The Atlantic

Turkey Is Treating the Khashoggi Affair Like It’s Must-See TV

Erdoğan’s government is releasing information about the case bit by bit, seemingly in an effort to control the narrative about the journalist’s fate.
Source: Emrah Gurel / AP

Most Americans don’t know it, but Turks are masters of serialized television. Long before Netflix, Hulu, and the addictive golden-age TV shows that dominate the small screen now, Turks were pumping out popular programs dubbed or subtitled in Arabic, Persian, Spanish, Russian, and English.

Set the story at exotic locales, like posh Istanbul villas with stunning views. Throw in an ill-fated romance, a do-gooder who meets a tragic end, a bullying villain, a shocking crime, some violence, a dash of political, international, or corporate intrigue, a few twists, and you’ve got a hit on your hands. Turkish producers have become experts at devising captivating tales that keep audiences tuning in week after week.  

Consider this pitch. A charming writer, keen to marry his young love, vanishes from a European consulate of hisThe details are like something out of .

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