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Hamlet Turkish TV series scene
Hamlet (2021) Turkish TV series poster

Hamlet (2021)

Ended7 episodesChannel: GAİNTMDB, checked 31 October
dramacrimeGAİN

Hamlet is a Turkish drama, crime series broadcast on GAİN, first aired in 2021. On the night when horses on the islands are culled because of an outbreak of equine disease, carriage drivers’ leader Ahmet Kesmeci is secretly murdered by his brother Kadir. Ahmet’s daughter Hazar believes it was not an accident and begins searching for the truth behind her father’s death and her family’s power struggle. Looking for something similar? See the criteria-based guide Turkish series based on true stories: what is confirmed and what is only claimed.

Hamlet cast: Erdal Beşikçioğlu (Kadir Kesmeci), Elit İşcan (Hazar Kesmeci), Ahmet Rıfat Şungar (Öner), Şebnem Bozoklu (Nagehan Tan), Cihat Tamer (Abdullah), Çiğdem Selışık Onat (Amelia).

Editor: Uğur Arı

Genres:dramacrime

Where to watch Hamlet

We have no verified official viewing option for Hamlet in United States yet.

No verified official viewing option found for this country yet.

Streaming availability data via TMDB / JustWatch — TMDB / JustWatch

How many episodes does Hamlet have?

Hamlet has 7 episodes in total across 1 season.

Plot

Written and directed by Kaan Müjdeci, the seven-episode series uses the carriage trade on Büyükada as the contemporary setting for an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. After all the horses on the island are culled because of an outbreak of equine disease, carriage drivers’ leader Ahmet Kesmeci is secretly killed by his brother Kadir, who seeks control of the declining carriage empire. Ahmet’s daughter Hazar refuses to accept the death as an accident and investigates. The case reaches Nagehan Tan’s daytime true-crime program, Nagehan Tan’la Adalet, where family conflict, crime and revenge become part of a media spectacle. As Hazar pursues revenge, Öner is publicly blamed and the program reshapes the case for ratings. After a series of deaths, the family gathers again on Nagehan Tan’s program, while Hazar targets Kadir and Serkan seeks revenge against Hazar.

Origins of the story

Adaptation status

The series is an official contemporary adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It relocates the power struggle to Büyükada’s carriage trade, recasts Hamlet as the young woman Hazar Kesmeci, and introduces the daytime true-crime program Nagehan Tan’la Adalet.

Connection to reality

Promotional coverage describes the series as a Shakespeare adaptation blended with a real story. The available sources do not identify a specific real event or person, so no particular real-life case can be confirmed.

Related sources:HabertürkEpisode Dergi

Inspirations and influences

Hamlet

Confirmed by a creator or official source

The series is a contemporary adaptation of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet.

Confirmed by creator and production coverage

Related sources:T24Episode DergiIMDb

Trailer

Details

Year
2021
Channel
GAİN
Genre
drama, crime
Seasons
1
Episodes
7
Rating
6.9

Cast

Elit İşcan as Hazar Kesmeci in Hamlet
Hazar Kesmeci
Şebnem Bozoklu as Nagehan Tan in Hamlet
Nagehan Tan
Cihat Tamer as Abdullah in Hamlet
Abdullah
Ozan Çelik as Polis Memuru in Hamlet
Polis Memuru
Murat Kapu as Batuhan in Hamlet
Batuhan
Kutay Sandıkçı as Komiser in Hamlet
Kutay Sandıkçı
Komiser
Mustafa Alabora as Ahmet Kesmeci in Hamlet
Ahmet Kesmeci

Character Map

● Hero● Anti-hero● Villain● Supporting● Character
partnerenemyallysiblingparentallyallyenemyHazar KesmeciElit İşcanKadir KesmeciErdal BeşikçioğluAhmet KesmeciMustafa AlaboraNagehan TanŞebnem BozokluÖnerAhmet Rıfat ŞungarKeremSerdar OrçinAmeliaÇiğdem Selışık OnatSerkanMurat Kılıç

Hero

Hazar Kesmeci
Elit İşcan
Show spoiler (3)
  • ↳ Öner — partner
  • ↳ Kadir Kesmeci — enemy
  • ↳ Kerem — ally

Anti-hero

Nagehan Tan
Şebnem Bozoklu
Show spoiler (1)
  • ↳ Kerem — ally

Villain

Kadir Kesmeci
Erdal Beşikçioğlu
Show spoiler (1)
  • ↳ Hazar Kesmeci — relative

Antagonist

Serkan
Murat Kılıç
Show spoiler (1)
  • ↳ Hazar Kesmeci — enemy

Supporting

Amelia
Çiğdem Selışık Onat
Show spoiler (1)
  • ↳ Hazar Kesmeci — ally

Character

Ahmet Kesmeci
Mustafa Alabora
Show spoiler (2)
  • ↳ Kadir Kesmeci — sibling
  • ↳ Hazar Kesmeci — parent

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What's in this series?

Moving Shakespeare’s tragedy to Büyükada

Hamlet adapts the original tragedy’s family betrayal, murder and revenge through the carriage trade on Büyükada. Hazar is the young woman who takes the place of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, while Nagehan Tan’la Adalet brings the search for justice into contemporary crime media.

The limits of the “real story” claim

Promotional reports say that the Shakespeare adaptation was blended with a real story. The available sources do not specify which real event or person this refers to, so the series cannot be linked to a particular carriage driver, murder or historical case.

GAİN and international circulation

Hamlet was presented as a GAİN and Asteros Film co-production, written and directed by Kaan Müjdeci. The international distribution catalogue lists seven episodes of approximately 45 minutes each. The project was also reported as the first Turkish series project selected for Series Mania.

Critical discussion: localising a classic text

The series has been discussed through its adaptation choices, especially its use of Büyükada, the carriage trade and daytime true-crime television, as well as its female Hamlet and redistribution of lines from the original text among different characters.

Frequently asked questions

When did Hamlet air?

Hamlet (Hamlet) first aired on 19 October 2021 on GAİN.

Who is in the cast of Hamlet?

The main cast of Hamlet includes Erdal Beşikçioğlu (Kadir Kesmeci), Elit İşcan (Hazar Kesmeci), Ahmet Rıfat Şungar (Öner), Şebnem Bozoklu (Nagehan Tan), Cihat Tamer (Abdullah), Çiğdem Selışık Onat (Amelia).

Is Hamlet based on a book or another series?

The series is an official contemporary adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It relocates the power struggle to Büyükada’s carriage trade, recasts Hamlet as the young woman Hazar Kesmeci, and introduces the daytime true-crime program Nagehan Tan’la Adalet.

Is Hamlet based on a true story?

Promotional coverage describes the series as a Shakespeare adaptation blended with a real story. The available sources do not identify a specific real event or person, so no particular real-life case can be confirmed.

Sources