The Turkish Passion

The Turkish Passion is a 2024 Spanish-Turkish drama series directed by Iñaki Peñafiel, a contemporary adaptation of Antonio Gala's best-selling novel La pasión turca, which had earlier inspired Vicente Aranda's 1994 film. Maggie Civantos stars as Olivia, a Spanish professor of Fine Arts, opposite İlker Kaleli as Yaman, her Turkish lover.

The story begins with Olivia waking up in an Istanbul hospital after a suicide attempt. Questioned by investigators, she reconstructs her obsessive relationship with Yaman, the life she abandoned in Spain, and her involvement in an antiquities-smuggling ring. Told across two timelines, the six-episode series explores desire, betrayal, and the cultural clash between East and West. It premiered on Atresplayer in March 2024, aired in prime time on Antena 3 in May 2024, and launched worldwide on Netflix on June 28, 2024. Filming took place in Istanbul and Madrid.