Turkish Romantic Comedies That Will Make Your Heart Melt

Episodes: 69 (2 Seasons)

Kiralık Aşk will unarguably forever remain the standard for an impeccable romantic comedy. The series, which first aired in 2015, is exceptional in every aspect. From its ever-green storyline to its perfectly matched leads, it is a show that can be watched over and over again.

In the series, Defne (Elçin Sangu), a money-strapped waitress, is drawn into a wealthy family’s intrigues, as she agrees to try and win the heart of businessman Ömer (Barış Arduç) for money. The plot is put into motion by an unaware Ömer, who, in an attempt to get out of a terrible blind date, pretends Defne is his girlfriend. Handed the perfect opening, Defne finesses her way into Ömer's heart on orders of his money-grabbing aunt Neriman, who Ömer's grandfather had promised a $10 million mansion if she finds Ömer a wife. However, the plot risks unraveling as Defne finds herself torn between Ömer and his partner Sinan (Salih Bademci).

As Defne begins falling in love with Sinan, Ömer becomes madly jealous and must double his efforts to win back her attention. Neriman’s plot is in danger of unravelling, and even Defne risks forgetting the deal to which she agreed. True love, it seems, will prove stronger than any amount of money.

Episodes: 51 (1 Season)
Where to watch: YouTube

Although it only premiered in 2018, Erkenci Kuş is a groundbreaking Turkish series that has quickly become one of the best rom-coms ever made in Türkiye. For many viewers, it was their initial foray into Turkish television, and there could not have been a better introduction.

Erkenci Kuş tells the story of Sanem, a fun-loving daydreamer who sets off on a tumultuous journey of romantic adventure, leaving behind her father’s grocery store to tame the wild heart of Can, a world-famous photographer and teach them both about love. Their paths cross at an advertising agency led by the Can, who inherited the agency from his father. Forced to sideline his true passion of photography to run an agency he hates, Can conceals his emotional side but subsequently succumbs to Sanem's charm. But she is led to believe Can is the ‘bad guy.’ She gets entangled with Can's brother Emre, unbeknownst to her that he had it out for his own brother.

Ultimately, Sanem cannot help herself from falling in love with Can. When their lives collide, she introduces Can to something he has never encountered – love. As romance blossoms, they embark upon adventures transforming their lives and those around them.

The sparkling chemistry between its charming stars Demet Özdemir and Can Yaman continues to stand the test of time as the series, at press time, is currently the talk of BookTok, with many popular personality, including Tessa Bailey, a New York Times bestselling author, devouring every Sanem and Can as we did back in 2018.

Episodes: 52 (2 Seasons)

Hande Erçel and Kerem Bürsin, literally 'nuff said. 

Sen Çal Kapımı, which took the world by storm in 2020, is without question the most popular rom-com to come out of Türkiye in the last couple of years. The reason? Hande Erçel and Kerem Bürsin, literally 'nuff said. 

The fan-favourite series, which broke the Twitter record for most-tweeted-about television series in 2021, starred Ercel as Eda, a bright, beautiful young woman working as a florist. Eda dreams of getting her degree and moving to Italy, but her dreams are shattered when the heir to the Bolat Holding Company cancels the scholarship that was her only pathway to making her dreams come through.  With that, there are only two things that keep her going: her love of plants and her hatred of Serkan Bolat.

When Serkan comes to speak at the university, Eda is protesting outside. A series of unfortunate events leaves these two handcuffed together for most of the day and in that time, Eda learns that Serkan is indeed everything she hates: arrogant, self-centred and a complete control freak. For his part, Serkan couldn’t care less, but when the media mistakenly link the two, he hatches a plan to use Eda to get back at the ex-girlfriend who dumped him and is now engaged to another man.

The unlikely pair come to an agreement. Eda will pretend to be Serkan’s fiancé, and he will reinstate her scholarship. The arrangement will only last for a couple of months until his ex’s wedding, but pretending to be the fiancé of one of Istanbul’s most eligible bachelors turns out to be a lot harder than Eda imagines. What starts as a simple deal doesn’t stay simple for long…

Do yourself a favour and watch Sen Çal Kapımı like yesterday!

Episodes: 59 (2 Seasons)
Where to watch: YouTube

Ozge Ozpirincci and Bugra Gulsoy lead this highly-underrated romantic comedy that premiered back in 2015.

In the series, the beautiful Zeynep (Ozpirincci) marries a man without her family's approval and moves with him to America. They have a baby, but the marriage fails and she decides to return home to Turkey. Fatih (Gulsoy) is a handsome, rich, young man who gets sent to America to study by his family. The experience is disappointing, and he decides to venture home.

Episodes: 59 (2 Season)
Where to watch: YouTube, Disney+

An amusing tale of unrequited love, rivalries, jealousy, flirtation, and some naughty behavior between a group of young people, Kiraz Mevsimi tells the story of Öykü (Özge Gürel), an ambitious university student who dreams of one day becoming a top fashion designer. 

Episodes: 28 (1 Season)
Where to watch: YouTube

The very definition of comfort TV, Benim Tatlı Yalanım centered on the story of Nejat, who lived a happy life with Kayra, his daughter and one true love in his life after his wife walked out on him when Kayra was a baby. Nejat had always hidden this truth from Kayra, but as she grew older, so did her curiosity. To keep up the fad, Nejat goes to extravagant lengths to maintain a story that her mum is just away but will one day return on her birthday: he even writes letters and sends cards addressed to Kayra from her “mum”.

One day while he is scouting locations for a commercial shoot, he happens upon a cake shop run by Suna. But misunderstanding his intentions, she shoos him away, believing him to be a property speculator. When she later finds out that he actually wanted to help her business and use it as a location for his shoot, Suna feels remorseful, bakes a cake for Nejat and tracks him down to his home address. When she arrives - in the middle of Kayra’s birthday party - the little girl immediately jumps to the inevitable wrong conclusion. Unable to bring himself to disappoint his daughter, Nejat instinctively answers that yes, Suna is her mum. And with that, the lies only worsen...

Eventually, the truth, as they say, comes to light and in the time between when it did in the case of Suna and Nejat, despite the many obstacles, love blossomed in the most beautiful and special way. 

Episodes: 25 (1 Season)
Where to watch: YouTube

Breathtaking scenery paired with attractive leads, what more could we possibly ask for?

The beautiful Ayça Ayşin Turan stars in this rom-com as Haziran, a city girl through and through, devoted to her career and the fast-paced lifestyle of Istanbul. She can’t imagine any other life, but when her company sends her to a remote Aegean island to clear the way for a new resort, what starts off as her worst nightmare soon turns into a life-changing opportunity, when she meets Poyraz (played by Alp Navruz), a simple man who’s drawn to nature more than people. Athletic, resourceful, but socially awkward, Poyraz enjoys the peace and quiet of his small olive oil factory, which sits on a beautiful patch of land that so happens to be the exact location where Haziran’s company wants to build its resort.

Sparks fly between Haziran and Poyraz, and the two opposites soon fall in love but everything soon comes crumbling down when Haziran realizes that it’s Poyraz’s land her bosses sent her to get. Before long, Poyraz’s factory is shut down, his dreams go up in smoke, and the whole town faces an uncertain future.  To make things right, the regretful city girl must team up with her nature boy to build their own boutique hotel, which will preserve Poyraz’s olive oil factory and save her mother’s home. Both Haziran and Poyraz are transformed by the experience as each discovers something new and unexpected from the other.

Aşk Laftan Anlamaz is often credited for catapulting Hande Erçel and Burak Deniz to international stardom, and to date, it remains one of the most popular Turkish rom-coms to ever exist.

It tells the story of two distinct lives; on the one hand is Murat (Deniz), a handsome, cool, perfectionist young man who takes over the responsibility of his family’s company at an early age, and on the other hand is Hayat, the beautiful, joyful, yet clumsy young woman who lives life to the fullest. A recent university graduate, Hayat is facing difficulties in securing a job. To add to her distress, her mother has issued an ultimatum with a deadline: find a job or come back home and be wedded in an arranged marriage.

As she runs from one interview to another, Murat’s secretary mistakes her for another and offers her a position. While she only plans to work there for a few days until her mother leaves and then reveal the truth, a chain of events develops and turns everything into one big mess, with the love between her and Murat at the center.

Episodes: 65 (2 Seasons)
Where to watch: Disney Plus, YouTube

The undisputed queen of Turkish rom-coms Demet Ozdemir, stars alongside Furkan Palali in this rom-com that premiered in the summer of 2016. 

In the series, Onur (Palali), who has to get married and have children in order to receive the inheritance his grandfather left and to be the head of the company, goes on a date at his mother's request. There, he meets Lale (Ozdemir), who is also on a date arranged by her mother. Mistaking each other for their expected blind dates, they get to chatting, subsequently getting drunk and having fun all night long, and finally falling asleep in room No.309 of a hotel.

In the morning, unable to remember anything about the crazy night, they split, agreeing not to see each other again. However, three months later, Lale finds out she is pregnant. And when Onur’s grandmother hears the news, she declares that they are obliged to marry. 

Episodes: 42 (1 Season)

Based on the hit Korean comedy Cunning Single Lady, the series starring Burcu Özberk  and İlhan Şen is the perfect viewing choice for fans of the second chance romance trope.

Esra always swore she would never marry a man like her father, whose business failures left her family bankrupt and struggling throughout her youth. Then she met Ozan, a bright young engineer entering the civil service. The two married and led a comfortable, stable life — until the day Ozan quit his government job to start his own company! And just like clockwork, Esra's life starts to mirror her mother's, juggling between three jobs to keep the family afloat, while Ozan bounces from one bankruptcy to another. Eventually, the two get divorced.

Years later, Ozan’s face is plastered over every newspaper, magazine, and news program. His social media app has made Ozan insanely rich, a tech celebrity, and one of Turkey’s most eligible bachelors. Esra is still hustling to keep her head above water when she runs into Ozan. Expecting an apology, Esra is furious when Ozan acts cold and arrogant instead. Esra wheedles her way into his company, starts working as an intern, and concocts a plan to take her revenge: She will make Ozan fall in love with her again, and when he does… she’ll dump him!

Nothing goes according to plan, however, and before long, the two exes end up in a shaky love quadrangle with hilarious consequences. True love gets a second chance as our leads realize they were wrong about each other all along.

Episodes: 57 (1 Season)
Where to watch: YouTube

Charming but loveless divorce lawyer Barış’ cynical views of the world are challenged when he meets high-spirited taxi driver Aslı, and they embark on an adventure full of drama and comedy.

When Barış Buka, a successful attorney who justifies his loneliness by saying he doesn’t believe in love, is embroiled in a hit-and-run car crash with Asli, a vibrant and smart woman known as Firefly to her loved ones, he is faced with the most extensive trial of his life.

Aslı’s beloved niece Çiçek is badly hurt following the crash, leaving her in a wheelchair and Aslı makes it her mission to find the person responsible for the accident and see him pay for his crime. sees him put behind bars. Everybody believes Barış’ cousin Hakan caused the crash but Barış, who is dedicated to defending justice, and fiercely protective of his family, does all he can to support Hakan. He offers Aslı a job as his private chauffeur so he can keep a close eye on her. She reluctantly accepts the job, unbeknownst to her that the handsome man in the passenger seat is keeping a massive secret from her.

As Barış and Aslı embarked on a journey in Barış' luxurious car, their love began to bloom. However, there were many malicious people outside the car who tried to keep them apart by setting devious traps. Despite this, Barış embraced the feelings of love that were arising within him, and he and Aslı were determined to fight through the threats and setbacks that were undermining their relationship. Together, they sought a happy ending to their journey.

Episodes: 23 (1 Season)

Çilek Kokusu follows the story of the hardworking but poor Aslı who one-day dreams of becoming a famous cake baker. Aslı's dreams are knocked off course when she crosses paths with wealthy playboy Burak. For Burak, who was raised with every need catered for, taking responsibility is a struggle. Aslı, on the other hand, lives with her mother and works tirelessly to make ends meet. The distinction between Burak and Aslı's lives is clear as day when they meet for the first time. Burak drives past the bakery in his luxury car, nearly crashing into Aslı and resulting in her dropping the cake in her hand. Instead of admitting he did her wrong, he dismisses her fuss and offers her money. Aslı, who subsequently loses her job, is horrified that he thinks he can buy off anyone with cash.

Just when Aslı thinks she has put the jerk behind her, on her way out of time in search of a better life, Burak sits next to her on the plane. Shocked and irritated at seeing him, the two of them begin to quarrel immediately. This carries over as the hotel Aslı plans to work at also happens to be the same hotel Burak’s father has sent his lazy son to run the family in the hope he will learn to take responsibility.

Following the blueprint of every triumphant enemies-to-lovers storyline, Aslı and Burak are drawn closer to each other at every turn, and subsequently, they both come to realize they are each other's perfect match.

Episodes: 25 (1 Season)

In this cute rom-com, Özge Gürel stars as Nazlı, a gastronomy student who has big dreams of one day becoming a successful Japanese chef with a restaurant of her own.

As she struggles to make ends meet, she takes up a job as a cook and unknowingly sets out on an unexpected journey of self-discovery. Nazlı begins cooking for the wealthy businessman, Ferit, who remains a mystery to her. Even though she leaves notes about the meals she prepares, she never gets to meet him. Ferit, who is a meticulous perfectionist, strives to maintain complete order both at home and work. Consequently, he leaves specific instructions every day, which Nazlı never complies with.

Because he has never seen her, Ferit supposes his new cook is a stubborn old woman, while Nazlı thinks her boss is a grumpy old man. But then, a night marked with a series of misunderstandings underneath a full moon results in Nazlı and Ferit meeting for the first time, and with that, the bickering relationship between the two stubborn characters takes shape.

Ferit and Nazli fall in love with each other, but their journey toward a happy ending is not without its obstacles. For one, Ferit fires Nazlı twice, and both times asks her to come back to work using two different reasons. Then there is Deniz, Ferit’s best friend, who, unlike the cold and distant Ferit, is warm and friendly and gets on well with Nazlı, who develops a crush on him. The growing closeness between Deniz and Nazlı becomes an increasing source of concern for Ferit, forcing him to face the feelings, and with that, despite their relationship launching beset by personality clashes, romantic attachments, and rivalries fueled by the family and friends around them, true love wins in the end.