Running in the Dark (2001)
Running in the Dark is a Turkish crime, action series broadcast on TRT 1, first aired in 2001. Childhood friends and detectives Nevzat and Ali return to a serial-murder investigation when killings connected to an earlier trauma begin again. The investigation also becomes entangled with the past and personal troubles of their close friend Fikret.
Running in the Dark cast: Uğur Yücel (Başkomiser Nevzat), Haluk Bilginer (Ali), Yiğit Özşener (Mehmet), Köksal Engür (Fikret), Altan Karındaş (Durnev), Devin Özgür Çınar (İdil).
Detailed content was compiled from sources with AI; pending editorial review. Editor: Uğur Arı.
Plot
This 2001 ten-episode miniseries follows detectives Nevzat and Ali as they investigate murders committed by a serial killer who has resurfaced. Nevzat relies on intuition, while Ali approaches the case through evidence. Their investigation also involves Fikret, a close friend from childhood whose troubled past brings him under suspicion. As the trauma suffered years earlier by Nevzat’s wife Mualla becomes connected to the case, the inquiry expands through İdil’s stepmother’s murder, Fikret’s changing status from friend to suspect, the disappearance of journalist Cevdet and the notes left by the killer. The team must eventually reassess both the links between the crimes and the mistakes made during the investigation.
Origins of the story
Adaptation status
Academic sources identify the series as an adaptation based on Ahmet Ümit’s 1992 short-story collection Çıplak Ayaklıydı Gece. The available sources do not provide a detailed scene-by-scene comparison between the book and the series.
Connection to reality
No reliable source was found establishing that the series is based on specific real people or real events. The source book is described by its publisher in relation to the lives of people who resisted the 12 September coup period, but this does not establish that the series’ serial-killer investigation is a true-story adaptation.
Trailer
Details
- Year
- 2001–2001
- Channel
- TRT 1
- Genre
- crime, action
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 10
- Rating
- 7.4
Cast
Character Map
Hero
- ↳ Ali — friend
- ↳ Fikret — friend
- ↳ Mualla — spouse
- ↳ Cevdet — friend
- ↳ Fikret — enemy
- ↳ Fikret — friend
Anti-hero
Supporting
- ↳ Mehmet — partner
- ↳ Fikret — enemy
Character
What's in this series?
From a short-story collection to a ten-episode crime series
Academic sources identify Karanlıkta Koşanlar as a television adaptation based on Ahmet Ümit’s 1992 short-story collection Çıplak Ayaklıydı Gece. The series organizes its serial-killer investigation and the history shared by Nevzat, Ali and Fikret into a ten-episode narrative. The available sources do not provide a detailed comparison between individual stories and episodes.
A crime miniseries in TRT 1’s adaptation context
The series was broadcast on TRT 1 in 2001 and directed by Uğur Yücel. An academic publication lists it among TRT’s literary adaptations of the early 2000s and identifies it as a ten-episode series based on Ahmet Ümit’s Çıplak Ayaklıydı Gece.
Investigation between evidence and intuition
Official episode summaries show that the investigation is built around two methods: Nevzat advances through intuition, while Ali relies on evidence and analysis. The killer’s notes, a tape examined through a calligrapher and a rare illness detected in a blood sample make the investigation a process of interpretation as well as pursuit.
The boundary between the source book’s context and the series
The publisher presents Ahmet Ümit’s Çıplak Ayaklıydı Gece as a collection involving the lives of people who resisted the period of the 12 September coup. The series’ official summaries, however, focus on a serial-killer investigation and do not describe it as being directly based on true events.
Frequently asked questions
How many episodes is Running in the Dark?
Running in the Dark has 10 episodes across 1 seasons.
When did Running in the Dark air?
Running in the Dark first aired in 2001 on TRT 1.
Who is in the cast of Running in the Dark?
The main cast includes Uğur Yücel (Başkomiser Nevzat), Haluk Bilginer (Ali), Yiğit Özşener (Mehmet), Köksal Engür (Fikret), Altan Karındaş (Durnev), Devin Özgür Çınar (İdil).
Sources
- Karanlıkta Koşanlar - tabii bölüm ve dizi bilgileri — tabii
- Karanlıkta Koşanlar — TV+
- Karanlikta Kosanlar (TV Mini Series 2001) — IMDb
- Karanlikta Kosanlar Episode #1.1 — IMDb
- Karanlıkta Koşanlar — Diziler.com
- Türk Televizyon Dizilerinde Edebiyat Uyarlamaları Üzerine akademik çalışma — İnönü Üniversitesi
- Dizilerin İzleksel Oluşumu — İstanbul Kültür Üniversitesi Açık Erişim
- Çıplak Ayaklıydı Gece — Yapı Kredi Yayınları
- Çıplak Ayaklıydı Gece — Ahmet Ümit resmî sitesi
