If you find yourself looking for something new to watch on Netflix today and end up making your way to the streaming giant’s Top 10 row inside the app — assuming you’re located in the US — you’ll find at least a couple of international titles that probably won’t seem familiar. We wrote about one yesterday, the French WWI drama Women at War, while the other is an 8-episode series from Turkey: Shahmaran.
Shahmaran: #9 on Netflix in the US
It’s arguably a bit surprising, but with pretty much zero marketing from Netflix that I’ve seen for Shahmaran, it’s nevertheless managed to edge into a US Top 10 that’s currently dominated by more familiar fare like That 90s Show, Ginny & Georgia, and Wednesday.
The show — which is part of Netflix’s constant and ongoing push to bring local fare to its subscribers around the world — is currently #9 in the US. The official Netflix logline:
“Going to Adana as a lecturer, Şahsu is determined to confront her grandfather, who left her mother behind years ago. On this journey, she finds herself in the middle of an unusual and mysterious community called Mar, descended from Shahmaran. Believing in the legend of Shahmaran, one of the greatest symbols of love and wisdom, the Mar race awaits the completion of the historical prophecy with the arrival of Şahsu. Nothing will be the same again when Şahsu’s path crosses with Maran’s.”
Ratings and reviews
France’s Women at War, which US viewers anecdotally seem to be finding largely by word of mouth, is currently #4 on Netflix in the US, while Shahmaran is the #9 title at the moment. On a global basis, Shahmaran is currently the #5 series in the world on Netflix, based on the streamer’s just-updated worldwide Top 10 data.
“I just binge-watched #Shahmaran,” one Twitter user raved in recent days. “The storyline is fantastic!!! I hate snakes but I couldn’t stop watching it. Renew for season 2 pls #Netflix.”
There aren’t many user reviews yet up at Rotten Tomatoes, though at the time of this writing the 16 were positive enough to give Shahmaran a 100% audience score on the review site. “Very well-done fantasy tale!” one viewer raves. “Based on Middle Eastern myths and modernized. Pacing is great, and perfect for binge-watching. Doesn’t rely on gratuitous anything — sex, violence, dialogue, or shock value, but stands on its own merit. Time well-spent.”
