Make room in your watchlist because a new year means a slate of fresh and exciting shows with something for everyone. Despite the economic challenges facing the industry, production presses on at full speed, with some heavy hitters even attached to the star in a handful of upcoming dizis.
Among the highly anticipated upcoming series is Eşref Rüya, a Tims&B production starring Çağatay Ulusoy and Demet Özdemir, promising a thrilling mix of crime and romance—the ultimate combination. Also on the horizon is Aşkı Hatırla, featuring Hande Erçel and Barış Arduç, whose sizzling chemistry in their first film together was so electric it sparked this much-anticipated series.
Here are our 10 most anticipated shows for ’25...
Eşref Rüya
In the series, Çağatay Ulusoy portrays Eşref, a fearless man with power, wealth, and everything—yet a prisoner of an unnamed love. Demet Özdemir plays Nisan, a young musician who reignites Eşref’s heart after Rüya.
Eşref’s backstory is rooted in pain. Orphaned at a young age, he was drawn into the criminal underworld, rising to power over the years. For him, orphans became the siblings he lost with his family. But this makeshift family exists in the shadow of crime.
As the leader of a powerful underground organization, Eşref bears a heavy burden, all while yearning for peace. When Nisan unexpectedly enters his life, she pulls him into a whirlwind of emotions he could never have anticipated.
Aşkı Hatırla (Disney+)
The series follows renowned architect Deniz (Barış Arduç) and popular editor Güneş (Hande Erçel), who, on the verge of marriage, experience breakups in their respective lives. However, their lives take a transformative turn when, on the same evening, they cross paths by chance, a message on their phones sets them on a journey that will change everything. This new adventure leads them to uncover the missing pieces in their relationship and rediscover love.
Cast: Hande Erçel, Barış Arduç, Feyyaz Şerifoğlu, Başak Gümülcinelioğlu, Alper Saldıran, Naz Göktan, Begüm Akkaya, Melis Minkari, Sezin Akbaşoğulları, Fatih Al.
Binbir Gece Masalları (tabii)
The 30-episode series will follow Sultan Shahryar (İbrahim Çelikkol), whose life is shattered by his first wife’s betrayal and having lost all hope in life, Shahryar’s world will change on the night he marries Şehrazat (Cansu Dere). Through the tales she tells, Şehrazat will heal and transform Shahryar.
Cast: İbrahim Çelikkol, Cansu Dere
Kardelenler (atv)
Kardelenler tells the gripping story of a broken family coming back together. With its compelling storyline, intense conflicts, and captivating narrative style, it is set to mesmerize audiences.
Starring: Ayda Aksel, Barış Falay, Serhat Kılıç, Ahu Yağtu, Edip Tepeli, Hakan Salınmış, Uğur Uzunel, Nur Yazar, Ece Yaşar, Hakan Zavlak, Zeynep Atılgan, Mehmet Fatihdar
Old Money (Netflix)
The one who changes the game wins. On one side, there's Osman, who came from nothing and became very wealthy and successful through bold and decisive moves. On the other side is Nihal, the representative of a family with generational wealth and a master of diplomacy. This is the story of the battle between old money and new money, the clash of power and intellect, and the falling in love of two strong characters.
Cast: Engin Akyürek, Aslı Enver, Dolunay Soysert, İsmail Demirci, Serkan Altunorak, Taro Emir Tekin, Selin Şekerci, Sedef Avcı, Zeynep Oymak, Armağan Oğuz and Ahmet Utlu
Kral Kaybederse (Star TV)
A story of power, ambition, love and betrayal, Kral Kaybederse reveals Kenan Baran's fall from the top and the lives that are dragged along with this fall. Filled with strong emotions and unexpected twists and turns, Kral Kaybederse invites viewers to question why the ‘king’ really lost.
This adventure, in which love turns into betrayal, strength into weakness and winner into a loser, will lock the audience on the screen until the end. Because knowing what the king will lose is only the beginning of the story...
Cast: Halit Ergenç, Merve Dizdar, Aslıhan Gürbüz, Nilperi Şahinkaya, Murat Garipağaoğlu, Cenan Çamyurdu, Nalan Kuruçim, Fulden Söğüt Etik, Ezgi Ulusoy, Ferhan Gülşah Varlıoğlu, Cihan Talay, İdil Yener, Ali Rıza Kubilay, Ferhat Yılmaz
El Turco (GAIN)
The Battle of Vienna marked the end of the Ottoman Empire’s westward expansion – and, for one janissary, a whole new life. Before the battle was lost, Balaban Aga was condemned to death in a brutal act of betrayal. He manages to escape but is gravely injured. When Balaban comes to, it’s in the remote village of Moena, high in the Italian Alps. The woman who nurses him back to health is but the first of many villagers to show Balaban kindness, and before long he settles into his new home.
“El Turco” becomes a protector of the village, helping them resist their feudal lord’s brutal taxes. Things escalate until one of his old enemies, the ruthless knight Marco, turns up, and Balaban must assemble a team for the final showdown. A witch turns into a healer, a homeless girl becomes the first female janissary, and a one-armed blacksmith emerges as the village savior to help El Turco fight for Moena.
Cast: Can Yaman, Greta Ferro, Will Kemp, Sai Bennet, Kieran O’Reilly
Bir Zamanlar İstanbul (TRT1)
Designed as a contemporary Köroğlu epic, Bir Zamanlar İstanbul, the series set in Istanbul in the 1990s will combine a powerful love story with a quest for justice. Bir Zamanlar İstanbul narrates the tale of a final-year Turkish Literature student who enters the mafia world, disrupts its balance, and rises to heroism. The talented Alina Boz will portray the fearless and daring Journalist Seher. The story will compellingly depict the journey of Ali (played by Cihangir Ceyhan) and Seher (Alina Boz), whose paths cross at university.
Cast: Cihangir Ceyhan, Alina Boz, Hüseyin Avni Danyal, Didem Balçın, Kaan Taşaner, Deniz Celiloğlu, Ümit Kantarcılar, İpek Karapınar, Murat Daltaban, Nihal Koldaş, Mirza Bahattin Doğan, Serdar Özer
Piyasa (Kanal D)
Little to no information about the series has been released so far, but the cast looks very promising. The series, reportedly a story of "black and white turning into gray,” is written by Mehmet Barış Günger (Yalı Çapkını) and directed by Serdar Gözelekli, so that's good.
Cast: Alp Navruz, İlayda Alişan, Zuhal Olcay, Yurdaer Okur, Gülben Ergen, Damla Colbay, Fırat Altunmeşe
Sustalı Ceylan (ATV)
Produced by Süreç Film, the series will tell the story of Ceylan, a strong woman navigating her journey to rediscover her identity and rebuild her life in a male-dominated society.
Cast: Sümeyye Aydoğan, Burak Yörük, Celil Nalçakan, Melike Güner, Evrim Doğan, Seda Türkmen, Hasan Küçükçetin, Melisa Berberoğlu, Hakan Atalay, Hülya Aydın, Taha Bora Elkoca, Dilara Sümbül, Gül Onat, and Cezmi Baskın