Turkish shows and movies often resonate with Netflixers around the globe. Their growing popularity has meant that Netflix has licensed and produced a bunch of new movies and TV series from the region. Here are all the new Turkish shows and movies added to Netflix so far in 2021.
For a preview of a few of the other Turkish series and movies still to come in 2021, we’ve got our dedicated preview we published back in December. For a full list of Turkish shows and movies, check out our library page. Finally, we’ve also got a list of the new Turkish titles added in 2020.
Netflix Original Turkish Releases in 2021
Stuck Apart
Director: Durul Taylan, Yagmur Taylan
Cast: Engin Günaydın, Haluk Bilginer, Binnur Kaya, Öner Erkan, İrem Sak, Fatih Artman
Runtime: 96 minutes
English Dub Available?: No
Added to Netflix: January 8th
The year kicked off with the addition of Stuck Apart which is led by Haluk Bilginer who appeared in the 2020 Netflix Original Turkish movie Leyla Everlasting.
The movie follows a man who is heading through a lonely mid-life crisis and hopes to get through it with the help of his friends.
Many reviews point out that it ebbs and flows between a dark comedy and a traditional drama with other reviews saying that the script didn’t do the top-tier cast justice.
50M2 (Season 1)
Cast: Engin Öztürk, Kürşat Alnıaçık, Cengiz Bozkurt, Aybüke Pusat, Tolga Tekin, Özgür Emre Yıldırım, Yiğit Kirazcı
English Dub Available?: Yes
Added to Netflix: January 27th
This action/thriller series seems to model itself on the likes of Bourne Identity telling the story of a hitman trying to find out what his identity is after having to run from his former employers and take up residence in a tailor shop.
Reviews were very kind to this Turkish action series that often delved into dark and absurd comedy. It carries a 7.0 out of 10 on IMDb but hasn’t yet been confirmed where a second season is on the way.
Paper Lives
Director: Can Ulkay
Cast: Çağatay Ulusoy, Emir Ali Doğrul, Ersin Arıcı, Turgay Tanülkü, Selen Öztürk, Osman İskender Bayer, Tomris Çetinel, Volkan Çalışkan, Mehmet Bahattin Genç, Okşan Büyük
Runtime: 97 minutes
English Dub Available?: Yes
Added to Netflix: March 12th
Described as a tearjerker, this movie sees a warehouse worker without much meaning in his life find it after taking a small homeless boy under his wing. The story doesn’t stop there as he’s constantly confronted by his own tough childhood.
IMDb reviews for this one clock in at just under 7.0 out of 10 with many praising the lead actor, Cagatay Ulusoy, for putting in a solid performance. Some locals to Istanbul where the movie takes place say the movie accurately represents the poorest sections of the region.
Have You Ever Seen Fireflies?
Director: Andaç Haznedaroğlu
Cast: Ecem Erkek, Engin Alkan, Devrim Yakut, Merve Dizdar, Ushan Çakır, Bülent Çolak, Ahmet Rıfat Şungar, Sinan Bengier, Asuman Dabak, Fatih Özkan, Bora Akkaş
Runtime: 114 minutes
English Dub Available?: Yes
Added to Netflix: April 9th
This comedy-drama sees a man going through changes in his own life dealing with loss and loneliness but also sees changes around him in the form of political turmoil and social change.
Many reviews put this movie in the middle of the road with some saying the writing is half-baked and that it’s too slow to make a real impact.
As we’ll cover in the licensed section in just a minute, the play that the movie is based on also dropped on Netflix this year.
Fatma
Cast: Burcu Biricik, Uğur Yücel, Mehmet Yılmaz Ak, Hazal Türesan, Gülçin Kültür Şahin
English Dub Available?: Yes
Added to Netflix: April 27th
This 6-episode thriller series sees a house cleaner essentially break after a big tragedy in her life and ends up going on a murderous tirade in the hopes of finding her missing husband.
Reviews were very strong for this series from both critics and audiences alike. Many say the series is an emotional rollercoaster while others say the series has you hooked from the word go.
Last Summer
Director: Ozan Açiktan
Cast: Aslihan Malbora, Halit Özgür Sari, Ece Çesmioglu
Runtime: 101 minutes
Added to Netflix: July 9th
This Turkish teen drama has a lot of heart as you’ll be heading on a journey with Deniz who is trying to make his summer a summer to remember but has to navigate a difficult love triangle.
Last Summer holds a 6.3/10 on IMDb with reviews ranging from it being a rather empty movie to others praising how honest and genuine the movie is for a teen movie.
Licensed Turkish Movies in Netflix US
For those in the United States (and often beyond but you’ll need to check your Netflix app) you also received a bunch of licensed Turkish movies and TV shows this year.
Here are the titles added listed in order of when they became available and still available:
- Çarsi Pazar (2015) – The slacker owner of a public bath house rallies his community to save it when a big developer comes to town to close it down and open a new mall.
- Mucize / The Miracle (2015) – Sent away from his family to a remote mountain town, teacher Mahir helps the villagers build a school — and inspires a path to hope for them all.
- Romantik Komedi (2010) – Bored with her life and inspired by a friend’s wedding, Esra quits her job and dumps her boyfriend, leading to a series of romantic misadventures.
- Romantik Komedi 2: Bekarlığa Veda (2013) – Didem tries everything to get actor Cem to propose to her, but he’s got other things on his mind: a beautiful new co-star and a secret bachelor party.
- You’re Everything To Me / Sen Benim HerSeyimsin (2016) – When an old fling shows up with their infant child, a dallying man-child must take on the role of father and create a fairytale world for his daughter.
- Keeping the Bees / Kovan (2020) – Ayşe returns from Germany to her Black Sea hometown and sets out to fulfill her mom’s dying wish — to care for her beloved bee farms.
- Among Family / Aile Arasinda (2017) – Amid a marital crisis, Fikret befriends songstress Solmaz after a wacky encounter and must fill in as the father of her soon-to-wed daughter.
- Düğün Dernek (2013) – On the first day of Ramadan, Ismail joins friends on a road trip to a mosque and encounters his son, who, to Ismail’s chagrin, plans a hasty wedding.
- Dügün Dernek 2: Sünnet (2015) – Ismail and his old screwball crew land themselves in hot water when his grandson’s circumcision evolves into a buzz-making citywide event.
- Dedemin Fisi (2016) – When a brain-dead family patriarch is about to be taken off life support, his extended family gathers round and plots to see who’ll get his money.
- Deliha (2014) – Short on sense but long on self-confidence, dotty Deliha sets her sights on a hunky photographer who opens up shop in her neighborhood.
- G.O.R.A (2004) – Carpet dealer and UFO photo forger Arif is abducted by aliens. On the planet Gora, he helps friends escape from a meteorite strike and find freedom.
- Hayat Öpücügü (2015) – High-strung Metin finally stops seeing doom and gloom around every corner when he meets vivacious Hayat, but she has her own soul-searching to do.
- Kara Bela (2015) – The uneventful life of middle-aged Kudret turns upside down when a road trip turns into a wild race for survival with killers in hot pursuit.
- Husband Factor / Kocan Kadar Konus (2015) – A 30-year-old who’s never taken the traditional path to love is tutored by her friends and family before reconnecting with her high school crush.
- Kocan Kadar Konus 2: Dirilis (2016) – Efsun has found Mr. Right in Sinan, and their relationship is taking a serious turn. But their eccentric families quickly complicate the romance.
- My Travel Buddy / Yol Arkadasim (2017) – Days before Eid, a salesman fired from his job drives to Ayvalık to meet his girlfriend’s family, but the trip goes astray due to his zany travel buddy.
- Niyazi Gül Dörtnala (2015) – Seeking the formula behind a magical elixir bequeathed to him by his father, a veterinary professor gets embroiled in a mobster’s horse-racing scheme.
- Vizontele (2001) – In 1974, a rural town in Anatolia gets its first television set — an event that’s met with both excitement and trepidation by the villagers.
- Have You Ever Seen Fireflies? Sen Hiç Atesböcegi Gördün Mü? – Theatre Play (1999) – Yılmaz Erdoğan’s lauded stage play traces the life of wunderkind Gülseren as she navigates social and political change.
- I’m Glad I Did / Iyi ki Yapmisim (2020) – Glimpse into the life and decades-long career of Turkish performer Metin Akpınar through personal interviews with him and his contemporaries.
Note: Becoming Duru, was available on Netflix in 2021 for a limited period of time but has since departed.
