Top Five Reasons to Watch Med Cezir, the Turkish O.C.

If you were alive in the 2000s, you probably watched “The O.C.”. I was in university during part of its four-season run, and I’m not ashamed to say I loved it. When I heard there was going to be a Turkish remake of the popular show, I was a little excited. Only a little, because Turkish dramas can be really long and full of ridiculous events. And the staring. Oh, the staring! It drives me up the wall.

But I gave “Med Cezir” (translated as “Tide” or “Ebb and Tide”) a go and now I’m totally hooked again, this time in my 30s. A boy from the wrong side of town gets into trouble and the rich lawyer bails him out. The lawyer’s family takes in the troubled boy and their world turns upside down. The first few episodes followed the original pretty closely, there’s definitely a “Welcome to the O.C., bitch!” moment, but they later introduce a few more storylines for the older viewers. While there is still a whole lot of drama, I don’t feel like it’s much more than was in the original. It’s just expanded into two hour-long episodes. I have many reasons for being obsessed with “Med Cezir”, but here are my top 5 reasons you should watch as well.

**Warning! Contains spoilers of “The O.C.” and “Med Cezir”**

1. Mira and Yaman’s romance is steamy.

I have to admit that I thought Marissa Cooper was the most annoying, whiniest, and the weakest woman I’ve ever watched on a show. She was so helpless and I didn’t mind when she kicked the bucket. But Turkish Marissa, Mira Beylice, is a breath of fresh air. She’s strong and witty, just what I love in a female lead character. Not to mention she’s gorgeous. The actress that plays Mira, Serenay Sarıkaya, was Miss Turkey Universe in 2010. Yaman, played by Çağatay Ulusoy, reminds me so much of Ryan Atwood. He’s got the brooding look down to a T. From the first time Mira and Yaman meet, there is a strong chemistry. I’m loving their love story, the ups and downs, the declarations, the giddiness of it. Sorry to say, but Mira and Yaman make a better Marissa and Ryan.

2. Mert and Eylül’s love story is cute and quirky.

I loved Seth Cohen, along with a million other girls rooting for the underdog. Turkish Seth, Mert, is just as geeky as original Seth. He’s so sweet and awkward when he finally starts talking to Turkish Summer, Eylül, who is just as mean and nasty as the original Summer. But when she finally comes around and realizes she actually likes dorky Mert, Eylül transforms into a loyal friend. There aren’t any coffee cart declarations but there is a cute scene during a dance party.

3. I’m learning a lot of Turkish!

Although I’m watching with English subtitles, I’ve picked up some useful phrases from the show, such as boş ver, which means never mind. I’ve also learned a lot of terms of endearment and ways to say ‘hi’ and ‘bye’. Öpüyorum, I kiss you, is one of my favorites and is used while saying your good-byes to friends.

4. Istanbul is a cool setting for a TV show.

The other day my friend called me to tell me she just saw Mira and Yaman filming a scene at Çamlıca Alman Hospital right near her house! I died. It’s so much fun to try and guess the location of different scenes. OK, they’re near the Bosphorus, I can see one of the bridges, is it the Asian side or the European side? It’s like a game! Where in the world (Istanbul) are Yaman and Mira? Where Yaman is from, the fictional ‘bad’ neighborhood of Tozludere, could be practically any one of Istanbul’s neighborhoods. And the wealthy neighborhood scenes are filmed in Tuzla, but it really reminds me of Zekeriyaköy with its mansions and high walls. Istanbul is almost another character on the show.

5. So much drama!

I know I said earlier that the drama levels are pretty equal in the original and the remake, but one episode of the Turkish version is two hours, so the drama just stretches on – how else will they keep us entertained? The evil characters in “Med Cezir” are way more evil than those in “The O.C.”. Marissa’s ex-boyfriend, Luke, was an a-hole, but kind of a dumb jock and we came to love him eventually. Orkun, the Turkish Luke, is awful. He’s the sneakiest and most conniving character ever. He’s more like a soap opera character, but he is very Turkish – he’s got the manly pride and it works for the show. They also threw in some drama from Yaman’s old friends and that’s pretty good too. We get to see a different type of drama from the bad side of town as well, which mixes things up a little. Did I mention that there is none of that staring nonsense in “Med Cezir”? Dramatic music, yes, but the show moves along at a good pace. And since you’ll be watching online, you can pause the episode whenever you want and pick up the rest another day.

What are your favorite Turkish television shows?

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April of 2014. It was updated for relevance on December of 2018.