Series Binger

Takes (358)

• The European Side (Avrupa Yakası)

  Avrupa Yakası shows just how long a character comedy can live. Over six seasons and 190 episodes, the Sütçüoğlu family and the magazine… Read more →

• Ezel

  Ezel moves The Count of Monte Cristo into present-day Istanbul and makes excellent use of a revenge story's greatest asset: the waiting.… Read more →

• Magnificent Century (Muhteşem Yüzyıl)

  Following Hürrem over four seasons and 139 episodes, from a rebellious young woman brought to the palace as a slave to a sultana, is a rare… Read more →

• The Fall of Leaves (Yaprak Dökümü)

  174 episodes, five seasons and the slow unravelling of a family: Yaprak Dökümü is a true marathon series. The way each member of the Tekin… Read more →

• Back Streets (Arka Sokaklar)

  The strength of Arka Sokaklar is its ensemble. Zafer Ergin, as Chief Inspector Rıza Soylu, guides the younger team with a fatherly manner… Read more →

• Forgive Me (Beni Affet)

  1,477 episodes, about seven years of filming, on air every weekday: Beni Affet is one of the giants of daily drama. Forbidden romances… Read more →

• Diriliş: Ertuğrul

  Five seasons, 150 episodes: Ertuğrul's journey is rebuilt around a new enemy every season. The line running from the Knights Templar to the… Read more →

• Doctors (Doktorlar)

  Doktorlar is an adaptation of Grey's Anatomy; the team of Ela, Zenan, Hasan, Burak, Kader and Suat, with the stern Fikret and the fatherly… Read more →

• Poplar Winds (Kavak Yelleri)

  One hundred and seventy episodes, five seasons: watching a group of teenagers grow up around the same school and neighbourhood builds a… Read more →

• Valley of the Wolves: Ambush (Kurtlar Vadisi Pusu)

  Three hundred episodes, ten seasons and a migration from channel to channel: the first three seasons on Show TV, the fourth on Star TV… Read more →

• Leyla and Mecnun (Leyla ile Mecnun)

  A story left unfinished and revived eight years later is a rare event in TV: it was taken off TRT 1 after three seasons without a proper… Read more →

• Tide (Medcezir)

  Yaman and Mira's story works so well in season one that it clears the way for a second, and the chemistry between Çağatay Ulusoy and… Read more →

• Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem

  Having three actors carry Kösem's three stages of life is both a risk and an opportunity: Anastasia Tsilimpiou, Beren Saat and Nurgül… Read more →

• Shattered (Paramparça)

  The real flavour is the cast: Nurgül Yeşilçay, Erkan Petekkaya, Ebru Özkan, Barış Falay, Nursel Köse, Tolga Tekin, Alina Boz, Leyla Tanlar.… Read more →

• Poyraz Karayel

  The best thing about Poyraz Karayel is its genre mix: crime, comedy, drama and romance together. The chemistry of İlker Kaleli and Burçin… Read more →

• Love Doesn't Understand Words (Aşk Laftan Anlamaz)

  One season, 31 episodes: Aşk Laftan Anlamaz is the right size for a romantic comedy. The chemistry between Hande Erçel and Burak Deniz is… Read more →

• Once Upon a Time in Çukurova (Bir Zamanlar Çukurova)

  141 episodes over four seasons: holding an audience for that long is no easy job. Züleyha and Yılmaz fleeing İstanbul and taking refuge on… Read more →

• Don't Let the Children Hear (Çocuklar Duymasın)

  This is one of the best examples of how long a sitcom can live. A journey from TGRT through atv, Star TV, FOX and Kanal D shows it kept… Read more →

• Remember, My Dear (Hatırla Sevgili)

  With 68 episodes over two seasons, pacing is the obvious question. Hatırla Sevgili's strength is that it can carry a story spread over many… Read more →

• The Sea in My Heart (Kalbimdeki Deniz)

  Two seasons, 60 episodes: a compact build. The series is known under Portuguese, Bulgarian and Serbian titles, and its broadcast in… Read more →

• Endless Love (Kara Sevda)

  74 episodes, two seasons: a good length for rounding off a love story. Burak Özçivit, Neslihan Atagül and Kaan Urgancıoğlu carry the lead… Read more →

• Kurt Seyit and Shura (Kurt Seyit ve Şura)

  The journey of Kurt Seyit and Şura ended at 21 episodes; at least 26 were planned, and foreign sales were made on that basis. But weak… Read more →

• Kuruluş: Osman

  Starting as the sequel to Diriliş Ertuğrul, the series ran six seasons and 194 episodes, which means plenty of room to spread its… Read more →

• The seat of power: Abdulhamid (Payitaht Abdülhamid)

  Five seasons and 154 episodes around a single sultan ask for real commitment. Bülent İnal's Abdul Hamid, Özlem Conker's Bidar Kadın Efendi… Read more →

• Promise (Söz)

  Three seasons and 84 episodes is not an easy load for a military drama to carry. The story built around Yavuz's command, Dr. Bahar's entry… Read more →

• Desperate Housewives (Umutsuz Ev Kadınları)

  Adapted from the American Desperate Housewives, this production tells, with humour, of the secrets behind the marriages of neighbouring… Read more →

• You Are My Homeland (Vatanım Sensin)

  Two seasons, 59 episodes: this series offers a compact journey without stretching, and its Golden Butterfly for Best Series is no surprise.… Read more →

• From Adana (Adanalı)

  For me the most talked-about side of Adanalı is its cast changes. Oktay Kaynarca and Mehmet Akif Alakurt are the show's two fixed pillars… Read more →

• Those in the Back Row (Arka Sıradakiler)

  Six seasons, two channels, well over 170 episodes: Arka Sıradakiler is a true marathon among Turkish teen series. Teacher Kemal is the… Read more →

• Love and Punishment (Aşk ve Ceza)

  Two seasons, 62 episodes: Aşk ve Ceza is just the right length. The chemistry between Nurgül Yeşilçay and Murat Yıldırım is its strongest… Read more →

• Love and Blue (Aşk ve Mavi)

  Aşk ve Mavi opens boldly, seating a love built through letters at the same table as revenge. Two people meeting face to face for the first… Read more →

• Asmalı Konak

  At a relatively tidy 54 episodes, Asmalı Konak tells a far tighter story than today's endless series. The chemistry between Nurgül Yeşilçay… Read more →

• My Name Is Gultepe (Benim Adım Gültepe)

  Before starting a series that was pulled after eight episodes, you should know this: the story ends before it comes together. A pity… Read more →

• Do not worry for me (Benim İçin Üzülme)

  Two deep-rooted Black Sea families, two blood brothers and Buke, the woman they both fall for: a classic love triangle that pulls you right… Read more →

• One Thousand and One Nights (Binbir Gece)

  Binbir Gece, remembered for average ratings reported at 60 to 70 percent, is one of the milestones in the history of Turkish television… Read more →

• The Affairs of Our House (Bizim Evin Halleri)

  1,705 episodes! Bizim Evin Halleri holds the title of the Turkish series with the most episodes ever aired, and that number is a legend in… Read more →

• Our Story (Bizim Hikaye)

  Bizim Hikaye is the local take on Britain's Shameless, and across a run that closed in on seventy episodes its biggest asset is Filiz: the… Read more →

• Bodrum Tale (Bodrum Masalı)

  A second life hidden from the family, bankruptcy, a move into a modest Bodrum house, and the discovery that the other half of a small hotel… Read more →

• The Nanny (Dadı)

  Dadı is an adaptation that sticks close to The Nanny's scripts, but Gülben Ergen's Melek carries most of the weight. The clash between this… Read more →

• Fathers Are the Last to Know (En Son Babalar Duyar)

  With more than four years on air and 200 episodes, En Son Babalar Duyar makes for an unusual series journey. It started on TRT 1 and moved… Read more →

• The Early Bird (Erkenci Kuş)

  Across two seasons and 51 episodes, Erkenci Kuş is at its best letting you watch the battle of wills between Sanem and Can slowly turn into… Read more →

• Song of Life (Hayat Şarkısı)

  Hayat Şarkısı gathers drama, romance and family storylines under one roof across two seasons and 57 episodes on Kanal D. The thing to know… Read more →

• Black Money Love (Kara Para Aşk)

  This crime story that brings Ömer and Elif together became one of the most popular dramas of its day thanks to the chemistry between Engin… Read more →

• Rental Love (Kiralık Aşk)

  Kiralık Aşk rests on an idea you can sum up in one sentence but that has to be fed across two seasons and 69 episodes: out of options… Read more →

• Mercy (Merhamet)

  Özgü Namal's Narin is a strong character: she has fled her past to become a successful lawyer in Istanbul, but meeting her childhood love… Read more →

• Rise of Empires: Ottoman

  Two seasons of six episodes, twelve in all: tight enough to finish in a weekend. Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu's Mehmed carries a young ruler's… Read more →

• Tell Me About the Black Sea (Sen Anlat Karadeniz)

  Three seasons, 64 episodes, and its reputation as the decade's most-watched series is no accident. The story, which opens with Nefes… Read more →

• Tatar Ramazan

  The unfinished love between Süreyya and Ramazan is the heart of the show. Watching the paths of two lovers torn apart by a murder… Read more →

• You Can't Handcuff Hope (Umuda Kelepçe Vurulmaz)

  The idea behind Umuda Kelepçe Vurulmaz is genuinely fresh: young inmates studying in the same classroom, side by side with college kids.… Read more →

• Forbidden Apple (Yasak Elma)

  Six seasons and 177 episodes: Yasak Elma is a long ride. The early seasons, with Ender bringing in Yıldız to ensnare Halit, are genuinely… Read more →

• 20 Minutes (20 Dakika)

  20 Dakika is a single season of 25 episodes, and that short life is both a strength and a weakness. A strength, because the story is never… Read more →

• I Named Her Feriha (Adını Feriha Koydum)

  Pairing Hazal Kaya with Çağatay Ulusoy, in his first leading role, this series became a talking point for young viewers on the strength of… Read more →

• You Name It (Adını Sen Koy)

  Adını Sen Koy is a daily series of 397 episodes, which makes it less a binge than a lifestyle. Ömer and Zehra's story, which starts with a… Read more →

• Alparslan: Great Seljuk (Alparslan: Büyük Selçuklu)

  Being counted as the continuation of Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu while going further back in history is an interesting choice; if you watch both… Read more →

• Asi

  With its 90-minute episodes, Asi is one of those series that asks for patience but repays it. The charged chemistry between Tuba Büyüküstün… Read more →

• Love Again (Aşk Yeniden)

  The fake-marriage formula has been done to death in Turkish TV, but Aşk Yeniden knows how to keep it light. The deal Zeynep and Fatih… Read more →

• This City Will Follow You (Bu Şehir Arkandan Gelecek)

  Bu Şehir Arkandan Gelecek arrives with Ay Yapım's stamp, a script by Ece Yörenç and Melek Gençoğlu and an ambitious cast. The trio of Kerem… Read more →

• Strawberry Scent (Çilek Kokusu)

  Çilek Kokusu is a summer show through and through: it starts in June, moves the story to Bodrum and wraps up in a single season of 23… Read more →

• Ms. Dila (Dila Hanım)

  Dila Hanım is one of those shows that carried on after switching channels: the first 37 episodes aired on Star TV, the rest on Show TV, and… Read more →

• Fi

  The first three episodes reaching 3.5 million viewers within 50 hours is no accident; with its short, intense first season, Fi is a true… Read more →

• Güldür Güldür Show

  Not a classic series but a sketch show: instead of character arcs, each episode brings a new topic. Still, reaching 13 seasons and 442… Read more →

• Gulperi

  Gülperi is a single-season drama of 30 episodes running from autumn to spring, and the brevity suits it. Nurgül Yeşilçay carries the whole… Read more →

• Gümüş

  Whenever the international rise of Turkish dramas comes up, Gümüş is one of the first titles mentioned; shown in the Arab world as Noor… Read more →

• Lady's Farm (Hanımın Çiftliği)

  Hanımın Çiftliği runs two seasons and 70 episodes, but with each episode around ninety minutes long, that is actually a very long journey.… Read more →

• Revenge (İntikam)

  The revenge plan that begins when Derin wipes out her past, becomes Yağmur Özden and moves into a Bosphorus mansion pulls you in from the… Read more →

• Cherry Season (Kiraz Mevsimi)

  Kiraz Mevsimi being Turkey's most-searched series on Google in 2014 sums up on its own how much attention it drew. The chemistry between… Read more →

• Cranberry Sherbet (Kızılcık Şerbeti)

  Kızılcık Şerbeti passed Çukur's 131-episode record to become Show TV's longest-running series, and it was still airing new episodes in June… Read more →

• Little Secrets (Küçük Sırlar)

  For teen-drama fans it's a real time capsule: Burak Özçivit, Kadir Doğulu, Birkan Sokullu, Sinem Kobal, Merve Boluğur... an early look at a… Read more →

• Unfaithful (Sadakatsiz)

  An adaptation of Doctor Foster, Sadakatsiz builds the tension that starts with Asya discovering her husband's betrayal very well in its… Read more →

• I'll Tell You a Secret (Sana Bir Sır Vereceğim)

  Adapted from the Spanish series Los Protegidos, Sana Bir Sır Vereceğim builds a very likeable base on the idea of strangers forced to pass… Read more →

• My Magical Mother (Sihirli Annem)

  For a show that moved from Kanal D to Star TV and then came back after a five-year break, lasting seven seasons is no small feat. The… Read more →

• Sweet Little Liars (Tatlı Küçük Yalancılar)

  Say "Pretty Little Liars adaptation" and expectations inevitably rise; Tatlı Küçük Yalancılar meets some of them thanks to its young cast.… Read more →

• Awakening: The Great Seljuk Empire (Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu)

  For a one-season historical drama, Awakening started out with real ambition: a well-known cast, roughly 13 months of preparation and a… Read more →

• Foreign Groom (Yabancı Damat)

  Three seasons, 106 episodes of roughly 50 minutes each: Yabancı Damat asks for patience but pays it back. The chemistry between Nehir… Read more →

• Yahşi Charm (Yahşi Cazibe)

  Two opposite personalities who meet for the first time on their wedding day and must stay married for three years: a premise tailor-made… Read more →

• Love is in the Air (Yer Gök Aşk)

  Yer Gök Aşk is a long-runner in every sense, spending three seasons and 122 episodes on two sisters who love the same man. The early… Read more →

• My Love My Love (Aşkım Aşkım)

  Aşkım Aşkım had an unusual journey: it started on Kanal D and came back with new episodes on Kanal 1 roughly six years later. Along the way… Read more →

• Hold On, My Heart (Dayan Yüreğim)

  A drama that wraps up in thirteen episodes is practically a short film by local TV standards. Dayan Yüreğim has a strong setup: Elvan's… Read more →

• If a Man Loves (Erkek Severse)

  At 26 episodes, Erkek Severse is a tidy series that tries to balance romantic comedy and drama. The story of Zeynep getting back on her… Read more →

• The Prince (Prens)

  Three seasons, 23 episodes: Prens is a perfect weekend binge. A prince nobody even bothered to name suddenly finding himself on the throne… Read more →

• Fighter (Savaşçı)

  Five seasons and 109 episodes: Savaşçı is a long haul, and you should go in knowing that. Berk Oktay's Captain Kağan carries the show, and… Read more →

• Damn Istanbul (Ulan İstanbul)

  Ulan İstanbul is the kind of show I'd get through in a few sittings: a new scheme and a new mark every episode, with dark humour on top.… Read more →

• Poison Ivy (Zehirli Sarmaşık)

  Twelve episodes in just two weeks: Zehirli Sarmaşık was released like a show meant to be devoured over one summer stretch. That speed suits… Read more →

• Urgent Love Wanted (Acil Aşk Aranıyor)

  Two doctors who discover they live in the same building and, on top of that, will work at the same hospital: a classic opening, but it… Read more →

• Mothers and Mommies (Analar ve Anneler)

  Analar ve Anneler is one of those series that ends before it really warms up. Nine episodes is barely enough time to establish a character… Read more →

• Tell Me About Love (Bana Sevmeyi Anlat)

  Bana Sevmeyi Anlat is a short but intense romantic drama, a single season of 22 episodes. The chemistry between Seda Bakan and Kadir Doğulu… Read more →

• Knife Edge (Bıçak Sırtı)

  Bıçak Sırtı is one of those series that starts and finishes in thirty episodes without dragging itself out. Having been planned as a single… Read more →

• If I Were a Cloud (Bir Bulut Olsam)

  Engin Akyürek, Engin Altan Düzyatan, Aslıhan Gürbüz... seen from today, finding this cast in a single series is a pleasant surprise. Melisa… Read more →

• I Loved a Child (Bir Çocuk Sevdim)

  It started on Kanal D, moved to Star TV from episode 17 and shifted from Fridays to Mondays: the broadcast history of Bir Çocuk Sevdim is… Read more →

• Collision (Çarpışma)

  Collision starts ambitiously, binding the stories of four strangers who survive the same accident to one shared axis. The quartet of Kıvanç… Read more →

• The House You Were Born In Is Your Destiny (Doğduğun Ev Kaderindir)

  Doğduğun Ev Kaderindir rises largely on Demet Özdemir's shoulders across its two seasons and 43 episodes. Zeynep, caught between her past… Read more →

• Full Moon (Dolunay)

  Dolunay leans on the on-screen chemistry between Can Yaman and Özge Gürel, and that chemistry really works. The friction between Nazlı, who… Read more →

• Fazilet Hanım and Her Daughters (Fazilet Hanım ve Kızları)

  Nazan Kesal's Fazilet is the heart of this series: an ambitious, exhausting mother you just cannot look away from. Deniz Baysal and Alp… Read more →

• The Ferhunde Ladies (Ferhunde Hanımlar)

  1,069 episodes! For anyone used to today's short seasons, that number is a legend in itself. Spending seven seasons with the same family… Read more →

• Night Queen (Gecenin Kraliçesi)

  Gecenin Kraliçesi sets out with a strong lead pair in Meryem Uzerli and Murat Yıldırım, and in the early episodes the pull between Kartal… Read more →

• War of the Roses (Güllerin Savaşı)

  The real strength of War of the Roses is the strange admiration between Damla Sönmez's Gülru and Canan Ergüder's Gülfem. A young woman who… Read more →

• Daughters of the Sun (Güneşin Kızları)

  Güneşin Kızları is a family series that rises on the shoulders of Güneş, played by Evrim Alasya. A literature teacher raising three… Read more →

• Under the Linden Trees (Ihlamurlar Altında)

  The setup of Ihlamurlar Altında is a solid engine for a series: Yılmaz and Elif torn apart, Elif's marriage to Ömer and Yılmaz drawing… Read more →

• Business and Affairs (İşler Güçler)

  One of the rare shows that started as a summer series and, thanks to its audience, stayed on air for a full year. The chemistry between… Read more →

• Woman (Kadın)

  Over three seasons and 81 episodes, Woman makes you carry the weight on Bahar's shoulders, and it owes that largely to Özge Özpirinçci's… Read more →

• Dark Angel (Kara Melek)

  Kara Melek broke new ground on Turkish television by putting the villain in the lead and having her narrate the episode recaps, and that… Read more →

• Tulip Era (Lale Devri)

  The story of Lale Devri is interesting off screen too: failing on Show TV and close to cancellation, it moved to FOX and found its real… Read more →

• Maral

  Maral builds a sweet, everyday love story in the pastry shop of a big department store, and the chemistry between Hazal Kaya's lively Maral… Read more →

• The Conqueror (Mehmed: Bir Cihan Fatihi)

  The most surprising thing about The Conqueror is its lifespan: it started on 20 March 2018 and was over by 1 May, after one season and six… Read more →

• No: 309

  No 309 sets up one of romantic comedy's favourite templates: Onur, who must marry to claim his inheritance, and Lale, there for a date her… Read more →

• Sparrow Palace (Serçe Sarayı)

  The opening of Serçe Sarayı is pretty irresistible for series fans: the late husband's betrayal, his son by another woman, and the youthful… Read more →

• Black Pearl (Siyah İnci)

  Black Pearl opens as a classic love-and-revenge series built on the Hazal, Kenan and Vural triangle, and the trio of Hande Erçel, Tolgahan… Read more →

• The End (Son)

  Son is made for binge-watching: the back-to-front structure reveals a little more in every episode, and it is hard not to press play on the… Read more →

• Sweet Revenge (Tatlı İntikam)

  One of romantic comedy's favourite setups: Sinan, rejected and humiliated in front of everyone at college, and Pelin, who years later has… Read more →

• 50m2

  50m2 is the kind of show you can finish in one sitting: eight episodes of about 45 minutes each. A hitman who remembers nothing of his… Read more →

• My Red Scarf (Al Yazmalım)

  Al Yazmalım is a single season of 37 episodes, which makes it a few weeks' easy watch rather than a one-week binge. The cast, led by Özge… Read more →

• I Will Never Give Up (Asla Vazgeçmem)

  Asla Vazgeçmem lives up to its name as a love story: Nur's meeting with Yiğit Kozan after coming to Istanbul from Adana changes everything.… Read more →

• Father Dearest (Baba Candır)

  Baba Candır is adapted from South Korea's What Happens to My Family?, and the adaptation fits surprisingly well with Turkish viewers'… Read more →

• My Father and His Family (Babam ve Ailesi)

  The most striking thing about Babam ve Ailesi is its premise: Kemal, respected by everyone, has a second family, with two more children… Read more →

• Mr. Wrong (Bay Yanlış)

  Mr. Wrong is a summer series that reunites Can Yaman and Özge Gürel after Dolunay, and the chemistry between the two is exactly what you… Read more →

• My Mother Is an Angel (Benim Annem Bir Melek)

  The most interesting thing about Benim Annem Bir Melek is how much the behind-the-scenes story shaped it. The first season ends when Ali… Read more →

• The Endless Song (Bitmeyen Şarkı)

  Bitmeyen Şarkı, which started in the summer season and wrapped up in a single 32-episode season, is a chemistry show through and through.… Read more →

• Eşref Rüya

  Eşref Rüya's strongest card is embedding a search that has lasted since childhood inside a mafia story: Eşref doesn't know that Nisan is… Read more →

• Heartbreaker (Gönülçelen)

  The heart of Gönülçelen is Tuba Büyüküstün's Hasret; she didn't win the RTGD award for nothing, making the free-spirited Romani girl both… Read more →

• İffet

  İffet is built like a classic revenge series: the huge rupture in the early episodes fuels everything that follows. Deniz Çakır's İffet… Read more →

• Evidence (Kanıt)

  With a fresh murder opening every episode and each case wrapped up on its own, Kanıt is a true just-one-more show. The rapport between… Read more →

• Lemon Tree (Limon Ağacı)

  The best reason to put on Limon Ağacı today is to see Serenay Sarıkaya in one of her first lead roles, opposite Kaan Urgancıoğlu. The setup… Read more →

• The Headmen of the Neighborhood (Mahallenin Muhtarları)

  Ten seasons, 337 episodes: Mahallenin Muhtarları is a marathon mentioned in the same breath as Arka Sokaklar and Bizimkiler. Its… Read more →

• Meryem

  As an adaptation of the South Korean series Secret Love, Meryem has a strong hook: an accident, and a naive young woman who finds herself… Read more →

• My Wonderful Life (Şahane Hayatım)

  Şahane Hayatım sets a strong hook with a woman fighting to protect the glittering life she has built while running from her dark past.… Read more →

• Organization (Teşkilat)

  Six seasons and 185 episodes: Teşkilat is a serious marathon for anyone who loves a long-running show. Telling the team's work and private… Read more →

• Farewell (Veda)

  The one thing to know before starting Veda: it was pulled for low ratings after eight episodes, so the story is left unfinished. That is a… Read more →

• Wolffs Revier

  Thirteen seasons and 173 episodes is a serious endurance test for any crime show. The backbone of Wolffs Revier is clear: chief inspector… Read more →

• Yakamoz S-245

  One season, seven episodes: worth knowing before you start, because no second season came and the story closed after one run. Seeing Kıvanç… Read more →

• Judgment (Yargı)

  Yargı has one of the best-built pairings of recent years: the relationship between a prosecutor and a lawyer forced to work together slowly… Read more →

• 7 Numara (Yedi Numara)

  Yedi Numara is one of those shows that stops you changing the channel however many times you catch a rerun. The secret is simple: the… Read more →

• The Gift (Atiye)

  Three seasons, 24 episodes in all: for anyone used to the long Turkish drama marathons, Atiye is almost a weekend job. Beren Saat is the… Read more →

• The Yard (Avlu)

  Demet Evgar's Deniz turns from a newcomer behind bars into someone whose name is spoken with fear, and that arc is the real reason to… Read more →

• I Still Have Hope (Benim Hala Umudum Var)

  Benim Hala Umudum Var is a classic transformation story built around Gizem Karaca's Umut: a young woman who works in a hair salon and hands… Read more →

• Five Brothers (Beş Kardeş)

  Five brothers, five distinct characters: Sait, Orhan, Turgut, Nazım and Aziz. The way this group of brothers, with Osman Sonant, Tansu… Read more →

• Fatih Harbiye

  Even Fatih Harbiye's broadcast history is a story: the first fifteen episodes on FOX, then Show TV from episode 16 on. At two seasons and… Read more →

• The Protector (Hakan: Muhafız)

  Spread over four seasons, Hakan: Muhafız (The Protector) is easy to binge thanks to its short seasons. Çağatay Ulusoy's Hakan starts out as… Read more →

• Boundless Love (Hudutsuz Sevda)

  Halil İbrahim losing his father to a blood feud as a child and being sent away to Istanbul is a solid foundation for a character arc. His… Read more →

• The Day My Destiny Was Written (Kaderimin Yazıldığı Gün)

  Kaderimin Yazıldığı Gün never hides its telenovela roots: surrogacy, a buried truth and a love that keeps running into dead ends. The… Read more →

• Brother's Share (Kardeş Payı)

  The trio of Ahmet Kural, Murat Cemcir and Seda Bakan builds the sibling dynamic very naturally; their banter is the best part of the show.… Read more →

• Red Buds (Kızıl Goncalar)

  The scenes between Özcan Deniz and Özgü Namal are the show's load-bearing pillar; the meeting of two characters from different worlds… Read more →

• The Club (Kulüp)

  Kulüp's first season starts strong by putting the strained relationship between a mother and her daughter at the centre; watching that bond… Read more →

• Mehmed: Sultan of Conquests (Mehmed: Fetihler Sultanı)

  Serkan Çayoğlu carries the role of the young conqueror, and his scenes opposite Selim Bayraktar's Halil Pasha are among the tensest in the… Read more →

• Until Death (Ölene Kadar)

  Ölene Kadar wrapped up in a single season of 13 episodes, which is actually an advantage next to today's never-ending shows. The story of… Read more →

• Mercy Hill (Şefkat Tepe)

  For a long-running military drama, cast changes proved decisive. Mert Kılıç's Serdar Mert, with an arc running from first lieutenant to… Read more →

• The Eighties (Seksenler)

  655 episodes! Seksenler is one of the longest-running shows on Turkish television, and that length is both its strength and its weakness.… Read more →

• Sila

  Sıla is one of those series that held on to its audience across three seasons and 79 episodes. Cansu Dere plays a woman caught between her… Read more →

• Price of Passion (Siyah Beyaz Aşk)

  The whole show rests on the contrast between Birce Akalay and İbrahim Çelikkol: a doctor who saves lives and a man who takes them. The… Read more →

• Distant City (Uzak Şehir)

  Uzak Şehir's biggest asset is the tense balance between the two leads carried by Sinem Ünsal and Ozan Akbaba. A mother from Canada standing… Read more →

• Sea of Green (Yeşil Deniz)

  The real strength of Yeşil Deniz is its cast chemistry. Burak Serdar Şanal's İsmail and Mert Turak's Süleyman, the one nicknamed Macgyver… Read more →

• Rich Girl, Poor Boy (Zengin Kız Fakir Oğlan)

  Four seasons, 136 episodes and two channels: this show's journey is as interesting as its story. Across 130 episodes on TRT 1, the warm… Read more →

• From Lips to Heart (Dudaktan Kalbe)

  Dudaktan Kalbe spends two seasons and 75 episodes trying to keep the Kenan, Lamia and Cemil triangle standing. Kenan's rise from a poor… Read more →

• Gülcemal

  Gülcemal wrapped up in a single season of 13 episodes, which is both a plus and a loss for viewers used to long Turkish series. The… Read more →

• This Is My Style (İşte Benim Stilim)

  This is not a drama but a competition, yet follow it across seasons and you still get attached to the faces. Öykü Serter's hosting and the… Read more →

• My Brothers (Kardeşlerim)

  Four seasons, 132 episodes: Kardeşlerim is a long-haul family series in every sense. The bond between Kadir, Ömer, Asiye and Emel is set up… Read more →

• Prisoner (Mahkum)

  A prosecutor who wakes up with no memory, a prison and the question of why he is there: the hook of the early episodes is genuinely strong.… Read more →

• Omer

  Ömer stands out among noisy shows for its quietness. The closeness between withdrawn Ömer and Gamze, who carries the pain of her past, is… Read more →

• Personality (Şahsiyet)

  Şahsiyet is one of the rare Turkish series that keeps all twelve episodes of its first season tight. Watching the paths of Haluk Bilginer's… Read more →

• The Ambassador's Daughter (Sefirin Kızı)

  Sefirin Kızı tries to keep a grand love story alive across two seasons and 52 episodes of around 120 minutes each. The chemistry Engin… Read more →

• Love Is in the Air (Sen Çal Kapımı)

  Sen Çal Kapımı carries a fake-engagement idea across two seasons and 52 episodes. Its real strength is the chemistry between Hande Erçel… Read more →

• Kingfisher (Yalı Çapkını)

  Yalı Çapkını became Star TV's first weekly series to reach a three-digit episode count, with three seasons and 101 episodes; on a journey… Read more →

• Bitter Life (Acı Hayat)

  Mehmet and Nermin's story pulls you in from the very first episodes, and the chemistry between Kenan İmirzalıoğlu and Selin Demiratar is… Read more →

• My Name Is Farah (Adım Farah)

  Adım Farah adapts the Argentine La Chica que Limpia (The Cleaning Lady), and wrapping up in two seasons and 27 episodes works in its… Read more →

• I Missed You Too (Ben de Özledim)

  The crew reuniting under their own names after Leyla ile Mecnun ended is a sweet idea for any series fan. Jokes like Ali Atay never quite… Read more →

• My Sweet Lie (Benim Tatlı Yalanım)

  Benim Tatlı Yalanım starts in the summer and wraps up after a single season of 28 episodes, blending romantic comedy with family drama. The… Read more →

• Börü 2039

  One season, six episodes: Börü 2039 is a short run, and that cuts both ways. There is no sagging middle to worry about, but the story ends… Read more →

• Lightning Struck the House (Eve Düşen Yıldırım)

  With two seasons and 22 episodes, Eve Düşen Yıldırım counts as a short series. The cast led by Murat Han, Gizem Karaca and Seda Akman is… Read more →

• Eyes Like the Black Sea (Gözleri KaraDeniz)

  Gözleri KaraDeniz is a classic family drama that carries a missing-heir story from the Black Sea coast into Istanbul's shadowy world.… Read more →

• Second Spring (İkinci Bahar)

  Three seasons, 37 episodes in all: compact by today's standards. The real weight rests on the chemistry between Şener Şen and Türkân Şoray… Read more →

• The Founding: Orhan (Kuruluş: Orhan)

  Conceived as the direct sequel to Kuruluş: Osman, which ran for six years, this is the third instalment of the franchise that began with… Read more →

• Money Heist (La Casa De Papel)

  Through Tokyo's narration, the Professor's crew pulls you in from the very first episodes. For me the Royal Mint heist is the tightest… Read more →

• Innocence (Masumiyet)

  With a single 13-episode season, Masumiyet is short and intense, a big plus for anyone tired of shows that drag on and on. The tension… Read more →

• Family (Aile)

  Aile's promise is clear from the start: a young psychologist falls for Aslan, head of one of Istanbul's long-established crime families… Read more →

• Betrayal (Aldatmak)

  Aldatmak's strongest card is its setup: a family court judge devoted to saving marriages begins to realise her own home is a castle made of… Read more →

• Ethos (Bir Başkadır)

  With a single season of eight episodes, Bir Başkadır is one of those series you can watch in one go but shouldn't rush. The large cast led… Read more →

• These Are Very Nice Moves (Çok Güzel Hareketler Bunlar)

  Çok Güzel Hareketler Bunlar isn't a series in the usual sense but BKM Mutfak's weekly sketch show; still, the ensemble chemistry it built… Read more →

• Don't Let Go of My Hand (Elimi Bırakma)

  For anyone who enjoys Korean adaptations, Elimi Bırakma makes an intriguing start. The family conflict that grows around an inheritance… Read more →

• Elkızı

  With a single season of 13 episodes, Elkızı is short and intense, a relief for anyone worn out by long seasons. Ezo, raised without love… Read more →

• Counterfeiter (Kalpazan)

  Kalpazan is one of those series that wraps up in a single season of eight episodes, and that cuts both ways. The upside: nothing is… Read more →

• Kefaret

  With a single season of 35 episodes, Kefaret is a manageable length to work through. The journey of music teacher Zeynep, from a summer… Read more →

• Kızım Nerede?

  An adaptation of the Chilean ¿Dónde está Elisa?, Kızım Nerede is on paper a perfect one-more-episode show: a missing girl, a shaken family… Read more →

• My Daughter (Kızım)

  Kızım's real trump card is the chemistry between Beren Gökyıldız and Buğra Gülsoy. The bond that slowly grows between an orphanage-raised… Read more →

• The Perfect Tenant (Kusursuz Kiracı)

  Kusursuz Kiracı comes with a short season of six episodes, which means a series you can finish in a weekend. Mona, an orphanage-raised… Read more →

• Three Sisters (Üç Kız Kardeş)

  Adapted from İclal Aydın's novel, Üç Kız Kardeş follows Türkan, Dönüş and Derya over three seasons and 84 episodes. The move from a… Read more →

• Unfinished Loves, Season 1 (Yarım Kalan Aşklar, season 1)

  At eight episodes, this first season is a relief for anyone used to marathon network series: the story has room to move without being… Read more →

• A.B.I.

  A.B.İ. opens with everything a series needs: a surgeon coming home after years away, his sister's wedding, family secrets coming to light… Read more →

• Firebirds (Ateş Kuşları)

  Five children turning from the Rootless into the Firebirds is a strong starting idea, and the forty-day-old baby found in a garbage dump… Read more →

• Epic (Destan)

  With two seasons and 28 episodes, Destan is tidier than most long-running shows in its genre. The love between Akkız and Batuga is the… Read more →

• Yes Sir (Emret Komutanım)

  Lasting four seasons and 95 episodes with a story set in the barracks is no small feat, and Emret Komutanım owes much of it to its cast… Read more →

• Everything About Marriage (Evlilik Hakkında Her Şey)

  What I like most about Everything About Marriage is how it brings four very different women of the Cevher family into one story: divorced… Read more →

• Heart Wound (Kalp Yarası)

  Kalp Yarası is a classic melodrama through and through, built around two families weighed down by thoughts of revenge. The marriage plan… Read more →

• Little Bride (Küçük Gelin)

  Following Zehra's story across three seasons and 92 episodes is not easy, because the show puts a heavy subject in front of you every… Read more →

• Prison Break

  Prison Break's first season has one of the best-built hooks in TV history: a structural engineer has the prison blueprints tattooed on his… Read more →

• Shahmaran (Şahmaran)

  Şahmaran's biggest strength is its nerve in setting a legend inside a modern story. Şahsu arriving in Adana to confront her grandfather is… Read more →

• Travelers of Hope (Umut Yolcuları)

  Umut Yolcuları was an ambitious crime series that arrived after three years of preparation and put juvenile crime at its centre. Zuhal… Read more →

• My Lying Love (Yalancı Yarim)

  A classic romantic-comedy set-up: Tarık, a rich family's son, hides who he is while working as a driver, and his squabbles with Naz, the… Read more →

• Unfinished Loves (Yarım Kalan Aşklar)

  A single eight-episode season is close to the ideal length for a story like this; there is little room for padding. The on-screen chemistry… Read more →

• Love 101 (Aşk 101)

  The real strength of Love 101 is the chemistry of its young cast. Four misfits and a model pupil trying to pair their teacher off with a… Read more →

• Bahar

  Bahar knows what it wants to say from the start: a woman who gave her years to her family is shaken by illness, goes back to her profession… Read more →

• Brave Heart (Cesur Yürek)

  Cesur Yürek had a strong core: a neighbourhood hero who takes justice into his own hands and an idealistic lawyer who loves him. The basic… Read more →

• Tropic (Dönence)

  Dönence started at the beginning of summer and closed after 14 episodes, a short-lived show. Foça and a sailing club make a perfect setting… Read more →

• Relationship Status: Complicated (İlişki Durumu Karışık)

  Knowing it adapts Full House, you spot the formula straight away: two stubborn leads, jealousy, pride and an endless supply of… Read more →

• In Pursuit of a Trace (İz Peşinde)

  İz Peşinde's own journey is almost as interesting as its story: two seasons on TRT 1, a four-year gap, then a six-episode comeback on Star… Read more →

• As the Crow Flies (Kuş Uçuşu)

  With a tidy 24 episodes, Kuş Uçuşu has the ease of a streaming series; each episode runs about 45 minutes, a far cry from a weekly Turkish… Read more →

• From Maraş (Maraşlı)

  Maraşlı wrapped up between January and July with 26 episodes, short by Turkish TV standards, and I think that works in its favour. The… Read more →

• Love, Reason, Get Even (Aşk Mantık İntikam)

  Aşk Mantık İntikam makes good use of the fun rules of the adapted rom-com. Burcu Özberk and İlhan Şen have chemistry from the first… Read more →

• Between the World and Us (Dünyayla Benim Aramda)

  A single season of eight episodes, a story that wrapped up on a weekly release: Between the World and Us is a tidy option for anyone tired… Read more →

• Breadwinner (Ekmek Teknesi)

  Over three seasons and 106 episodes, Ekmek Teknesi balances the daily bustle of an ordinary middle-class family between comedy and drama.… Read more →

• Ruthless (Gaddar)

  Gaddar offers a strong premise for watching Çağatay Ulusoy as a man who comes back from military service, is shaken by events he never… Read more →

• The Heart Thief (Gönül Hırsızı)

  Gönül Hırsızı is a short-lived but sweet romantic comedy that wrapped up after a single season of 19 episodes. When Hülya walks out, the… Read more →

• Valley of the Wolves: Terror (Kurtlar Vadisi Terör)

  For a series devotee, Kurtlar Vadisi Terör is an odd case: there are no seasons in which to follow character arcs, just two episodes, the… Read more →

• North Star First Love (Kuzey Yıldızı İlk Aşk)

  Kuzey Yıldızı İlk Aşk is a village comedy that tries to carry the same feud across two seasons and 64 episodes. The set-up is a lot of fun… Read more →

• Last Summer (Son Yaz)

  Son Yaz's strongest card is the forced bond between the idealistic prosecutor Selim Kara and the reckless young Akgün. Two characters who… Read more →

• Little Big Heart (Taçsız Prenses)

  The best thing about Taçsız Prenses is that it puts a little girl, and her fairy-tale-raised way of seeing, at its centre. Masal hardening… Read more →

• CSI: Miami

  CSI: Miami sticks to the same mould for 10 seasons and 232 episodes, usually handling a single crime per episode. That means you can drop… Read more →

• In Disarray (Darmaduman)

  Darmaduman adapts Beverly Hills, 90210 for Turkey as a youth series of one season and 9 episodes, easy to finish within a week. The… Read more →

• Fatma

  With just six episodes, Fatma is the kind of miniseries you can finish in one sitting, and the brevity suits it well. A cleaner who lives… Read more →

• Fortune (Servet)

  Servet's biggest problem is that it never gets the chance to tell its story. When it missed its expected audience, only four episodes aired… Read more →

• Either Independence or Death (Ya İstiklal Ya Ölüm)

  Being a twelve-episode miniseries is Ya İstiklal Ya Ölüm's biggest advantage: none of the sagging middles of long-running shows, just a… Read more →

• 4 Blocks

  4 Blocks is a short but intense crime series of three seasons and 19 episodes. Its setup is very strong: Toni, who wants to leave the… Read more →

• Flashy Love (Afili Aşk)

  Afili Aşk is a forced-marriage romantic comedy through and through, and it uses everything people love about that formula. The sparring… Read more →

• Someone Completely Different (Bambaşka Biri)

  Bambaşka Biri is a single-season, 16-episode series, and I think that brevity works in its favour. Opening with a murder in a forest, the… Read more →

• Crazy Heart (Deli Gönül)

  Deli Gönül is a single-season, ten-episode summer series, and that short form works both for and against it. Kadir and Fatmanur's love… Read more →

• You'll Love It (Seversin)

  Seversin is a classic summer romcom that pits a restless actor at the height of his fame against a girl who works behind a counter in a… Read more →

• Three Pennies (Üç Kuruş)

  Üç Kuruş opens with a familiar but effective formula that forces two opposites onto the same case: Kartal, the neighbourhood's protector… Read more →

• I am Jalaliddin (Bozkır Arslanı Celaleddin)

  Following Jalal al-Din across two seasons and 30 episodes is a satisfying ride for fans of historical drama. The viewing history is a bit… Read more →

• Deep Waters (Derin Sular)

  Derin Sular is a youth romantic-drama telenovela that ran 116 episodes in a single season between 14 February and 1 August 2011. Its story… Read more →

• Elif

  940 episodes! For anyone who knows the daily-series format, that number inspires both respect and a little dread. Elif's strength is its… Read more →

• Smile at Your Destiny (Gülümse Kaderine)

  Gülümse Kaderine has a strong starting point for a long-running drama: Eda and Yaren, who grew up in an orphanage in Bursa and treat each… Read more →

• The Lords' Wedding Is Something Else (Başka Olur Ağaların Düğünü)

  This series sticks firmly to the classic formula of village dramas: rich aghas, a marriage of interests and a love that gets in the way.… Read more →

• Crazy Bediş (Çılgın Bediş)

  Çılgın Bediş is one of the first names that comes to mind when you think of '90s youth shows. Yonca Evcimik's energetic Bediş fits… Read more →

• Vuslat

  Vuslat takes that familiar romance between a rich, powerful businessman and a modest young woman and puts it on tenser ground by opening… Read more →

• New Life (Yeni Hayat)

  Yeni Hayat carries the core idea of Bodyguard over to Turkey and lasts just nine episodes. On paper the starting point is strong: Adem, a… Read more →

• Amar en tiempos revueltos

  Seven seasons, 1,707 episodes: Amar en tiempos revueltos is a true marathon. As a soap that aired every weekday, its pace is nothing like a… Read more →

• Twist of Fate (Baht Oyunu)

  Baht Oyunu is a summer series that wraps up in a single season of seventeen episodes, and to me that brevity is an advantage: there is… Read more →

• Bir Zamanlar Osmanlı: Kıyam

  On paper, Bir Zamanlar Osmanlı was a strong package: Türkan Şoray, Özcan Deniz and a rebellion brewing in the Tulip Era. On screen, its… Read more →

• Los Serrano

  Eight seasons, 147 episodes: Los Serrano is a long-haul family show in every sense. Its real strength is the crowded household that comes… Read more →

• Possible Love (Muhtemel Aşk)

  Muhtemel Aşk opens with a classic romcom setup, a woman torn between two men. Defne's strong, controlled nature is a good starting point… Read more →

• You Are Everywhere (Her Yerde Sen)

  Two stubborn people claiming the same house, then the same company on top of it: Her Yerde Sen embraces romantic comedy's best-loved setup… Read more →

• The Comedy Shop (Komedi Dükkanı)

  Komedi Dükkanı isn't a series in the classic sense; instead of character arcs, you get improvised sketches that start from scratch every… Read more →

• Les Misérables

  Four parts, ninety minutes each: Les Misérables is tailor-made for a weekend marathon. TF1's miniseries impresses with its cast, and the… Read more →

• Hot Skull (Sıcak Kafa)

  Hot Skull opens with a genuinely original idea, a world where language carries disease, and its short eight-episode run means you can… Read more →

• Her Name Is Sevgi (Adı Sevgi)

  On paper Adı Sevgi has a solid series setup: an idealistic teacher arriving in town, a student being forced into marriage and the powerful… Read more →

• Al Sancak

  One season, 19 episodes: Al Sancak never became a long runner, and that brevity cuts both ways. The story opens with a clear goal; Captain… Read more →

• Wolf (Börü)

  Börü is a short six-part miniseries, and that is its biggest advantage: there is no room for the sagging middle stretches of long Turkish… Read more →

• Wild (Yabani)

  Yabani starts from a very strong idea: a boy abducted at four and raised on the streets turns up at his deep-rooted family's door seventeen… Read more →

• Stain (Leke)

  On paper, Leke is prime binge material: Yasemin, whose life began in Germany and who now studies law while fighting for her brother, and… Read more →

• Medici: Masters of Florence

  Every season of Medici jumps to a different chapter of the family, and that is both what I love most and what I struggle with most. In… Read more →

• Hot Hours (Sıcak Saatler)

  Sıcak Saatler is one of those shows whose cast grabs you right away: Mehmet Aslantuğ, Uğur Polat, Kürşat Alnıaçık and Yeşim Ceren Bozoğlu… Read more →

• Chrysalis (Camdaki Kız)

  Camdaki Kız is a highly emotional drama that keeps its audience hooked across three seasons and 82 episodes. Nalan believing the… Read more →

• EGO

  With a single season of thirteen episodes, EGO is a series you can comfortably finish, a relief if you're tired of long-season shows with… Read more →

• Hawaii Five-0

  Ten seasons, 240 episodes: for fans of long-running police shows, Hawaii Five-0 is practically a lifestyle. Its biggest strength is team… Read more →

• Oath (Yemin)

  Yemin, four seasons and 503 episodes long, is a true marathon. Reyhan and Emir's reluctant marriage pulls you in from the early episodes… Read more →

• Wishing Stone (Dilek Taşı)

  Dilek Taşı has a strong hook: a father chasing months of unpaid wages to cover his sick wife's surgery, and a life turned upside down in a… Read more →

• El Ministerio del Tiempo

  Time-travel shows usually mean complicated rules, but El Ministerio del Tiempo's real strength is its characters. A 16th-century soldier… Read more →

• Runaway (Kaçış)

  Kaçış's biggest advantage is how compact it is: one season, eight episodes. There is little room for filler; war photographer Mehmet's trip… Read more →

• The Stranger in the Mirror (Aynadaki Yabancı)

  A woman who changes her face and enters the same house as someone else to get back to her daughter: Aynadaki Yabancı's premise is pure… Read more →

• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

  A crime show that lasts fifteen seasons is rare, and I think the secret of CSI is the clarity of its formula. One to three cases an… Read more →

• The Paranoid Family (Kuruntu Ailesi)

  Five seasons, 121 episodes and a story that carried on as Hüsnü Bey Amca and Bizim Kuruntu Ailesi: Kuruntu Ailesi is early proof of how… Read more →

• What Ships I Burned (Ne Gemiler Yaktım)

  Ne Gemiler Yaktım started from a strong idea: two women with nothing in common clinging to each other through motherhood alone. The scenes… Read more →

• Chuck

  Chuck's secret lies less in the spying than in the friendship. The chemistry between Zachary Levi's awkward but lovable Chuck, Yvonne… Read more →

• Game of Thrones

  Keeping a cast this large afloat across eight seasons and 73 episodes is no small feat. The fight for the Iron Throne, Daenerys's road… Read more →

• Torn Apart (Daha 17)

  Daha 17 has a strong hook: Aras, a fearless seventeen-year-old raised among foster families, learns that the sibling he has believed dead… Read more →

• Grey's Anatomy

  We are talking about a show that has reached 22 seasons and 466 episodes, so the real question becomes how far to go. In the early seasons… Read more →

• He Who Falls on His Own Doesn't Cry (Kendi Düşen Ağlamaz)

  Kendi Düşen Ağlamaz is a warm romantic comedy that started in June and stayed on air for about seven months across 27 episodes. Spoiled… Read more →

• Alarm for Cobra 11 – The Highway Police (Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei)

  Kobra Takibi (Alarm für Cobra 11) is one of those rare long-runners, on air since 1996 and past 387 episodes. Over such a long road the… Read more →

• A Cursed Monarchy (Les Rois maudits)

  Five episodes of ninety minutes each: a miniseries you can finish in a weekend, but far from a light one. As the curse that begins with… Read more →

• The Miracle

  One season of eight episodes is the ideal length for a mystery like this; the story ends before it gets stretched thin. A statue of the… Read more →

• The Great Exile: Caucasus (Büyük Sürgün Kafkasya)

  As a four-part mini-series it has none of the sagging middle stretches long seasons get us used to; the whole story fits into just three… Read more →

• Hear Me (Duy Beni)

  Duy Beni was short-lived at one season and 20 episodes, but it has a strong hook for fans of youth drama: Meltem's accident, and three kids… Read more →

• Sultan of My Heart (Sultan moyego serdtsa)

  Kalbimin Sultanı set out with a tempting idea for fans of historical romance: a fairy-tale love between an Ottoman sultan and a… Read more →

• Legends of Tomorrow

  Legends of Tomorrow is one of those rare shows that managed to reinvent itself. The first season, with its heroes and villains gathered… Read more →

• Berlin Alexanderplatz

  Fourteen parts, about fifteen hours in all: Berlin Alexanderplatz is not something to binge in one sitting but a journey to live with for… Read more →

• Midnight at the Pera Palace (Pera Palas'ta Gece Yarısı)

  Putting time travel and period drama under the roof of one hotel gives the show a head start. Hazal Kaya carries Esra's bewilderment and… Read more →

• Un Paso Adelante

  Set at Carmen Arranz, a famous arts school in Madrid, this series gives the Fame formula a warm Spanish accent. With a big student line-up… Read more →

• Instant Image Show (Anında Görüntü Show)

  There's no storyline to follow, but its survival as a programme spanning years is a story in itself. Being pulled from Star TV after three… Read more →

• Mole Family (Köstebekgiller)

  What keeps a long-running children's series afloat is its ensemble, and that holds for Köstebekgiller too. A big family running from… Read more →

• Marco Polo

  It's a four-part miniseries, but the parts aren't equal: the first and last run twice as long as the others. That shape lets you feel the… Read more →

• Agries Melisses

  Three sisters who have just lost their father, the richest man in the village and a marriage made for land: Agries Melisses stands on… Read more →

• Joseph

  For a two-part production running roughly three hours, Joseph is surprisingly tidy. The story, from the brothers' jealousy to the rise in… Read more →

• Mocro Maffia

  Six seasons and 45 episodes is a bold distance for a crime show. The real engine here is the childhood friendship between Romano, Potlood… Read more →

• Private Practice

  Taking a character from Grey's Anatomy and giving her a show of her own is a risky move, but Addison Montgomery is a strong enough figure… Read more →

• Quo Vadis?

  Six one-hour episodes, a love story and intrigue in Nero's Rome: on paper, a textbook miniseries formula. Its strength is that it gives the… Read more →

• Servir y proteger

  Seven seasons, 1,372 episodes: Servir y proteger is not a season-based show in the usual sense but a daily habit. Its strength is… Read more →

• Vermist

  A unit that searches for missing people is tailor-made for television: every case means both a ticking clock and a family left waiting.… Read more →

• Augustine: The Decline of the Roman Empire (Sant'Agostino)

  Two parts, roughly 200 minutes in all: this is not a long-running series but a miniseries you can finish in a weekend. The short format… Read more →

• Borgia

  Three seasons, 38 episodes, 52 minutes each: plenty of room to tell the Borgias' rise without hurrying. The real engine of the show is the… Read more →

• Grange Hill

  Grange Hill's smartest idea is making pupils moving up through the school the engine of the story: every new year brings new faces, and the… Read more →

• Pan Am

  Pan Am stopped at a single season of fourteen episodes; talks about a second season went nowhere, so there is no point waiting for more… Read more →

• The Serpent Queen

  Two seasons of eight episodes each: in my view that sixteen-episode shape leaves little room for the saggy stretches period dramas often… Read more →

• the Walking Dead

  In a show that ran for eleven seasons and 177 episodes, ups and downs are inevitable, and The Walking Dead is no exception. The survival… Read more →

• Emanet

  Emanet's biggest test was not its length but its cast. The relationship between Yaman and Seher, moving from clashes to love, was the… Read more →

• Dream and Reality (Hayal ve Gerçek)

  A ghost wife only her husband can see is a productive comedy engine for a summer show. The catch is that scaring off yet another… Read more →

• Caliphate (Kalifat)

  One season, eight episodes: the series tells its whole story in a tight frame and never tries to stretch. Its real load is braiding three… Read more →

• This Is My Story (İşte Bu Benim Masalım)

  A single eight-episode season is actually comfortable room for a musical series: long enough to set up characters and move the story… Read more →

• Joan of Arcadia

  The engine is simple: God turns up in a new face each time and hands Joan an odd mission. In the first season that pattern feels fresh and… Read more →

• Liaison

  Being a single, self-contained season is Liaison's biggest advantage: no seasons dragging on, and every episode is heading somewhere.… Read more →

• Lucifer

  The off-screen story of Lucifer is as gripping as a series: Fox cancels, fans campaign, Netflix takes over and the show stretches to six… Read more →

• Marienhof

  Over four thousand episodes across eighteen seasons: watching Marienhof start to finish is not a realistic goal, nor should it be. The way… Read more →

• Marziye

  A farm romance stretched over 65 episodes: the bond between Hazar Bey and Marziye is the show's load-bearing pillar, and the pairing of… Read more →

• Ruhun Duymaz

  Forcing two characters as opposite as day and night onto the same side is romantic comedy's favourite mould, and Ruhun Duymaz leans… Read more →

• Sapphire (Safir)

  Safir did something unusual for viewers used to long-running dramas: it wrapped up in a single season. There is an upside, since the story… Read more →

• Cologne P.D. (SOKO Köln)

  More than four hundred episodes looks daunting at first, but because each one closes a case, you can jump in anywhere. That is also its… Read more →

• The Queen (Kraliçe)

  Kraliçe opens a lot of stories at once: a famous athlete's scandal, the loss of a father, estranged siblings, a farm sunk in debt. That is… Read more →

• 24

  What sets 24 apart is its form: each season is one unbroken day, each episode one hour of it. The on-screen digital clock is one of the… Read more →

• Bottom (Dip)

  Dip's biggest card on paper is its brevity: cutting it from a planned thirteen episodes to eight looks like the right call for avoiding… Read more →

• Survivor Turkey (Survivor Türkiye)

  For anyone following Survivor season after season like a drama, the real question is how the format keeps itself fresh. The Celebrities… Read more →

• Heroes

  Heroes started like a phenomenon, with a first season in which ordinary people discover their powers and find their fates linked, and an… Read more →

• King & Conqueror

  For an eight-episode miniseries, the biggest asset is Harold and William starting as allies and becoming rivals: the transformation of two… Read more →

• Lonesome Dove

  As a four-part miniseries, Lonesome Dove is a good example of telling a sprawling novel without the sagging of long seasons. The friendship… Read more →

• Velvet

  Velvet's strength is the wide ensemble built around the central romance. The story of the store's heir and the seamstress carries the show… Read more →

• Ablaze (Alev Alev)

  Alev Alev's strongest card is the way three women from very different worlds cross paths. Giving each of them her own fight keeps the story… Read more →

• Criminal Minds

  What makes Criminal Minds addictive is that each episode asks "why did they do it" more than "who did it". Because most episodes are… Read more →

• Hotel Mondial

  Hotel Mondial combines two familiar strands of the hotel series: on one side, feelings growing between a manager sent to cut costs and the… Read more →

• House of Saddam

  Squeezing more than twenty years into just four episodes is both the miniseries' biggest strength and its weak spot. With wars, sanctions… Read more →

• Isabel

  Isabel spreads a queen's life from birth to death across three seasons, and the great advantage of that patient approach is that it lets… Read more →

• Los hombres de Paco

  The most interesting thing about the show is how its identity shifts across the seasons. Starting as a parody of the police force and… Read more →

• The Masked Turkey (Maske Kimsin Sen?)

  The fun of shows like this lies in gathering clues week after week and guessing who is behind the mask. Maske Kimsin Sen? hardly got the… Read more →

• Napoleon

  Four episodes look thin for such a large life, but the miniseries format works here: no stretching, no sagging middle episode. The series… Read more →

• NCIS

  The real strength of NCIS lies less in its cases than in its team. Under Gibbs, the ensemble of DiNozzo, Abby and Ducky turns the show into… Read more →

• Flower of Love (Sevda Çiçeği)

  A summer series planned at 13 episodes and stretched to 24 is a sign of both success and risk. The set-up between Leyla and Selim, of… Read more →

• Stromberg

  A show that spends five seasons in the same office lives or dies by its central character, and in Stromberg that weight rests on the… Read more →

• Twin Peaks

  For a show returning after a quarter of a century, the easy route was to repeat the past; The Return deliberately takes another. Spreading… Read more →

• Domina

  At 16 episodes in all, this fits into a few evenings, and knowing it was cancelled after two seasons sets expectations right. The most… Read more →

• Genius

  The anthology format is both this show's biggest asset and its weak spot. Since every season opens with a new figure and a new cast, you… Read more →

• Lindenstraße

  More than 1,700 episodes and a single street across thirty-five years: this is less a show than a habit. The pull of a long-runner lies in… Read more →

• Operation Sabre (Sablja)

  For an eight-episode miniseries, Operation Sabre builds a fairly ambitious structure: it tells the story through the eyes of a journalist… Read more →

• The Equalizer

  What carries the show across four seasons and 88 episodes is Robert McCall as a fixed centre. The newspaper-ad idea brings a new client and… Read more →

• The Mentalist

  The real engine of The Mentalist is the friction between Patrick Jane and Teresa Lisbon. The tension between Jane's protocol-ignoring… Read more →

• Brothers & Sisters

  Following the Walker siblings over five seasons and 109 episodes shows how long a family drama built on cast chemistry can hold up. The… Read more →

• Cites

  Cites' format is both a blessing and an obstacle for a series fan. Since each episode tells two separate first dates, you never commit to a… Read more →

• Da Vinci's Demons

  Writing the young Leonardo as a genius and adventurer gives rich ground for character development, and the struggle between the Medici, the… Read more →

• Elementary

  Elementary's real strength is how the Holmes–Watson relationship changes over the seasons: Joan starting out as a companion, then becoming… Read more →

• Everything Calls for Salvation (Tutto chiede salvezza)

  A story bounded by seven days of compulsory treatment is a bold frame for a series. In confined-setting shows like this everything rides on… Read more →

• Teacher (Öğretmen)

  Öğretmen's biggest strength and biggest weakness are the same thing: its length. A series that wraps up in nine episodes never suffers a… Read more →

• The Tailor (Süslü Korkuluk)

  With three seasons and 23 episodes in all, The Tailor is tight by the standards of long-running Turkish series, and in my view that helps… Read more →

• Tatort

  Watching Tatort from start to finish like a regular series is close to impossible; more than 1,300 episodes and teams that change from city… Read more →

• The White Princess

  The big advantage of this eight-episode miniseries is how compact it is; with no long season to fill, there's little room for a sagging… Read more →

• Alphonse

  The short six-episode structure is one of Alphonse's smartest choices: the story isn't stretched and moves at a pace you can finish over a… Read more →

• White Show (Beyaz Show)

  Staying on air for more than twenty years with much the same format is no small feat, and that continuity is Beyaz Show's greatest… Read more →

• Ela sti thesi mou

  A story about two families swapped at birth is tailor-made for a daily series: every episode can serve up a new adjustment problem or a… Read more →

• House of David

  House of David picks material that suits a long character arc stretching across seasons: David's road from shepherd to the throne. Watching… Read more →

• Inspector De Luca (Il commissario De Luca)

  As a four-part miniseries it is no season-long marathon, and in my view the brevity works in De Luca's favour. The character is built as a… Read more →

• The Spy

  Being a six-episode miniseries is The Spy's biggest advantage: the story is not stretched thin over seasons and stays focused on one man's… Read more →

• To Nisi

  As a single-season show, To Nisi pulls off something rare: it tells a closed story with a clear beginning, middle and end. The frame… Read more →

• Dolmen

  A closed six-episode story is good news for anyone tired of shows that drag on for seasons: a narrative with a clear beginning, middle and… Read more →

• Kokkinos Kyklos

  An anthology series where every episode closes on itself is both a gift and a headache for a binger. A gift, because each week brings a new… Read more →

• When the Bell Rings (Zil Çalınca)

  Zil Çalınca's most charming feature is its format: episodes just a few minutes long mirror the brevity of a school break exactly. That is… Read more →

• Belene

  Being a four-episode miniseries is Belene's biggest strength: there is no room for stretched middle episodes or filler subplots, and the… Read more →

• Trepalium

  Being a closed six-episode miniseries is Trepalium's biggest advantage: the story never drags, and there are no half-tied knots left for a… Read more →

• 1 Man, 1 Woman, 2 Children (1 Erkek 1 Kadın 2 Çocuk)

  This show's story is almost as interesting as its broadcast history: a run that began on Turkmax, moved to Star TV, paused and returned on… Read more →

• La víctima número 8

  One season, eight episodes: this show's biggest advantage is that it finishes its story without stretching it. Opening on the attack in… Read more →

• Love & Anarchy (Kärlek & anarki)

  Half-hour episodes and sixteen in total over two seasons make it a perfect weekend binge. The whole thing rides on Sofie and Max's secret… Read more →

• Anastasia

  Being a story that wraps up in a single season, it feels almost like a miniseries to anyone used to today's long-running shows. That… Read more →

• House M.D.

  Across eight seasons the load-bearing pillar of the show is the friendship between House and Wilson: even as the team changes and House's… Read more →

• İyilik

  İyilik's biggest advantage is that it reaches its finale in two seasons and does not overstay its welcome; the sag that hits the middle of… Read more →

• Of Money and Blood (D'argent et de sang)

  Telling a real fraud case as a miniseries is the right call: the affair has too many layers for a single film, yet it is not sprawling… Read more →

• We're Dining (Yemekteyiz)

  There are no character arcs here, but there is a new cast every week, and that is the format's real test: the chemistry, or friction, of… Read more →