Covert censorship in Turkish TV dramas

Turkish TV dramas have achieved remarkable success worldwide, making them one of the country’s most significant exports. This success comes at a time when Turkey’s TV watchdog RTÜK has tightened control over soap operas, including imposing controversial fines for depictions of religion. For nearly a decade, the government has viewed TV dramas as a means of waging a domestic culture war, embellishing a representation of the country that emphasizes Ottoman history, nationalism, and conservative faith.

TV dramas attract millions of viewers every day, influencing tastes, behaviors, beliefs, and public morality. What they choose to portray or omit significantly impacts societal representation. P24’s anti-censorship program, Susma, is exploring what is misrepresented or unrepresented in a series of video interviews, mainly focusing on gender issues. In the video series titled “Representations of Women in Domestic TV Series: What’s Not Told!” Susma interviews writer Aslı Kotaman and screenwriter Meryem Gültabak to discuss the overlooked nuances and time-worn stereotypes in the portrayal of “strong women” on screen. The interviews are now available on Susma’s YouTube channel.