I watched some of these :) http://mydramalist.com/article/2014/03/27/turkish-korean-remakes-that-no-one-knows
I finished about 15 Turkish dramas, and I have 3 dramas to watch for now. Turkish drama are so popular in my country (Iran), So I download the from Iranian Sites.
The problem with Turkish drama is that they usually don't have eng sub, ,I watched FatimaGul and Strawberry smell with eng sub.about others I watched them with persian sub, but a lot of people can't watch them bc the subs are available only in some languages except english.
The other problem is that they are so long, some of them air for a few years, and for me it's hard to be interested in a drama for a few years, that's why I only watch the ones that already end.
All dramas that I finished were happy ending and Asla Vazgecmem is my most favourite Turkish drama.
my first turkish drama was Magnificent Century Kosem, I found it beautiful because of the gowns and sceneries~
those I watch are mainly dubbed or subtitled in spanish...curiously, Hispanic countries love Turkish dramas so they subtitle them a lot (and in the dubbed versions each ep is split into two eps so the episodes can be shorter), and I'm very lucky to understand spanish even though it's not my native language. I also found some fansub groups on facebook in english but only for recent series like Dolunay (fullmoon) or Meryem, Ruya or Yeni Gelin (this last one has a Brazilian heroine and its hilarious!).
But at least I'm glad to find here some fans of Turkish dramas!
I'm half Turkish and I grew up in a household where we mainly watch Turkish tv so I've seen quite a lot! My all time favorite will always be Adini Feriha Koydum I've rewatched it like a million times :3 I used to be really addicted to Turkish dramas when I was younger but since around 2013? I kinda stopped watching because I started getting into American tv shows and now I'm really into Asian dramas ^^ Now I only rewatch some of my faves from time to time and sometimes I join my parents when they're watching something but that's it. Btw I gotta agree :o there are always so many episodes and one episode is like two hours :'(
YES!!! just got into them .... A few years ago I saw ASI (loose adaptation of Pride & Prejudice) and it has become one of my all time favorite shows .... Just finished 3 other series , recommended by an MDL friend who knows my taste : Complex characters, tormented souls, obsessive love, pure romance or just dark.
They make wonderful adaptations, mostly, not remakes ... One exception: The movie Sadece Sen is a almost exact remake of K-movie Always.
@Ceki ... I've seen 4 so far, and parts of a couple others .... so far, none are tragic ... Endings fit the plot, not always perfect happy endings; still, somehow optimistic yet realistic ...
Hard to find English subs, but they are often subbed or dubbed into several languages from surrounding countries: Eastern European, Croatian, Greek, Persian, Urdu, Arabic, etc... ..... or Spanish.
Nichola, it depends on what genre you would like to watch? I haven´t watched many but I can recommend one based on genre:
Historical romance: Kurt Seyit and Sura (for heaven's sake, Kivanç Tatlitug is so hot)... or Magnificent Century Kosem.
Romantic comedy: Dolunay Full Moon
Comtemporary/Vengeance/romance : Cesur ve Guzel (Brave and Beautiful).
You can some of these dramas subbed in english in youtube:D Also, like everyone said, be prepared for two hour episodes lol.
@Ceki .... So far, I like their endings... Not idealized like K-dramas, but characters have growth, conclusions realistic , yet still Optimistic and somehow happy..... btw, What I love most, is that the women are smart & strong, or learn to be strong.
@Nichola .... What is ur taste?... I am still new, only saw a handful, but addicted atm .... maybe I can tell you about the recent ones I watched, about cultural clashes of East vs. West, or about dark obsessive love....
ALL I've seen so far, I highly recommend first 3--> Ezel and Fatmagül for everyone, and for romance-lovers specifically, Asi...
* Asi --- starts as very loose yet wonderful adaptation of Austen's P&P .... mainly w/ the pride and prejudice of both leads .... They're Not divided by social class, but old family enmities; at first he wanted revenge .... ----> If you like an Equally Smart & strong couple , proud and stubborn , some love/hate w/ an Intense, Passionate and Angsty Love ---> best Romance & best Couple.
* Ezel ... loose adaptation of Count of Monte Cristo... Excellent.!!
* Fatmagül'ün Suçu Ne? --- very Popular ... Excellent Writing & Acting!!! .... Captivating and intriguing story : a gang rape victim who is forced to marry one of her attackers, except that he is falsely accused and set up by his rich friends who are the actual rapists.... this kept my interest and intrigue all along, all scenes seemed relevant, not just fillers in this long drama ....
* Bir Bulut Olsam --- A very passionate and complex lead character ... An epileptic and obsessive lover, forcefully marries his cousin, abuses and tortures her for not returning his love .... Although not evil at heart, his outbursts of short temper, unconsummated marriage and unrequited love for Narin make him emotionally unstable and commit acts of violence that hurt him more than the ones he wants to hurt ..... a true Anti-hero ... by the end, u can't help but feel sorry for all he suffered ... excellent actor .... Realistic character-development ....... Excellent!
* Hatırla Gönül --- a Dark story of obsessive love, violent/domestic abuse and the smart strong woman who refuses to be a victim.... Not too long ... very good.
* Yaprak Dökümü (2005-2010) - A Classic ... have't seen it, but heard it is one of the very best ..... Family, social classes, etc...
* Günesi Beklerken is loose adaptation of (Hana Yori Dango).... A Youth-Oriented show w/ all that comes from that genre.... refreshing take, then gets a bit draggy b/c too long.
EDIT to ADD:
* Kara Para Aşk ... Wonderful lead couple, interesting characters, very good romance ... plot is interesting , but nothing new for someone like me who has watched loads of American crime and detective shows ... gets draggy and tooo long, but well worth it for lead couple! ... I started it b/c I was drama-stalking lead actor.
* Sila ... an "East" drama , so, full of tribal traditions and vendettas ... the culture is interesting to learn about, but seems exaggerated and bit preachy .... sometimes repetitive and too long ... some characters became inconsistent later..... had some interesting villains --->>> Still, Well worth it to watch the most perfect manly character, Boran Agha.. He is chivalrous, noble, intelligent and powerful; alas, manly men like that don't exist IRL.
Engin Akyürek plays the lead in Fatmagul , BBO and KPA .... He is so amazingly good .... International award winner ... so worth drama-stalking ....Engin and lead in Asi act w/ their eyes and emote lots of emotions.
NOTE: nothing listed is cute or fluffy (except maybe last one, GB)