# The Protector (2018)

> A young Istanbul shopkeeper discovers he is bound to a secret ancient order sworn to protect the city.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/68108

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 32
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: action, adventure, fantasy
- Created by: Binnur Karaevli
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Çağatay Ulusoy, Ayça Ayşin Turan, Hazar Ergüçlü, Okan Yalabık, Funda Eryiğit, Mehmet Kurtuluş, Engin Öztürk, Yurdaer Okur
- TMDB rating: 6.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7668518/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: earnest, propulsive, melodramatic, heroic

## What critics say

Reception is mixed, with viewers enjoying the action and the mythology of a hidden ancient order in Istanbul while finding the storytelling uneven.

## Synopsis

The Protector is a Turkish action adventure series created by Binnur Karaevli for Netflix. Çağatay Ulusoy plays Hakan Demir, an ordinary shopkeeper in Istanbul whose life is overturned when he learns he is connected to a secret ancient order charged with guarding the city. Ayça Ayşin Turan and Hazar Ergüçlü play women drawn into the mounting danger around him, while Okan Yalabık plays a figure whose loyalties shape the conflict. The engine of the show is Hakan's struggle to master a dangerous inheritance while protecting the people he loves from enemies who move through the city's hidden corridors. Fast fights, chase sequences, and romantic entanglements alternate with flashback episodes that reveal the roots of the order in Byzantium and Constantinople. The serialized story accumulates its mythology over time. Its tone is earnest and propulsive, balancing heroic spectacle with melodrama, loyalty, and friendship. Set in a present-day Istanbul threaded with archaeological secrets and imperial history, it blends superhero energy with Turkish popular drama. Viewers who enjoy hidden lineage, urban mystery, and emotionally charged stakes will find much to like in its sweeping, heartfelt approach.

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