The Protector – Copyright. Netflix
It’s been a long and patient wait, but fans of the Turkish Original series The Protector will be delighted to learn that the series will be returning for a third season in March 2020.
The Protector is a Turkish Netflix Original series created by Binnur Karaevil and based on the book ‘Karakalem ve Bir Delikanlının Tuhaf Hikayesi’ by author Nilüfer İpek Gökdel. As the first Turkish Original, the series has already grown popular amongst subscribers who have fallen in love with Turkish dramas.
When is the Netflix release date for The Protector season 3?
We finally have confirmation that the third season of The Protector is coming to Netflix on March 6th, 2020.
All the episodes will be available to stream upon release.
Geçmiş. Gelecek. Savaş ya da İstanbul’a veda et. Hakan: Muhafız 3. sezon 6 Mart’ta sadece Netflix’te. #HakanMuhafız pic.twitter.com/w2Ja1SUUef
— Netflix Türkiye (@netflixturkiye) February 13, 2020
How many episodes will the third season feature?
We’re still waiting for confirmation on the total number of episodes arriving for the third season.
Both the first and second seasons have a separate number of episodes. Season 1 arrived with ten episodes, and season 2 cut the number of episodes to eight.
According to IMDb, the third season has been listed with only four episodes. We suspect that the third season should be arriving with of least six or eight.
Çagatay Ulusoy as Hakan (left) and Hazar Ergüçlü as Zeynep Erman (right) – Copyright. Netflix
Which cast members are returning for season 3?
We can expect to see the following cast members return for the third season:
| Role | Cast Member |
|---|---|
| Hakan Demir | Çagatay Ulusoy |
| Zeynep Erman | Hazar Ergüçlü |
| Faysal Erdem | Okan Yalabik |
| Levent | Engin Öztürk |
| Mergen | Saygin Soysal |
| Azra | Çigdem Selisik Onat |
| Serdar | Kubilay Karslioglu |
| Ruya | Burçin Terzioglu |
| Kahin | Miray Daner |
| Piraye | Ayse Melike Çerçi |
How The Protector is having a positive impact on Turkish TV
In an interview with Variety in the Summer of 2019, lead actor Cagatay Ulusoy had positive things to say about the impact the production of The Protector has had.
When asked about the format for how episodes are filmed, Ulusoy had the following to say:
It’s actually way better for me. It means I can really focus and give my character my full energy. It makes me more creative.
In Turkey, the typical run time for episodes is between 120 and 150 minutes. When you’re watching a Turkish series on Netflix, often episodes have been condensed down to bite-size chunks of 45 to 60 minutes. This means it can take you up to 2 to 3 episodes to watch just one full episode from the Turkish broadcast.
In the US and various other countries, it’s common practice that directing duties are split and not one single director will direct an entire season. For Turkish productions its far more common for one director to produce an entire season. Here’s what Ulusoy had to say on what working with multiple directors is like:
I work with three different directors for each season, which has never been done in Turkey before. It seems like a complex system, but it’s actually not. Each director brings their point of view for the episodes they handle, and having different visions makes the show fresher and more varied. In terms of writers, one of them is Jason George [who also serves as executive producer], who did “Narcos.” He has been the “third eye,” as it were, of the show. His global experience and different vision has been immensely helpful.
Is a fourth season on the way?
It was confirmed soon after the second season arrived that The Protector had been renewed for a third and fourth season.
Thanks to the length of time between the release of the second and third season, we suspect that seasons 3 and 4 have been filmed back to back. This means we could see the fourth season of The Protector arrive later this year.
Are you looking forward to the next season of The Protector? Let us know in the comments below!
