The Dizi Spell

  Over the years I`ve learned that aside from hours of quality entertainment, Turkish shows are also amazing sources of fashion inspiration. The actors and actresses are always donning the most beautiful formal and casual outfits on screen and the stylists make sure to combine high-end brands as well as more affordable brands, so that fans of these characters can catch up on a new episode and immediately visit a brick-and-mortar or an online shop and purchase a piece that caught their eye. After all, who doesn’t love to put on an outfit that makes them feel like a million bucks, or, in this case, liras?   One of my dizi style inspirations is actress Hande Erçel. The twenty-eight-year-old talented actress has starred in some of my favorite dizis and has achieved success in her native Turkey, as well as internationally. To be fair, she`s stunning and would look good sashaying down 5 th Avenue in a trash bag and a pair of Ugg boots, but it`s her vibrant spirit and the risks she...

     So, after seeing a couples edit on TikTok, a quick scene on YouTube, or listening to your friend`s enthusiastic rambles, you decided to give Turkish dizis a go. But with multiple new shows premiering every season and countless true-and-tried classics that viewers regularly tune into because they`re just that good, where do you start and what do you watch?       Here are 3 shows that would be perfect for a Turkish dizi newbie.               Erkenci Kuş        If you`re a fan of meet-cutes, grand romantic gestures, and happy endings, then you`d enjoy the heck out of a Turkish romantic comedy. Erkenci Kuş   ( Day Dreamer or Early Bird , as it`s typically called in English) is a wonderful romantic comedy to watch if you`ve never watched a Turkish show before and would like your first time to be an enjoyable, hilarious, and heartwarming experience.        Erkenci Kuş fol...

The other day I found myself re-watching a Turkish dizi. The male and female leads got tangled up in some typical dizi hijinks which led to them getting in a car together. They needed to follow a villain to see what sort of a trap he was planning. By this point, the hero was already head-over-heels for the heroine, but he couldn’t let her know that yet because, well…reasons. At the same he would`ve rather cut off his own leg than compromise her safety, so when the seatbelt gets stuck, the music swells, he throws caution to the wind, leans in, and helps her out even if that means being inches away from her and having a hard time pulling away. The fact that dizi heroines are incapable of putting on their own seat belts is a bit of a running gag among the dizi fans. Watching that scene made me remember a few other cliches that might be repetitive and a little cheesy, but that also contribute to the overall dizi magic.   1. The hot (preferably shirtless) man chopping wood Yes, you read...

           Merhaba arkadaşlar aka hello friends! I`m sneaking a quick Turkish language lesson into this week`s post. You`re welcome!   With so many new Turkish dizis coming out this month (do let me know which ones you`d like me to check out and review in the comments below), I`ve spent quite a lot of time chatting with fellow dizi enthusiasts on Twitter. It`s a magical time for us dizi fans because there are so many shows to pick from and so many new ships to make edits and gifs of. But, while everyone seems excited for at least one romantic comedy or drama because their favorite actor/actress is the lead, or because it is centered around a trope they are absolutely head over heels for, I also received quite a few comments and DMs from viewers sharing their hesitations when it comes to watching a new show that has just started airing. They`ve gone through heartbreak over shows they fell in love because they got canceled after only a few episodes....