Trying to make a list of the best Turkish TV shows is quite the task given the sheer volume of shows that have been on screen since television entered Turkish homes. From the classics to present-day mega-productions, here are some of the best television shows that have graced the living rooms of Turkish homes.
Aşk-ı Memnu
Here is a tale of forlorn love with a classic overly dramatic plot that is expected in all Turkish melodramas. The very handsome and young Behlül falls in love with his father’s new and very young new wife and as time progresses, she falls in love with him as well. And of course, all hell ensues.
Olacak O Kadar
Turkey’s most famous sketch show was created by Levent Kırca in 1986 and went strong for twenty years. Olacak O Kadar’s sketches were famous for their humour that always poked fun at the country and its people.
Bizimkiler
One of the longest-running Turkish TV shows, Bizimkiler took an honest look at people who lived together in the same neighbourhood. Because there wasn’t much variety in terms of television shows in Turkey in the eighties, Bizimkiler reached a huge audience and left quite the impact.
Leyla ile Mecnun
Another successful TV show that premiered in 2011, Leyla and Mecnun is a comedy series that is based on the poetic love story of Layla and Majnun. Leyla and Mecnun are born in the same hospital, and later, when the two meet again, Mecnun falls in love with Leyla, who is from an upper-class family and leads a life quite different than his.
Kardeş Payı
One of the most popular TV shows among the younger generation of Turks due to its iconic humour, Kardeş Payı was a sitcom about two brothers who work as plumbers but also want to somehow make the world a better place through their inventions.
Süper Baba
One of those shows that most Turkish people remember from their childhoods, Süper Baba follows the story of a father who struggles to maintain a strong relationship with his children after his wife leaves him.
İkinci Bahar
Another classic TV show that starred the two very famous Turkish TV actors, Şener Şen and Türkan Şoray, İkinci Bahar revolves around the story of widower and kebap restaurant owner, Ali Haydar, who falls in love with his female meze cook, also a widow.
Avrupa Yakası
A very popular Turkish sitcom that aired between 2004 and 2009, Avrupa Yakası was about the very funny tribulations of Aslı, an editor at a fashion magazine called Avrupa Yakası, and her brother Volkan, her family and her colleagues.
Kurtlar Vadisi
One of the most successful crime shows in Turkey, Kurtlar Vadisi, is about a Turkish agent who takes on an assumed identity in order to infiltrate the mafia and all the ensuing danger that it entails.
Muhteşem Yüzyıl
Of course, no mention of Turkish TV shows would be complete without talking about Muhteşem Yüzyıl, the very successful historical fiction series based on the life of the grand Ottoman Sultan, Süleyman the Magnificent, and his wife, Hürrem Sultan.
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