Television series
Fatih Harbiye
A Turkish melodrama about a working-class woman who pursues wealth and social status in Istanbul, torn between the devoted man from her neighbourhood and a glamorous wealthy suitor. Lush, emotionally direct, packed with the kinds of impossible choices and family upheaval that fuel great soap opera. For anyone who loves watching people want things badly enough to upend their lives.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy a long, soapy story where ambition and class snobbery drive everything, and you don't mind a heroine who is openly calculating about her climb.
Skip it if you want a character you can admire or a brisk plot, because this one indulges in glossy excess and sentiment, and its heroine's ambition can feel more calculating than sympathetic.
What it asks of you: A long, patient commitment: fifty episodes over two seasons, with scenes stretched out and melodrama played at full volume throughout.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Crash Landing on You2019
A South Korean romantic drama with the same class-divide romance at its heart, complicated by impossible circumstances and family disapproval. Gorgeously made, genuinely funny, and the chemistry between leads is electric.
But The tone whips between comedy and melodrama in ways that can feel jarring if you're not expecting it. Some plot developments strain credibility.
My Mad Fat Diary2013
British coming-of-age drama about a girl fighting to escape her circumstances through sheer force of will and charm. Warm, funny, deeply felt, with a messy protagonist you end up rooting for despite her terrible decisions.
But The humour is very British and the '90s setting might feel dated. Some episodes veer into grimness that undercuts the lighter stuff.
Gilmore Girls2000
Fast-talking, relationship-obsessed American drama about ambitious women desperate to climb out of limited circumstances. Addictive, endlessly quotable, and genuinely about wanting more from life with complicated consequences.
But The dialogue is relentlessly dense and the small-town setting couldn't be further from Istanbul. It's deeply sentimental in ways that don't land for everyone.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Fatih Harbiye
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Mustang2015
Same setting (Istanbul), same essential tension (women trapped by circumstance and family expectation), but where Fatih Harbiye asks what a woman will sacrifice to escape, Mustang asks what she'll sacrifice to stay free. It's the other side of the same question.
Turkish-French film about five sisters confined by family and tradition, fighting for freedom in ways both small and explosive. Visually stunning, furiously alive, and utterly uncompromising. A masterpiece about women wanting to escape.
But It's an art film, not a drama, and the pacing reflects that. The ending is ambiguous in ways some find unsatisfying. It's angrier than Fatih Harbiye, less forgiving.
More like this (5)
Something in the Rain2018
South Korean romance about class difference and the cost of ambition. Visually sumptuous, emotionally restrained compared to broader melodrama, but with real stakes and a protagonist who has to choose between love and social advancement.
But The pacing is slow and meditative. The ending divides people sharply—some find it honest, others find it bleak.
Outlander2014
Epic historical drama where a woman has to choose between two worlds, two men, and two versions of herself. Lush production design, genuine passion, and a heroine who wants something badly enough to sacrifice everything.
But The time-travel premise takes a few episodes to settle. Some of the supporting plots meander. It's very long if you're not committed to the central romance.
Bunheads2012
Character-driven drama about ambition, mentorship, and the price of pursuing your dreams. Warm and funny with real emotional weight. Shows what happens when people care about transcendence, not just money.
But It was cancelled after one season on a cliffhanger. The tone is deliberately uneven—some viewers find that refreshing, others find it scattered.
The Affair2014
American drama about desire, class, and the lies we tell ourselves to justify wanting something forbidden. Formally inventive, morally ambiguous, and unflinching about how good people make terrible choices.
But It's relentlessly bleak and the narrative structure can feel gimmicky. No one is likeable, and the show doesn't ask you to root for anyone.
The Woman in the Window2021
Both are about a woman convincing herself that a particular version of love and wealth will save her, and both explore what happens when fantasy collides with reality. But where Fatih Harbiye treats that desire with pathos, this film treats it as a psychological illness—colder, trickier, American.
Psychological thriller where a woman invents an entire elaborate romance based on glimpses through windows and her own desperate longing. Glossy, propulsive, and genuinely about how fantasy can destroy reality when you want something badly enough.
But It's a plot-driven mystery, not a character study. The twists feel engineered rather than earned. If you're watching for emotional depth you'll find calculation instead.
