Our People (1989–2002)
Our People is a Turkish drama, comedy series broadcast on Show TV, Star TV, TRT 1, first aired in 1989–2002. An ensemble series about families, building staff and neighbors living in an Istanbul apartment, using their everyday conflicts to reflect social change from the late 1980s to the early 2000s.
Our People cast: Ayşe Kökçü (Nazan Başaran), Müjgan Ağralı (Mine Başaran), Ercan Yazgan (Cafer Haktanır), Mehmet Akan (Sabri Dönmez), Meral Çetinkaya (Ayla Dönmez), Uğurtan Sayıner (Sarhoş Cemil).
Detailed content was compiled from sources with AI; pending editorial review. Editor: Uğur Arı.
Plot
The series begins with Şükrü Başaran returning to Istanbul with his family after years in Germany. Şükrü, his wife Nazan and their children Ali and Bilge become part of the complex life of an apartment building. Building manager Sabri, doorman Cafer, the Şevket family and other residents create conflicts around rules, class differences, neighborhood relations and everyday interests. Over time, the apartment becomes a small social model in which people with different incomes and lifestyles are forced to share the same space. The series combines comedy and drama while reflecting urbanization, apartment culture and changing everyday life in Turkey.
Origins of the story
Adaptation status
No official adaptation statement was verified. An academic study describes the series as developing characters and the apartment setting associated with Umur Bugay’s film Kapıcılar Kralı; this is therefore presented as an attributed inspiration rather than a confirmed official adaptation.
Connection to reality
The series has not been verified as a story about specific real events or real people. Academic studies instead connect it to the historical and social context of urbanization, apartment life, class differences and neoliberal transformation in Turkey.
Inspirations and influences
Kapıcılar Kralı
Attributed interpretationAccording to an academic study, Bizimkiler developed the characters and apartment environment associated with Umur Bugay’s earlier film Kapıcılar Kralı.
Attributed interpretation
Limit of the evidence: This is based on a secondary academic assessment rather than a verified statement from the producer or creator, so it is not presented as an official adaptation claim.
Iconic filming locations
The story setting and the real filming site are identified separately.
Şale Apartmanı
Kozyatağı, Kadıköy · İstanbul · Türkiye
- Use in filming
- Exterior filming; some apartment-interior and balcony shots
- Place represented in the story
- Not explicitly stated in the sources
- Scenes and context
- Used for exterior views of the series’ main apartment. Director Yalçın Yelence stated that it was the building where he lived and that it was selected for filming. As it is a residential building, visitor access has not been verified.
Emek Apartmanı
Kozyatağı, Kadıköy · İstanbul · Türkiye
- Use in filming
- Interior filming; apartment entrance, caretaker’s area and elevator scenes
- Place represented in the story
- Not explicitly stated in the sources
- Scenes and context
- Several secondary sources state that interior scenes were filmed at Emek Apartmanı, near Şale Apartmanı. The building’s current status and accessibility have not been sufficiently verified in these sources.
Location details were compiled from sources with AI assistance and are pending editorial review.
Trailer
Details
- Year
- 1989–2002
- Channel
- Show TV, Star TV, TRT 1
- Genre
- drama, comedy
- Seasons
- 15
- Episodes
- 459
- Rating
- 8.2
Cast
Character Map
Hero
- ↳ Nazan Başaran — spouse
- ↳ Ali Başaran — parent
- ↳ Bilge Başaran — parent
- ↳ Şevket Başaran — sibling
Anti-hero
- ↳ Şükrü Başaran — ally
Antagonist
- ↳ Ayla Dönmez — spouse
- ↳ Cafer Haktanır — rival
- ↳ Şükrü Başaran — rival
Supporting
- ↳ Ali Başaran — parent
- ↳ Bilge Başaran — parent
Character
What's in this series?
Connection with and differences from Kapıcılar Kralı
The connection between Bizimkiler and Kapıcılar Kralı is presented in an academic assessment as an expansion of Umur Bugay’s earlier apartment and doorman-centered characters, not as a verified official adaptation. The film’s doorman-centered structure becomes a long-running ensemble involving several families and neighbors.
Urbanization and apartment culture
Academic studies place the series, which began in 1989, within Turkey’s accelerated urbanization after the 1980s, rural-to-urban migration and the spread of apartment culture. The apartment is interpreted as a social microcosm where people from different socioeconomic backgrounds encounter one another.
Neighborhood relations, class and everyday life
Building rules, disputes over management, the hierarchy between the doorman and residents, and differences between households reveal the tensions of shared urban life. Academic analyses discuss the differing living spaces and consumption patterns of characters such as Şükrü, Şevket, Cafer and Sabri as visible markers of class distinctions.
Broadcast period and production context
Umur Bugay began writing for TRT in 1988, and after the success of Bizimkiler, which reached the screen in 1989, he focused more heavily on television series scripts. The series ran from 1989 to 2002, first on TRT and later on private television channels; some roles were recast during its long run.
Frequently asked questions
How many episodes is Our People?
Our People has 459 episodes across 15 seasons.
When did Our People air?
Our People first aired in 1989–2002 on Show TV, Star TV, TRT 1.
Who is in the cast of Our People?
The main cast includes Ayşe Kökçü (Nazan Başaran), Müjgan Ağralı (Mine Başaran), Ercan Yazgan (Cafer Haktanır), Mehmet Akan (Sabri Dönmez), Meral Çetinkaya (Ayla Dönmez), Uğurtan Sayıner (Sarhoş Cemil).
Sources
- TV'de 7 Gün, 2 Ocak 1989, sayfa 20 — Gaste Arşivi
- Bir Televizyon Dizisi Olarak “Bizimkiler” — Marmara Üniversitesi Kütüphane ve Dokümantasyon arşivi
- Bizimkiler dizisi üzerine bir inceleme: toplumsal yapıdaki kültürel iletilerin yayılma süreci ve televizyon — Anadolu Üniversitesi Açık Erişim
- Yitirdiklerimiz: Umur Bugay — Türk Dil Kurumu
- Bizimkiler dizisi oyuncularının şimdiki halleri — TRT Haber
- Kültür-sanat çalışması: Bizimkiler — İnönü Üniversitesi Açık Arşiv
- Toplumsal Değişim, Yaşam Biçimi ve Televizyon — Atatürk Kültür Merkezi Başkanlığı
- Bizimkiler Dizisi üzerine kültürel ve toplumsal çözümleme — Journal of Humanities and Tourism Research
- Bizimkiler 7. Sezon — SinemaTürk
- Bizimkiler: Cast, Episodes, Seasons and Where to Watch — Who's Who
- Bizimkiler — Wikipedia
