‘Another Love’: Dark Romantic Thriller With Shades Of ‘Dexter’ Is The Latest From Turkey’s Relentless Export Line

Jesse Whittock
·6 min read
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Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track… So, we’re going to do the hard work for you.

We’re off to Turkey this week for something a little different to the usual telenovela fare. Another Love is love story, crime story and psychological drama all in one, and has been setting ratings alight on Fox Turkey since its launch last month. The series follows an anchorman and a prosecutor, whose love affair blossoms as they both seek the truth about a mysterious serial killer.

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Name: Another Love
Country: Turkey
Producer: Tims & B 
Distributor: Global Agency
For fans of: Dexter, Split, romantic thrillers

For Izzet Pinto, CEO of Turkish sales house Global Agency, Fox Turkey’s drama Another Love is as close to a surefire bet as it gets. “This is a project that has all the components necessary to be a powerful project: A unique and appealing story, strong cast, the leading production company in Turkey, a strong broadcast channel with powerful content, an award-winning director and well-known script writer,” he tells Deadline.

And Pinto has certainly put his money where his mouth is, flying stars Hande Erçel and Burak Deniz, Timur Savcı and Burak Sağyaşar from producer TIMS & B, director Neslihan Yeşilyurt and the scriptwriter Ethem Özışık to Cannes for Mipcom earlier this month for a starry press conference at the Majestic Hotel on the Croisette. While the popularity of Turkish TV is not new, the scale and story told in Another Love (known locally as Bambaşka Biri) moves in a new direction, something Pinto and Tims & B’s Director of International Operations, Selin Arat, are keen to stress.

“This is far from a telenovela,” says Arat. “Given its plot and creative style, it is a drama in the real sense. In addition to its thriller quality, there is also a heavy romantic aspect along with a continuous psychological element. We could call it a ‘Drama with Turkish DNA’.”

The pitch worked. “We made the first sale before the series even went on air,” reveals Pinto.

Another Love stars Ercel and Deniz — two of Turkey’s biggest stars who previously acted together in 2016 comedy series Hayat — as a news anchor and criminal prosecutor who become entangled in a love affair, as they both attempt to identify a serial killer. Hayat, also produced by Sağyaşar, had launched the pair’s careers and Another Love sees them take on darker subject matter, as it becomes clear that reality isn’t what it first seems and one of them is not entirely who they believe they are.

“Another Love is the story of a woman falling in love with two different men in the same body,” says Arat. “It is practically a two-person love triangle, so it differs greatly from other Turkish dramas where relationships are usually stuck in between three actual characters, be it two men in love with the same woman or vice versa. And it is the first time a protagonist of a Turkish series is dealing with dissociative identity disorder, unlike other shows where psychological disorders were also featured.”

Thematically, Arat compares Another Love to the likes of Dexter or James McAvoy feature Split, but describes it as an “original story, and we tackle this subject with a totally different format and style.”

Delving into the concept of a split personality presented a “delightful” challenge for the writer and director, says Arat, who adds that the financial weight provided by free-to-air network Fox Turkey helped to tell the story. “We can say this is the highest budgeted production of this season,” she adds.

Pinto, known throughout international TV circles for his ability to hype shows and build attention through splashy marketing, adds: “The series has caused a sensation not just in Turkey but all over the world. Hande Ercel and Burak Deniz have large fan bases worldwide and interest in famous actors is very high.”

Relentless rise

Global Agency and TIMS & B have been at the forefront of the rise of Turkish TV in the international arena, which has continued throughout the reign of divisive leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Regions such as Central and Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America have long been acquirers of its telenovelas, and word this year is Spanish buyers are also increasingly dipping into the pool, as Turkish series lengths fall and better match local audience tastes.

Last year, the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce claimed Turkish TV exports trailed only the U.S. and were worth more than $600M. The body tracked more than 100 shows entering 152 countries with the value of individual episodes now worth more than $650,000 per sale.

“The stories in our dramas are original and believable and that is down to the power of the scripts,” says Pinto of Turkey’s success. “The handling of ethical problems is another important factor. We can also count the use of places where history and nature are intertwined or that reveal the beauties of the city and impressive costumes.”

Another Love has been a ratings hit for Fox Turkey, the Disney-owned network that has built a reputation for top-rated, daring Turkish TV drama. Launching on September 11 this year, the series has been tracking above the channel average. Its first episode was the country’s top commercial TV performer on the night , while its second on September 18 was Turkey’s most watched program across all genres in a Monday 8pm primetime slot. Both trended on X (formerly Twitter) with more than 300,000 tweets each. The latest episode (seven of eight) increased in key commercial demos by 8%. Turkey’s ratings system is complicated, but Fox reports that it is scoring well in the upmarket ABC1 and total audience categories.

The show, whose episodes run to about two hours each (a normal format in Turkey), is nominated in six categories at the Golden Butterfly Awards, Turkey’s equivalent of the Emmys, including for Best Series. Denis and Erçel are up for individual acting awards and in the Couples category, with Yeşilyurt and Özışık also getting nods.

Turkey recently celebrated its 100th anniversary as a republic. It is an ever-evolving nation, whose relentless and efficient TV industry is reflected in the success of Another Love.

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