Why Do We Need Series Like Modern Kadın?

Modern Kadın, which premiered on Gain in June 2025 with its first and so far only season of 10 episodes, stands out in many ways as a pioneering series in Turkey. Until now, there had been no other Turkish production that centered women and explored modern city life, friendships, professional environments, and love stories through a female perspective in a comedic format. For this reason alone, it is worth discussing.

Modern Kadın is an original series that balances humor and drama while portraying the everyday life of a modern urban woman. The story centers on Pınar, played by İrem Sak, who is also one of the show’s writers. Through various examples, the series shows Pınar’s internal and social conflicts. Yet the show is more than just an individual character story. It reflects the experiences of women in Turkey and serves as an important social snapshot.

Pınar is a 35 year old independent professional living in Istanbul. While trying to embrace the freedoms offered by modern life, she often finds herself constrained by traditional family expectations. At work, she navigates gender biased attitudes, striving to maintain her place in a male dominated system while pursuing her own convictions. Her family and social circle continuously confront her with questions about marriage, a stable life, and what a woman is supposed to do. Meanwhile, Pınar is also exploring her love life through various relationships. The series not only examines gender roles but also highlights the importance of female solidarity. From workplace camaraderie to her close friendships with Ferda and Gözde, the show emphasizes how women can support each other. Life’s challenges can be discussed over a friendly conversation, and even if problems are not solved, mutual support lightens the burden.

The success of Modern Kadın lies largely in its delicate, humorous approach to serious subjects, presenting them without exaggeration or didacticism. Combined with a finely crafted script, a talented cast, and the creative vision of the director, each 20 to 25 minute episode is engaging from start to finish. If we exclude early 2000s cult sitcoms, there is no other Turkish series that humorously examines gender roles from a female perspective. Globally, Fleabag can be considered a comparable series in terms of format and style. Fleabag’s main character, also named Fleabag, exhibits anti hero traits. Her behavior is often erratic, self interested, and socially nonconforming. In contrast, Pınar is a sympathetic figure, navigating social conflicts while eliciting empathy from the audience. While Fleabag emphasizes dark humor and absurd situations, Modern Kadın foregrounds everyday humor, social observations, and female solidarity. This makes Pınar feel like one of us, allowing viewers to recognize themselves in her experiences and smile at her witty insights and clever observations.

So why do we need shows like this? Modern Kadın is not just about one character’s life. It makes visible the challenges modern Turkish women face, the social pressures they navigate, and the tension between traditional and modern lifestyles through humor and a relatable, sincere lens. Pınar’s experiences foster empathy and awareness in the audience while delivering a simple but powerful message: raising one’s voice about the realities women face, even through laughter, can make a societal difference. And it would be wonderful if, beyond women’s stories, more series could explore other aspects of daily life in the same witty, gentle, and insightful way, helping us all become more aware, would it not?