El Turco

El Turco offers a solid blend of historical fiction and action, with a storyline centered around a Turkish warrior's unexpected journey through 17th-century Europe.

Can Yaman delivers a grounded and physically commanding performance, bringing both emotional control and impressive stunt work to the role. His action and fight sequences are handled with precision and intensity, showcasing his physical capabilities and adding realism to the character's warrior identity.

Will Kemp stands out as the antagonist, bringing sharp precision and refined menace to his role. His charismatic yet threatening presence creates a strong contrast to Yaman's more restrained hero, and their onscreen rivalry drives much of the show's tension.

Greta Ferro provides emotional balance as Gloria, adding depth beyond a typical romantic subplot. Her character contributes meaningfully to the plot's moral complexity, making her a key part of the narrative.

The production design is a highlight - from the rural European settings to the detailed costume work, the show feels authentic and immersive. However, some story beats escalate too quickly, and a few episodes could benefit from more gradual pacing. Still, the overall arc remains engaging, especially for fans of period dramas with action and character-driven tension.

This is fantastic international series with absolutely gripping plot which starts at frame one and finishes at last frame of episode qui ding plot to opening of potential season 2. Can Yaman has delivered master performance which glues you to the screen from get go. His portrayal of torment and pain leaves you breathless while on other side his performance in love scenes with Gloria are completely convincing. Greta Ferro delivers incredible heroin Gloria with complete conviction and Will Kemp and Kieran O'Reilley deliver stunning antagonists. The shout also goes to Magnus Samuelson and his performance as Gunther.... This is must watch and must season 2 project.

El Turco is a world-class series. Everything is great: the production, the script, the director and cameramen, I would like to especially mention the production designer Domenic Sika, the hairstylist Desiree Corridoni, and of course the magnificent international cast, which includes actors from 11 countries, I applaud everyone standing up!!! Absolutely all the actors played their hearts out. Bravo!!! Can Yaman appeared completely different, completely new and how good he is in the drama, how much work was put into the role of Balaban by Can to achieve the result that we see on the screen. Bravo!!!

After watching the first episode one needs to go on watching and when the episodes end one needs more. I lijed everything of this series, the acting, the costumes, the historical background, the atmosphere...it's intriguing. It's historical but also a bit of a fairy tale with the eternal fight between good and evil. I liked all the actors but, since I have watched the previous series of Can Yaman, I must say that this series shows his growth as an actor and his multiple talents. He really worked a lot and learnt a lot for this role and one can see the good results of his committment. One special mention for Domenico Sica for the amazing scenography. Applause for Greta Ferro and all the cast.

El Turco is more than just a period drama-it's a fascinating study of identity, displacement, and the burden of legacy, made all the more compelling by the casting of Can Yaman as Balaban. The most striking aspect of this series is not just its sweeping visuals or high-stakes narrative, but how the life of its lead actor seems to eerily echo the arc of the very character he portrays.

Balaban, a Janissary warrior presumed dead after the Siege of Vienna, finds himself in a foreign land, straddling cultures, loyalties, and identities. He becomes both an outsider and a savior-a bridge between East and West. Can Yaman's own journey, from a high-profile career in Turkish television to a controversial yet ambitious reinvention in Europe, mirrors this balancing act. Like Balaban, Yaman has had to navigate the expectations of his homeland while carving out a new identity abroad, often at great personal cost.

This resonance feels almost prophetic. Balaban is haunted by his past and driven by a vision of something greater than himself-much like Yaman, who has become a symbol of the modern Turkish star attempting to transcend national borders. In portraying a character who must reinvent himself in exile, Yaman effectively performs his own story. The sense of exile, of attempting to do good in a world that views you with suspicion, feels lived-in, not acted. It gives the performance an emotional heft that goes beyond script and direction.

There's a meta-layer to El Turco that can't be ignored. In many ways, the series feels like a dramatized prophecy of Can Yaman's real-life transformation-a tale of legacy, reinvention, and a search for belonging. It's that rare moment when life and art align, and the result is a performance that is not only convincing but eerily self-reflective.

El Turco becomes more than a historical drama-it becomes a mirror. And in that mirror, we see not just Balaban's struggle, but Can Yaman's own. The prophecy is not in the plot-it's in the casting. Makes you believe in divine intervention.