Hatırla Sevgili

The series tells the story of the love between Yasemin and Ahmet, two young people from opposing families, and the relationship between their relatives and friends in the political era starting at the end of the 1950s in Turkey. In the background, historical events are depicted, beginning with Prime Minister Adnan Menderes' 1959 plane crash survival followed by the 1960 military coup, the trial on Yassıada, the executions and other important incidents that generated the radical political polarization of Turkish society afterwards.

Yasemin and Ahmet's fathers, Rıza and Şevket, who are childhood friends and neighbors, develop opposite political views as they grow up. Rıza becomes a member of the right wing Democratic Party and enters parliament while Şevket, a public prosecutor, is a follower of the leftist Republican People's Party. Riza's older daughter Yasemin falls in love with Şevket's son Ahmet, however, their families do not allow them to marry and force them to separate. Things become complicated when Yasemin discovers that she is carrying Ahmet's baby. Their mutual friend Necdet tries to help Yasemin by offering to marry her and pretending to be the father of the baby.

The unconsummated marriage between Yasemin and Necdet forces Yasemin and Ahmet apart. During their separation, Necdet's act of kindness takes on a new role as he begins to fall in love with Yasemin. Her feelings for Necdet become complicated because her heart still belongs to Ahmet. Years later Yasemin and Ahmet meet by chance again on a train. Ahmet meets Rüya, Yasemin's daughter, and wishes she were his own daughter. Ahmet tries to reconcile with Yasemin when he discovers how both families intervened to split them up but Yasemin refuses. He suggests she runs away with him but she cannot betray Necdet after all he has done for her. So Ahmet carries on alone, later becoming engaged to Ayla and working as a teacher in the same university in which Yasemin is teaching Arts. At the end of the first season Ahmet discovers that he is the father of Yasemin's daughter Rüya; he feels betrayed and disappointed by Yasemin, and sues Yasemin and Necdet to get custody of his daughter. During the trial, many truths are discovered which attenuate Ahmet's anger.

As the series proceeds various dramatic events take place, in Turkey and in the lives of the characters. The political history of Turkey from 1971 to the military coup in 1980 is portrayed, from the point of view of the two families, who eventually resolve their differences.

Hatırla Sevgili became one of the most popular and most controversial TV series in Turkey. It was criticized by many because of its non-objective approach and superficial coverage of some historical events, yet it led many people to question their country's modern history. Books about the historical periods portrayed and people mentioned in the series became bestsellers for at least two weeks after the episodes about them were aired.

• UnOfficial website (in Turkish)
• Hatırla Sevgili at IMDb