The recent history of Turkish television broadcasting in Spain has brought the two communities together from across the Mediterranean, drawing in viewers and building connections between cultures.
Jose Antonio Anton, deputy general manager of Atresmedia group, which pioneered the broadcasting of Turkish TV series in Spain and has introduced nearly 20 TV series to Spanish audiences, said that a bridge was built between two cultures and societies thanks to Turkish TV series.
The dominance of Turkish programs in the Spanish television industry, which has historically been in the golden grip of Hollywood, has now passed to Istanbul. Anton said: "Since we started broadcasting Turkish TV series, we have seen that their effect on Spanish society has gradually grown. So much so that Spanish families who named their children Jonathan when American TV series were influential in Spain are now naming their newborns Mustafa."
Emphasizing that Spain may have more in common with Turkey than many previously thought, Anton said the opening of new doors will increase cultural and social relations between the two countries in broad and unexpected ways.
The success in Spain can be partly explained by the general form and structure of Turkish "dizi," or series. They are suspenseful and well-produced. They create complex and long running story arcs that draw in viewers and keep them hooked on characters, plot lines and cliffhangers. They are both plainly dramatic and subtly cerebral.
But they are also accessible. While the series clearly reflect aspects of Turkish culture, both contemporary and historical, the productions deal with universal themes such as love. betrayal, honor, family, life and death. In Latin America, where Turkish productions also have an avid following, many credited the appeal of dizi to their general similarities with Mexican telenovelas, or soap box dramas, which carry many of the same tropes and have similar production styles and dialogue.
Turks curious about Mexican and Latin American culture, or just looking for a new program to watch, ought to check out telenovelas such as Yo soy Betty, la fea ("I am Betty, the faithful) 1999-2001, Corazón salvaje (Savage love) 1993– and Pedro el escamoso (Pedro the scaly) 2001–. Many of them have been translated with Turkish subtitles, and will look and feel familiar to Turkish audiences.
Noting that they introduced Turkish TV series in Spain with "Fatma Gül’ün Suçu Ne?" ("What is Fatmagül's Fault?") in the summer of 2018, Anton continued: "Turkish culture is perceived as a different culture, especially for Western Europe. Although Turkish TV series are watched a lot in the Middle East, Arab countries, Eastern Europe or Latin America, we took a step that no one in Western Europe dared to. And we saw that the serials we broadcast broke rating records. The stories, scenes and acting in Turkish series are much loved in Spanish society. We are happy not only to invest in the right place but also to show Western Europe that there are good productions in Turkey."
According to Anton, their group broadcast the Turkish series "Kadın" ("Woman") on their most important channel Antena 3 in the summer of 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The series, which was broadcast at prime time, drew in about 3 million viewers. Anton said that they received very positive messages from the Spaniards.
The director said, "Turkish TV series have raised the level in the TV series industry, which was dominated by American, French, British and Latin Americans in the past. There are productions that show the modern face of Turkey to more of Europe and destroy prejudices. With the series, we saw that our cultures are very close to each other. The differences were small details that increased the interest even more."
"We find the variety in Turkish TV series that we cannot find in French TV series," said Anton, adding that if Turkey continues to produce TV series at this level, the demand from Spain will continue in the same way.
Stating that although Turkish TV series are very long, "they interestingly connect the Spanish people to television and it is a success that they are very suspenseful," Anton also told that child actors in Turkish TV series "are very successful and make the story much more creative."
Turkish series destroy prejudices
On the other hand, 81-year-old Dolores Valverde, who has been watching Turkish TV series for the last two years, said: "Before Turkish TV series, I thought Turkey was very poor and its streets were dirty. But I saw with the serials that it is a very beautiful country, and it surprised me a lot. "
Valverde said that she realized that the family structure and some traditions are similar in Turkish and Spanish societies and added she started to feel close to the Turkish people.
Though the average person on the street in Madrid might know about as much about Turkey as a random person in Istanbul knows about Spain, the history of the two countries stretches far back. In 1492, when the Spanish monarchy exiled its Jewish population, many were welcomed to the Ottoman Empire where they settled in Istanbul and other cities. Even today, the Ladino dialect (which maintains a certain Old Spanish vernacular) can be heard in Turkey.
Of course, the Umayyad caliphate's centurieslong presence in southern Spain, known as Al Andalus in Arabic and Andulucia in Spanish, left an indelible mark of Islamic culture that continues to be felt in Spain today.
The influence of Turkish TV series in Spain has increased so much in recent years that the Turkish-Spanish Chamber of Industry and Commerce operating in Madrid highlighted the cultural relations and TV series industry between the two countries in this year's awards season. The chamber announced that Turkish actress Cansu Dere and companies Atresmedia and Pasion Turca would be given awards on Dec. 1.