Muhtesem Yüzyil

Love the show! And I am addicted. First two seasons were amazing, but the third season is rather 8 then 10. You will be stunned by the beauty of the actors, amazing costumes and decoration and most of all the jewelry peaces that women wear. I even took a print screen pictures of some of them to order something similar. I love the fact that most of the show proceedings are based on the real history and real people(but some characters were made up). Of course it's an entertainment show so don't expect to learn 100% accurate history from it. Before starting watching the show I would recommend to read a little about Suleiman the Magnificent. At least read about him and his life on wiki. I also wanted to note the music in the show, I am not sure who is a composer, but he/she definitely had done extraordinary job with the music (and i'm surprised that nobody did comment on it before in their reviews) I really recommend it for anyone who loves historical TV series or soap operas.

To say I have been obsessed with this show for the past few months is to put it mildly:) I don't speak Turkish and my husband (who is Turkish) suggested we watch the first episode for fun and he would translate. Well…I am sure he was not so happy for that suggestion for the months that followed as we would watch almost every day and he would translate for me. Now we are half way through season two and we are still hooked! I love the overall feel of the show, the costumes the stories etc…yes it can be totally cheesy at times, but I think they did an amazing job. It is totally my guilty pleasure:) Now that there are episodes with Russian subtitles (which is a language I also speak) my husband is finally able to relax:) This may not be for everyone, but if you love history and period dramas, it is certainly entertaining and a great way to learn Turkish. Although I might sound like I am from the 15th century when I go to Istanbul this summer, my Turkish is definitely better and understand a lot more on my own now.

I am disappointed Netflix did not renew or continue. While using subtitles in English this did not spoil for one second the opulence of this series , well written well acted and the sets were splendid. I would love to see this series fully (since Netflix did not have all seasons) or have the producers have DVD's available with subtitles for the US for sale . A well done Docusoapdrama which I would recommend to others which in fact I did along with Dirilis Etugral .

costumes, palace recreation, action scenes, intrigues, love stories, hate stories, great art of details, not bad actors, historical film with crumbs of soap opera, lights, shadows, beautiful music, and a legendary figure of Turkish past. is it enough ? almost. because the virtue of movie is ambition to present a human character. and for who discovers Soliman the Magnificent like silhouette of myth is not really easy to accept an Ottoman leader with many ( little ) vices. the air of fairy tall is at right place but the respect for truth is one of fundamental characteristics of script. and this is one of good points. another - the cast. not perfect but inspired instrument to present atmosphere of a time not very romantic but cruel, strange and seductive.Halit Ergenc is pure star, Okan Yalabik builds a complex and refined character and the victory of Meryem Uzerli are worthy of praise .in this conditions, the film is a Turkish cultural cruiser . so, its mission is very important. roots - hard work, good ingredients and unbeatable recipes.

I do not imagine anybody who watches these kinds of shows ever actually expects historical accuracies. It's good entertainment and if you've studied or know a little about the history, it is even more so. It's not meant to be a learning experience. What it does accomplish is portraying the general "feel" of the era from an obviously biased perspective (the main characters'). If you have enjoyed shows such as the Rome television series (2005 - 2007) and The Tudors (2007 - 2010), you'll enjoy this. There is drama, action, a little comedy, complex characters, (mostly) magnificent acting, and beautiful wardrobes. I found it to be rather captivating. :)