# Leyla and Mecnun (2011)

> A surreal Turkish comedy following a fictional love story between Leyla and Mecnun in Istanbul.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/37060

## Facts

- Seasons: 7
- Episodes: 144
- Episode runtime: 80 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama
- Created by: Burak Aksak
- Network: TRT 1, Exxen
- Cast: Ali Atay, Serkan Keskin, Ezgi Asaroğlu, Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan, Cengiz Bozkurt, Osman Sonant, Köksal Engür, Nalan Kuruçim
- TMDB rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1831164/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: surreal, absurd, warm, irreverent, wistful, breezy

## What critics say

Audiences broadly acclaim the series as a surreal, absurd comedy with a devoted following, rating it highly across its seasons.

## Synopsis

Leyla and Mecnun (2011-2023) is a Turkish surreal comedy series created by Burak Aksak for TRT 1 and Exxen. Ali Atay plays Mecnun Çınar, a dreamy romantic whose love story with Leyla Yılmaz (Ezgi Asaroğlu) becomes the absurd engine of the show, while Serkan Keskin plays İsmail Abi and Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan plays İskender Çınar, rounding out a cast of eccentric neighbours and relatives. The series runs for seven seasons and 144 episodes, mixing quirky everyday situations with dreamlike, offbeat sequences that keep the fictional romance off balance. Its stories are built around the friction between romantic longing and the ordinary Istanbul life that surrounds it. Set in contemporary Istanbul, the show plays with the idea of a love story that exists partly as fiction, so its humor is warm, irreverent and self-aware. The tone moves between breezy and wistful, with a bittersweet undercurrent beneath the absurdity. Fans of Arrested Development, Pushing Daisies and Twin Peaks will find resonance in its blend of offbeat humor, romance and surreal invention. Its audience rating of 9.0 places it among the most acclaimed Turkish comedies of its era.

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