© Поликлиника №117
Fashion trends, too, have been affected. Long coats, silk headscarves worn loosely, and men’s beards styled like Turkish leading men have appeared in Georgian streets. Coffee culture — specifically Turkish coffee — has seen a modest revival, thanks to scenes of characters drinking it during pivotal moments. Not everyone celebrates the trend. Some Georgian intellectuals express concern about cultural dependency. “We are outsourcing our imagination,” one film director told a local newspaper. “Young Georgians know the streets of Istanbul better than the alleys of Tbilisi’s old town.”
“When I watch a Turkish drama in Georgian,” says Nino, a 52-year-old schoolteacher from Kutaisi, “I don’t feel like I’m watching another country’s story. The mother-in-law problems, the weddings, the betrayals — it could be my street, my neighbor.” turquli serialebi qartulad natargmni
Some Georgian production companies are now attempting co-productions with Turkish studios — filming in both countries, with mixed Georgian-Turkish casts, intended for simultaneous release. If successful, this could mark the next phase: from passive import to active collaboration. Fashion trends, too, have been affected
This digital accessibility has created a second life for older series. Gumush (known in Georgian as Verdzhnobebi ), which first aired in the mid-2000s, gained a new generation of fans during the pandemic lockdowns. Comments under episodes are filled with nostalgic Georgians remembering where they were when a certain character died or a secret was revealed. The Georgian appetite for Turkish series shows no sign of waning. Broadcasters have signed multi-year deals with Turkish distributors like Kanal D International and ATV Distribution. New genres are emerging: historical epics, psychological thrillers, and even Turkish adaptations of Korean dramas, all dubbed into Georgian. Not everyone celebrates the trend
Below is an in-depth feature article on the topic, written in English, as requested. In the past decade, Georgian prime-time television has undergone a quiet revolution. It did not come from Hollywood, nor from Moscow, nor from a domestic production renaissance. Instead, it arrived from across the Black Sea — from Turkey, wrapped in the warm, emotional cadence of the Georgian language. The phenomenon of turquli serialebi qartulad natargmni (Turkish series dubbed into Georgian) is no longer just a programming trend; it is a cultural touchstone. A Dubbing Boom That Redefined Evenings Walk into any Tbilisi apartment around 9 PM, and you are likely to hear familiar voices: the tense whisper of a wronged heiress, the commanding tone of a vengeful businessman, or the tearful plea of a mother protecting her secret. These are not original Turkish actors speaking, but Georgian dubbing artists whose voices have become as recognizable as pop stars.
