Turkish Drama Firebirds Tops January’s Wit List

The Turkish drama Ateş Kuşları (Firebirds) racked up the most Instagram followers out of all the new shows that debuted around the world in January, according to The WIT.

Originally aired on ATV, the series follows the fate of a close-knit group of five orphan friends who call each other the “Rootless.” The series garnered 123,000 followers for first place, helped by the followings of its stars: İlayda Alişan (3.1 million followers), Hande Soral (2 million), Burak Tozkoparan (1.7 million) and Görkem Sevindik (1.3 million).

In second place with 88,000 followers, the Portuguese telenovela Flor Sem Tempo (Timeless Flower) tells the story of a woman who, after being released from prison, decides to search for her mother, who disappeared without a trace while she was behind bars. Actors Bárbara Branco (253,000 followers), Maria João Bastos (246,000) and Albano Jerónimo (141,000) star in the SIC series.

Waterloo Road, a revival of the drama that aired on BBC from 2006 to 2015, picked up 77,000 followers to take third place. Set in a northern comprehensive school, the show currently airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer. Its cast includes Adam Thomas (1 million followers), Kym Marsh (565,000) and Rachel Leskovac (34,000).

The Chilean telenovela Juego de Ilusiones (Game of Illusions) earned 59,000 followers after its January 16 premiere on Mega to land in fourth place. Telling the story of a woman who believes she has a perfect life until she discovers her husband, who she has been married to for 25 years, is cheating on her, it stars Magdalena Müller (1.2 million followers), Carolina Arregui (719,000) and Alejandra Fosalba (628,000).

Taking fifth place, TRT1’s Al Sancak (The Hunter) garnered 55,000 followers after its January 19 debut, boosted by the star power of its cast, which features Gülsim Ali (1.8 million followers), İdris Nebi Taşkan (1.2 million), Gözde Türker Güler (942,000) and Uğur Güneş (623,000). The drama follows the fate of a group of ten elite soldiers whose mission is to protect their country from enemy threats in Turkey and abroad.

Airing on ICI Radio-Canada Télé in Canada, Zénith racked up 42,000 Instagram followers. The French-Canadian live music competition sees four artists from four different generations (Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z) compete in front of 100 people from the public, who act as judges and are also divided by generation. It is hosted by Véronique Cloutier, who has 331,000 followers, and features Félix-Antoine Tremblay (113,000), Claudia Bouvette (197,000) and Elyse Marquis (20,000) as team captains.

Actress Maria Botelho Moniz hosts the Portuguese reality series A Ex-periência (The Ex-periment), which picked up 40,000 followers after its premiere on TVI on January 1. It gives ex-couples the opportunity to reunite for a unique experience aimed at giving each other a new chance. Botelho Moniz has 467,000 Instagram followers herself.

With 37,000 followers for the eighth slot on the list, FOX Turkey’s Taçsız Prenses (Uncrowned Princess) is an adaptation of the Japanese drama series Without Family. The Turkish version tells the story of young Masal, whose universe crumbles when her mother is hospitalized with heart disease. The cast includes Sümeyye Aydoğan (1 million followers), İsmail Hacıoğlu (933,000), Feride Çetin (326,000) and Tolga Tekin (233,000).

Another Turkish adaptation takes ninth place. Star TV’s Ömer, the local version of the Israeli scripted format Shtisel, earned 32,000 followers after it debuted on January 9. Starring Gökçe Bahadır (1.7 million followers), Merve Dizdar (933,000) and Selahattin Paşalı (801,000), it follows the impossible love story between Games, who returns to the neighborhood she left after many years, and Ömer, the son of the local mosque teacher.

January’s Wit List is rounded out by FOX Turkey’s action series Dokuz Oğuz (The Tribe of Nine) with 22,000 followers. Following the missions of a secret operations team of nine people who are responsible for protecting those of Turkish origin against all kinds of threats all over the world, the series is boosted by the star power of Kubilay Aka, Deniz Işın and Yasemin Allen, who have 2.3 million, 1.3 million and 850,000 followers, respectively.

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