For your autumn evenings and weekends, the editorial team has found five incredibly cool Arabic and Turkish series, some already cult classics and others brand new. Here’s our selection.
This summer, the editorial team offered you six Arabic films and series to enjoy during your summer evenings. For your cozy autumn plans—whether you’re alone, with a partner, or with family—Shoelifer is back at it. We’ve scoured the Netflix catalog from top to bottom and tested AND approved five Arabic and Turkish series. Why? Well, because life isn’t just about the United States and Europe. In the Arab world and Turkey, directors have been showcasing their creativity and elevating the quality of their productions for several years.
Sure, the region is in turmoil (if not torn apart) at the moment, but that’s precisely why we need to support the creators. On the menu: drama, love, and a touch of the fantastical (hello, Halloween). Here’s our selection of five Arabic and Turkish series that will keep you glued to the couch !
Dollar
Aired exclusively on Netflix Lebanon in 2019, “Dollar” is the second Arabic series produced by the American platform, now available everywhere. And the least we can say is that “Dollar” is worth its weight in gold. The plot? SBH Bank opens a new branch in Beirut. For the occasion, Tarek, a brilliant but arrogant advertising executive, comes up with a stroke of marketing genius. He suggests putting into circulation a one-dollar bill that’s actually worth a million.
The catch ? The bill in circulation originally belonged to the beautiful Zeina, a colleague of Tarek. The two characters, worlds apart, then join forces to retrieve the precious greenback. Thrilling, funny, and full of twists, “Dollar” is one of the most successful Arabic series of recent years. It’s also a message of hope: when you think everything is falling apart, life brings you another round of surprises. Special mention for the on-screen male-female duo, challenging the stubborn gender stereotypes that still persist in the region.
Another Self
Among our selections of Arabic and Turkish series, we have “The Olive Tree Path.” This female-led buddy series was released in 2022 in Turkey. The story begins with Sevgi, a young woman diagnosed with cancer, who leaves the hospital to try an alternative treatment. Her two best friends, Ada and Leyla, decide to support her and embark on a journey that will change them forever. On the way, they meet Zaman, who offers therapy based on family constellations and embodied memories. Audacious and very much relevant to the times? Absolutely. The result? Touching and cathartic. Many of us will relate to it. Those who have already watched the first season are eagerly awaiting the next.
Read also : THE MOVIES & SERIES OF 2023 TO WATCH RIGHT NOW
Yaratilan, the Creature
Continuing in our selection of Arabic and Turkish series for the autumn, we have “Yaratilan, the Creature.” Here is a Turkish gem, launched on Netflix in October 2023, which revisits a classic: Frankenstein. This version is about a medical student, Ziya, an idealistic and ambitious young man, who leaves his hometown for Istanbul. There, he meets an equally brilliant and eccentric (if not disturbing) scientist. The two buddies set out to decipher a mysterious manuscript in hopes of curing all diseases. Of course, the experiment goes wrong and leads to disaster. While it readily adopts the conventions of the fantasy genre, it’s primarily a reflection on death and its consequences.
The cage
What would a couples’ therapy session in Kuwait look like? To find out, just watch “The Cage.” A bit of an oddball in the world of Arabic series, it was released in November 2022 but was only available in the Middle East until now. This behind-closed-doors series takes place in a marital counselor’s office, where the counselor himself, jaded and in the midst of his own marital crisis, must convince his patients not to divorce! This series has everything: the rich, the poor, the unfaithful, the addicts, women in denial. It’s often funny, sometimes poignant, and it leaves room for thought and introspection.
Finding Ola
Our selection of Arabic and Turkish series is quite focused on romantic comedies. After two seasons, the Egyptian series “Ola Seeks Her Way” remains a favorite. For those who missed it, it’s simply the story of a woman in her forties, a pharmacist and mother of two, whose husband decides to divorce her out of the blue. For Ola, it will be a matter of starting anew, with all the pain, difficulties, and many twists and turns that come with it. All of this, with the acerbic (but often very accurate) reflections of her mother (the standout character of the series).
This series, which is a cult hit in Egypt, highlights a sociological profile that is rarely discussed in the Arab world: the divorced woman, as well as independent and ambitious women. Of course, the setting is all about luxury and opulence: you’d think you were in the United States and not in Egypt, but let’s not quibble. The second season has already been filmed, but its release date has yet to be announced.
Photo (c) Netflix
