Your new favorite soap opera might come from a surprising place: Turkey. Two of the nation’s most popular soaps, Magnificent Century and Lovebird, recently landed on Netflix. While they are both very, very different stories (one is a controversial look at the court of Suleyman the Magnificent and the other is sweet romance adapted from a popular Turkish series of books), both are addictive, engrossing looks at life in the Ottoman Empire.
The two big things you should know about Magnificent Century is that is insanely popular all over the world and that it is incredibly controversial. Elif Batuman actually wrote a piece for the New Yorker about the show’s problematic reception. Essentially, the Turkey that Prime Minister Erdogan has been trying to build is one that wants to be seen as strong, prosperous, and proud of its Ottoman heritage. So Magnificent Century should fit with this mission, right? Well, it’s almost too historically accurate. See, Magnificent Century doesn’t shy away from the fact that the sultan had a harem or that Christian women were abducted to be in this harem. Some Turks – including Erdogan — don’t care for the fact that Suleyman is seen cavorting with the ladies of his harem so much (even though that is literally what a harem is for – cavorting). Ironically, the show has also become so popular in foreign countries that some politicians have warned against its popularity as a point of nationalist pride. Macedonia actually passed a law to ban Turkish shows to stopgap “Turkish” influence.
Anyway, the show is a sumptuous historical drama full of courtly intrigue and passionate love affairs. The central love story is between Suleyman and Hurrem — also known as Roxelana — a woman who rises from being a slave in his harem to the most powerful woman in the empire. She also happens to look a lot like Riley Keough. Fun stuff, right? Please note that right now only the first 48 episodes of Magnificent Century are on Netflix and that the 48th episode ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.
Lovebird, on the other hand, is far more dreamy and far less controversial. This 70+ episode-long series follows a beautiful and spirited orphan named Feride. She falls for her hot cousin Kamran, but the match is forbidden by her aunt. Naturally, there are some other impediments to the union as well. Lovebird is set in the early 20th century, during the end of the Ottoman Empire. It’s got a dreamy, Victorian feel to it. Because Magnificent Century drops us in the Ottoman Empire at the height of its glory and Lovebird, on the other hand, is set towards its end, the two soaps make for interesting bookends.
[Watch Magnificent Century on Netflix]
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