“Middle Eastern broadcaster MBC Group has boosted its drama slate with the acquisition of two Turkish dramas, including one based on The Count of Monte Cristo.
Crime drama Ezel, based on Alexander Dumas’ novel, follows the story of a man who seeks revenge when he is betrayed by his best friend and his girlfriend after a casino robbery goes wrong.
The series, produced by Ay Yapim, first aired in Turkey on Show TV in 2009 before transferring to ATV.
The second pick-up is Zaman Ki, a drama set in the 1960s that focuses on the fictional Akarsu family, which is torn apart when the father, a seaman, has an affair while abroad on a fishing trip.
It was an original Kanal D series produced by D Productions.
Both series, dubbed into Arabic, will launch on female-skewing MBC4 next month.
The channel also airs primetime US shows including Pretty Little Liars, Grey’s Anatomy, The Vampire Diaries, The Good Wife and medical talk series The Dr Oz Show, alongside other Turkish dramas and soaps. It is also preparing the launch the third season of Arabs Got Talent.”
Turkey’s popular television show stars Beren Saat and Kenan İmirzalıoğlu have been nominated for “Best Female Actress” and “Best Male Actor”, respectively, for the 2012 Seoul International Drama Awards, the largest television drama festival in Asia .
The popularity of Turkish television series abroad has most recently been made evident through nominations for best male and female actors as well as best television series in this year’s Seoul International Drama Awards in South Korea.
Beren Saat has been nominated as best actress for her role in “Fatmagül’ün Suçu Ne?” (What is Fatmagul’s fault?), while Kenan İmirzalıoğlu competes for Best Male Actor for his role in “Ezel.” The popular Turkish drama “Ezel” will also be competing against Colombia’s “Broken Promises”, South Korea’s “Deep Rooted Tree”, “The Princess’ Man” and “Moon Embracing The Sun”, Spain’s “Gran Reserva – Vintage”, China’s “Home of People’s Hearts” and the United States series “The Firm” for “Best Television Drama.”
The festival’s final will be held on August 30th at the Korean National Theater.
