The third-largest exporter of television is not who you might expect (2024)

Much of Ottoman history reads like a soap opera. In the 16th century Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent killed anyone whom he suspected of trying to rival him, including two brothers-in-law, two sons and a handful of grandsons. (And you thought your family had problems.) A show about Suleiman, “Muhtesem Yuzyil” (“Magnificent Century”), first aired in 2011 and was part of the first wave of Turkish dramas to go global. Fans of the show include Cardi B, an American rapper.

Today, as popular Turkish shows proliferate, Suleiman has to share the throne with other reigning series. The latest is “Gaddar” (“No Mercy”), about a soldier who returns from war and is forced to become a hitman to protect his family. Turkey is now the third-biggest exporter of scripted series in the world—behind only America and Britain. Between 2020 and 2023 global demand for Turkish shows grew by 184%, compared with 73% for Korean dramas, according to Parrot Analytics, a data firm.