türkiye is now the world’s third-largest exporter of TV series. Following the US and the UK, Turkish television holds its ground as a global force, with an audience of nearly 750 million.

In the rapidly globalising realm of television, the dizi—a Turkish TV drama—has carved out a space both local and undeniably universal. What began as regional entertainment now transcends borders, reaching 170 countries and an audience of millions.

The real-life set

Dizi, from historical epics like Ertugrul to contemporary romances like Kara Sevda (Endless Love), resonates deeply with international viewers. The appeal is multifaceted—partly, it’s the visual splendour of natural settings.

“The lure of Turkish series lies in their scenic filming locations, from the iconic Bosphorus to Cappadocia’s surreal landscapes to majestic historical mansions,” says Ahmet Ziyalar, COO of Inter Medya, and distributor of the Emmy award-winner Kara Sevda.

Turkish series are typically shot on location rather than in studios, which “enhances their authenticity and visually luxuriant appeal.”

Istanbul Yeni Yuzyil University’s Ersin says the authenticity of the Turkish series sets them apart. “The use of original music adds to the emotional weight and cultural depth,” she tells TRT World.

Emblematic of a growing, cross-cultural phenomenon, Turkish television offers a meticulous recreation of the past. The period costumes and traditional music lend a certain authenticity that seduces even the most seasoned viewers, creating an urge in them to visit Türkiye.

Take the example of Mahsuma Tastanova.

Tastanova grew up in Uzbekistan, dreaming of Istanbul, a city she had come to know through Turkish television.

Her childhood enchantment with the 1986 Calikusu (Lovebird, or The Wren) led her, decades later, to settle in the city that straddles the Asian and European continents. She now paints murals in the historic Kadirga district. Turkish TV didn’t just shape her fantasies. It became a conduit for real-life transformations.

“I feel so fortunate to have moved here and seen the vibrant colours and historic places,” she says, reflecting on how the city continues to “draw people in.”

Despite the allure of new Turkish shows, Mahsuma remains loyal to the older dramas like Calikusu, which follows Feride, a teacher from Istanbul, as her tumultuous romance with childhood love Kamuran takes her across Anatolia.

Mahsuma’s friends in Uzbekistan also share a passion for Turkish television, though their tastes lean toward modern productions like Kara Sevda, a 2015 hit following the impossible love story of Kemal, the son of a modest family, and Nihan, born into a world of grandeur where she feels she doesn’t quite belong.

Beyond their stunning settings, Turkish dramas resonate with audiences around the world because they focus on universal themes that viewers can relate to. "Turkish series feel more like real life than TV shows," says Mahsuma.

A long journey

Private television channels didn’t appear in Türkiye until the 1990s, following years of state monopoly. Since then, competition within the industry has elevated the quality of productions, transforming local actors into global stars and boosting the allure of Turkish content.

According to Ersin, the rising quality of Turkish productions, driven by competition within the country’s television industry, has played a crucial role in this staggering growth.

The 1975 version of Ask-i Memnu (Forbidden Love) became the first Turkish TV show that was exported, being sold to France in the early 1980s. A remake of that serial released more recently was equally successful. “But the global interest truly surged in 2006, when they started to sell in Arab countries,” she adds.

While Turkish dramas have long dominated markets in the Middle East, Balkans, Latin America, South Asia and Turkic nations, Turkish TV is now setting its sights on North America, East Asia, and the rest of Europe.

The rise of digital platforms has also expanded the accessibility of Turkish series. Turkish rom-com Kimler Geldi Kimler Gecti (Thank You, Next) was among the top 75 most-watched Netflix shows from January to June 2024, according to a report from the streaming giant.

While Turkish dramas had secured international popularity even before streaming platforms, Ersin points out that local platforms such as Exxen, Gain, Blu TV, and TRT’s Tabii have also broadened their reach globally.

“We’re actively working to increase the accessibility and appeal of Turkish series worldwide” by producing content with universal themes and high production values while engaging with international partners, says Mustafa Ilbeyli, director of sales at TRT.

Turkish TV’s culturally transcendental themes are also reshaping the perception of Türkiye internationally.

One obstacle, however, is appealing to newer viewer habits in new markets.

A lingering affair

For Turkish audiences, accustomed to each episode that runs for two hours, these epic narratives offer a kind of continuity often missing in Western TV.

While the longer format is a hallmark of Turkish TV, Inter Medya COO Ahmet Ziyalar admits that audiences in target markets don’t spend as much time in front of the screen.

In Europe, for instance, viewers prefer shorter episodes that last around 20 minutes, he says. To address this problem, Turkish distributors have been splitting or editing episodes down to 45 minutes.

This preference for duration, however, poses challenges in newer markets where audiences expect shorter, more episodic formats. Turkish distributors such as Inter Medya are beginning to adapt, splitting episodes and creating digital-friendly, shorter series under the banner of “new generation Turkish TV.” It’s a necessary compromise for markets like Europe and North America, where viewer habits lean towards brevity, according to Ziyalar.

Yet Ziyalar defends the format, suggesting that the very qualities deemed excessive by outsiders are what lend Turkish dramas their distinctive charm. Continuity, he argues, has “a different charm”—a kind of slow-burning emotional investment.

Catherine Terzis, a Canadian Turkish drama fan who recently discovered Sen Cal Kapimi (Love is in the Air), was thrilled by the sheer length of the series.

“It’s like watching mini-movies,” she says. Each episode, running for about two hours, offers a deep immersion in a world where the storylines evolve at a pace that feels both leisurely and intense.

Unlike the lean, eight-episode seasons typical of streaming services, Sen Cal Kapimi offers an expansive world where, despite the marathon length, the plot “progresses quickly and isn’t too drawn out.” There is, she notes, something refreshing about the unhurried pace of Turkish TV.

And it’s not just the storytelling that has captured her attention. Terzis was struck by the fashion on display: even though the show is a few years old, she observes that “Turkish fashion still feels ahead of us in Canada.”

With this first foray into Turkish television now behind her, she is already planning to watch more, particularly drawn to the performances of Kerem Bursin, the leading man of Sen Cal Kapimi.

Turkish TV series like Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Yunus Emre: Askin Yolculugu (Love's Journey) "highlight the country's place on the global cultural stage, promote dialogue and enhance Türkiye's soft power,” says TRT’s Ilbeyli.