The World-Famous Turkish TV Dramas That Will Glue You to Screens

Turkey has many world-famous Turkish dramas that have been gluing the audience to screens over the years. This is probably no surprise as Turkey is the 2nd biggest TV series exporting country in the world. (The first one in the USA).

As for the origin of this success, it is mostly because of the huge fan base of Turkish actors and actresses. Turkish series, dramas, soap operas and historical fiction, by the way, are the most popular genres in the world.

So, let’s see which world-famous Turkish TV dramas take place on our list and whether or not your favorite one is here. Which Turkish TV series are foreign countries watching?

21- Kara Sevda (Endless Love)

The series starring Burak Özçivit and Neslihan Atagül Doğulu was nominated in many fields. It soon became a popular Turkish TV drama in Middle Eastern countries.

Release Date: 2015-2017

20- Kara Para Aşk (Black Money Love)

The series, starring Tuba Büyüküstün and Engin Akyürek, broke rating records, especially in Arab countries and Pakistan.

Release Date: 2014-2015

19- Kiralık Aşk (Rental Love, or aka Love for Rent)

The romantic comedy series, which was aired in 2015, was especially loved and watched in Arab countries. The world-famous Turkish TV drama starred Elçin Sangu and Barış Arduç.

Release Date: 2015-2017

18- Paramparça (Broken Pieces)

Starring Erkan Petekkaya and Nurgül Yeşilçay, Paramparça gained great success in Romania, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia, Chile, Kazakhstan, Argentina, and Brazil. The beautiful Turkish actress Alina Boz also made her best debut with this TV drama.

Release Date: 2014-2017

17- Karadayı 

Karadayı, the TV series of Kenan İmirzalıoğlu and Bergüzar Korel, aired between 2012 and 2015. So, the series was broadcast in Qatar, Bahrain, Serbia, Croatia, and Pakistan. What’s more, it was nominated for TV series awards in South Korea.

No need to mention that it was a great privilege to watch those two names together in a Turkish drama.

Release Date: 2012-2015

16- Dila Hanım (Dila)

Well, here is another world-famous Turkish drama. In this Turkish TV drama, Erkan Petekkaya and Hatice Şendil shared the leading roles. So, the series reached a great many numbers audiences in Kazakhstan, Georgia, Serbia, Ukraine, Iran, Croatia, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria. The series was famous with the name of “Lady Dila“.

Release Date: 2012-2014

15- Yaprak Dökümü (The Fall of Leaves)

The series tells the story of Ali Rıza Bey’s children and family. Each of them has different desires and characters. So, the Turkish drama broke rating records, especially in Bulgaria and Croatia. Furthermore, the drama brought in some best actors and actresses to the Turkish TV series and cinema market. Gökçe Bahadır, Fahriye Evcen, Neslihan Atagül are only the three of them, who made a great debut on TV.

Release Date: 2005-2010

14- Medcezir (Ebb and Tide)

So, Çağatay Ulusoy and Serenay Sarıkaya‘s series Medcezir (Ebb and tide) met with a large audience in Bulgaria, Georgia, Iran, Latvia, Lithuania, Pakistan, Romania, Chile, and Arab countries.

Release Date: 2013-2015

13- Ezel (Aptildas)

So, Ezel is definitely one of the most world-famous Turkish dramas ever. Moreover, it is one of the most quality ones, too. Kenan İmirzalıoğlu and Cansu Dere‘s series Ezel received great interest between 2009 and 2011. Mostly, South America and the Balkans watched the series.

Release Date: 2009-2011

12- Hercai 

In every episode of the series we watched, we simply felt sorry for Miran (Ebru Şahin) as the character cried and suffered so much. It was a love story between Reyyan and Miran’s (Akın Akınözü) stuck in between eastern traditions and customs. The series became incredibly successful, especially in Middle Eastern countries.

Release Date: 2019-2021

11- Gümüş

Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ and Songül Öden’s 100-episode series Gümüş received a great acclamation in Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria and Pakistan. What’s more, the harmony between the two made the series a phenomenon in Turkey, too, and it became a world-famous Turkish drama.

Release Date: 2005-2007

10- Kurtlar Vadisi (Valley of the Wolves)

A series that once encouraged everyone to gunfights and black jackets. As they became successful and popular, producers kept filming new seasons. Valley of the Wolves: Palestine became one of the most expensive productions in Turkey and was released in 100 countries at the same time.

Release Date: 2003-2016

9- Asi (Rebel)

In this world-famous Turkish TV drama, Murat Yıldırım accompanied Tuba Büyüküstün in the leading role. So, Asi (Rebel) is a series that gained popularity by airing in 67 different countries and was nominated at the 51st Monte Carlo Television Festival.

Release Date: 2007-2009

8- Diriliş: Ertuğrul (Diriliş: Resurrection)

Foreigners call this historical Turkish drama as the “Turkish Game of Thrones”. So, the series breaks rating records, especially in Pakistan. The historical drama chronicles the life of Ertuğrul, the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. Costumes, social life, and the warrior character of the Turks draw great attention.

Besides, the world-famous Turkish TV drama became Engin Altan Düzyatan‘s best debut on TV and in the world.

Release Date: 2014-2019

7- Adını Feriha Koydum (I Named Her Feriha)

The series is starring Hazal Kaya and Çağatay Ulusoy. So, it has become a phenomenon in Arab Countries and the Balkans. Furthermore, it went down in history as the first Turkish TV series to be broadcast on television in India.

Release Date: 2011-2012

6- İçerde (Insider)

Çağatay Ulusoy is a very popular actor not only in our country but also in many foreign countries. Made in 2016, the series had a wide audience in Pakistan, India, Romania, and Ethiopia under the name Insider.

Release Date: 2016-2017

5- Binbir Gece (1001 Nights)

Starring Halit Ergenç and Bergüzar Korel, the series is among the most-watched Turkish TV dramas to date. 1001 Nights has been aired in more than 55 countries, especially in Chile, the USA, and Argentina.

Release Date: 2006-2009

4- Sıla 

The first episode aired in 2006, the series can be considered the ancestor of the traditional and custom series. People loved the Turkish drama so much that the series in this content became an indispensable genre in Turkish TV. It seems that we are not the only ones who consume this series, people from the Middle East, the Balkans, Chile, and Peru also watched the series a lot.

Therefore, it is one of the other world-famous Turkish dramas.

Release Date: 2006-2008

3- Aşk-ı Memnu (Forbidden Love)

Even though it has been 10 years since the end of the broadcasting of the series, based on the novel by Halit Ziya Uşaklıgil, it continues to be shared on social media. Moreover, the are many parodies of the series from every episode. The audience from all around the world followed with great interest, especially in European and Arab countries.

The acting and the harmony between Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ and Beren Saat was particularly outstanding.

Release Date: 2008-2010

2- Fatmagül’ün Suçu Ne (What’s Fatmagul’s Fault?)

There we are with one of the other world-famous Turkish dramas. This series is the second-most-popular Turkish TV dramas in foreign countries. France, Indonesia, Morocco, Iran, Greece, and Georgia are among the countries with the highest ratings.

The leading stars of the series are Engin Akyürek and Beren Saat.

Release Date: 2010-2012

1- Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Magnificent Century)

There we are at the top of the most world-famous Turkish dramas list. The demand for Ottoman TV series is quite high in the Middle East, the Balkans, Europe, and America. Here, the series, which was watched with interest for 4 seasons in our country, met with close to 500 million viewers in 70 different countries.

Halit Ergenç and Meryem Uzerli got giant with their amazing performances in the series.

Did you know that we export our TV series and dramas so much? So, which of these dramas are your favorites? Let’s meet in the comments section.