Red Roses (2023)
Red Roses is a Turkish drama series broadcast on FOX, NOW, first aired in 2023. Secular, Kemalist psychiatrist Levent Alkanlı and Meryem Tezel, who lives within a closed religious community, are brought together by a struggle over a young girl’s future. Their opposing worldviews give way to a shared concern for children and parenthood.
Red Roses cast: Özgü Namal (Meryem Tezel), Özcan Deniz (Levent Alkanlı), Erkan Avcı (Sadi Hüdayi Güneş), Mert Turak (Naim Tezel), Mert Yazıcıoğlu (Cüneyd Güneş), Selen Öztürk (Hasna Güneş).
Detailed content was compiled from sources with AI; pending editorial review. Editor: Uğur Arı.
Plot
Kızıl Goncalar follows the intersecting lives of Levent Alkanlı, a secular and Kemalist psychiatrist, and Meryem Tezel, who lives within the closed Faniler community. Meryem’s daughter Zeynep becomes the focus of a conflict over education, family authority and the community’s rules. Although Levent and Meryem come from opposing worlds, they find common ground in protecting Zeynep’s future. The series explores child marriage, girls’ education, women’s roles within a religious community, family relations and the tension between secular and conservative identities through fictional characters.
Origins of the story
Adaptation status
No verified official source identifies the series as an adaptation of a particular novel, film, series or other work. The screenwriter did discuss the influence of A Separation and modern Iranian cinema on the creative process; this is not an adaptation claim.
Connection to reality
The series has not been verified as an adaptation of a specific real event or person. Its connection to reality is thematic: the screenwriter linked the child-marriage theme to social cases and public debates in Turkey, while describing research into the behavioral mechanisms of religious communities.
Inspirations and influences
Social reality concerning child marriage and religious communities in Turkey
Confirmed by a creator or official sourceScreenwriter Şükrü Necati Şahin described the story as a struggle by a woman who became a mother at fourteen to prevent her daughter from experiencing the same fate, and connected the child-marriage theme with cases and public debates in Turkey. He also described research into the behavioral mechanisms of different religious communities.
Confirmed by creator: Şükrü Necati Şahin
Limit of the evidence: This does not identify a specific real person, institution or event as the direct model.
A Separation
Confirmed by a creator or official sourceŞükrü Necati Şahin stated that Faruk Turgut’s interest in modern Iranian cinema and the tension in A Separation influenced the creative process.
Confirmed by creator: Şükrü Necati Şahin
Limit of the evidence: This indicates influence, not an adaptation.
Trailer
Details
- Year
- 2023–2025
- Channel
- FOX, NOW
- Genre
- drama
- Seasons
- 2
- Episodes
- 46
- Rating
- 5.4
Cast
Character Map
Hero
- ↳ Beste Özdemir Alkanlı — spouse
- ↳ Zeynep Tezel — parent
- ↳ Zeynep Tezel — parent
- ↳ Naim Tezel — spouse
- ↳ Levent Alkanlı — ally
Anti-hero
Villain
- ↳ Sadi Hüdayi Güneş — spouse
Antagonist
- ↳ Sadi Hüdayi Güneş — rival
Supporting
- ↳ Zeynep Tezel — parent
- ↳ Meryem Tezel — friend
What's in this series?
Connection to social reality
The series is not an adaptation of a specific real event. Screenwriter Şükrü Necati Şahin connected its child-marriage theme with cases and public debates in Turkey and discussed his research into the behavioral mechanisms of religious communities. Its relationship with reality is therefore thematic rather than biographical.
Girls’ education and female agency
Meryem’s effort to prevent Zeynep from repeating her own fate places girls’ education and women’s ability to move beyond roles imposed by family or community at the center of the story. An audience-reception study also identifies the education of girls as one of the series’ prominent messages.
Production context
The series was produced by Gold Film, with Faruk Turgut as producer, Ömür Atay as director and Şükrü Necati Şahin as screenwriter. The broadcaster describes the Levent-Meryem conflict together with the unifying force of parenthood.
Critical and audience reception
A peer-reviewed 2024 study found that the series presents conservative and secular groups through interaction, solidarity and communication, while also addressing recent political history and girls’ education. The study was based on ten viewers in Sivas and should not be generalized to all audiences.
Frequently asked questions
How many episodes is Red Roses?
Red Roses has 46 episodes across 2 seasons.
When did Red Roses air?
Red Roses first aired in 2023 on FOX, NOW.
Who is in the cast of Red Roses?
The main cast includes Özgü Namal (Meryem Tezel), Özcan Deniz (Levent Alkanlı), Erkan Avcı (Sadi Hüdayi Güneş), Mert Turak (Naim Tezel), Mert Yazıcıoğlu (Cüneyd Güneş), Selen Öztürk (Hasna Güneş).
Sources
- Kızıl Goncalar Dizisi - Hakkında — NOW
- Kızıl Goncalar Dizisi Oyuncuları — NOW
- Kızıl Goncalar’ın senaristi: Goncaları, muhafazakar veya seküler fark etmez, Türkiye’deki bütün kadınlar olarak düşündüm… — Gazete Oksijen
- Kızıl Goncalar — Marmara Üniversitesi katalog arşivi
- Kızıl Goncalar: Sezon 1 — Beyazperde
- Televizyon Dizilerinde Muhafazakâr ve Seküler Ayrımının Alımlanması: Kızıl Goncalar Örneği — Türkiye Medya Akademisi Dergisi
