Official Trailer
Rating: 7.5/10 | Genre: Drama, Action & Adventure, War & Politics | Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 24 | Status: Returning Series
Starring: Mert Yazıcıoğlu, Mahassine Merabet, Alina Boz, Barış Falay, Burak Sergen
I went into “Kuruluş: Orhan” expecting to either love it or find it completely overrated. Turns out it’s somewhere in the middle, which honestly feels right for a show like this. It’s not going to blow your mind, but if you’re into Turkish historical dramas or enjoyed the first series, there’s enough here to keep you invested for all 24 episodes. The show does what it sets out to do pretty well. It’s just not groundbreaking.
Fair warning though: this is a direct sequel to “Kuruluş: Osman,” so you probably need to watch that first to care about what’s happening. If you jump in cold, you’ll be lost about five minutes in.
Season 1
Season 1 follows Orhan Bey as he takes over from his father Osman and continues the Ottoman expansion. The main goal is capturing Bursa from Byzantine control, which has been under siege for nine years. Orhan’s dealing with a lot. He’s got to prove himself as a leader, keep his people unified, and actually win this massive battle. Meanwhile, there are enemies coming from every direction trying to stop him.
The pacing in the first half is pretty good. Episodes 1-12 build up the siege nicely and introduce all the political players involved. You get the sense that this siege actually matters and isn’t just going to be resolved in two episodes. The show takes its time, which I appreciated even if some people probably thought it was slow.
Things pick up around the middle when multiple forces start closing in on Orhan at once. The Byzantines, the Ilkhanate, and some rival Turkmen groups are all trying to stop him from taking Bursa. It gets chaotic in a good way. The battle sequences aren’t spectacular by modern TV standards, but they’re decent enough and feel earned because of all the setup.
The second half drags a little. Once Bursa actually falls, the show struggles a bit with what to do next. There’s some political fallout and succession stuff that just doesn’t hit as hard as the siege did. Some of the plot threads feel like they’re killing time before the season ends.
By episode 24, things pick up again with some real character consequences. Just when I thought the season was running out of steam, they land a few genuinely shocking moments that made me actually want to know what happens next. The final episode ends with a cliffhanger that’s set up reasonably well, not totally out of nowhere.
The Characters
Mert Yazıcıoğlu carries this show as Orhan Bey. He’s got the tough guy thing down, but he also plays the vulnerable moments where Orhan doubts himself. He’s not just a one-dimensional warrior. You see him struggle with leadership, with honor, with doing what’s right versus what’s necessary. It’s the kind of performance that makes a show watchable even when the script isn’t perfect.
Alina Boz plays Bala Hatun and honestly she’s great. Her character has real agency and isn’t just standing around looking concerned while men make decisions. She’s got her own goals and sometimes they conflict with Orhan’s, which creates actual tension. Their relationship is complicated in ways that feel real for the time period.
Mahassine Merabet plays a character that I won’t spoil, but she’s a scene stealer whenever she shows up. She brings something different to the show that keeps it from feeling too repetitive.
Barış Falay as Gündüz Bey works well as the loyal right-hand man type, but honestly his character doesn’t get enough room to breathe. He’s more of a plot device than a full character most of the time. Same with Burak Sergen, who’s fine but doesn’t leave much of an impression.
The villain characters are decent but not amazing. Some of them feel more like obstacles than actual people with real motivations. That’s probably the show’s biggest weakness when it comes to character work.
So is “Kuruluş: Orhan” worth your time? If you liked the first series, yeah, absolutely. It’s more of the same thing that worked before, which is good and bad. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel. The first season is solid if a little uneven in places. The siege storyline is genuinely good television, even if other parts feel like filler.
The 7.5 rating on TMDB feels about right. It’s above average. Not essential viewing, but not a waste of time either. Just a solid historical drama that knows what it is.
Have you watched this one yet, or are you still on the fence about jumping in?
Episode Guide
Season 1 (25 Episodes)
Episode 1: Episode 1 (9/10)
Orhan Bey continues his nine-year siege of Bursa to fulfill Osman Bey’s vision, facing formidable resistance from Saroz and Flavius. As tensions rise, Osman Bey convenes a council that could decide Bursa’s fate, with Şahinşah Bey challenging Orhan’s command and Alaeddin Bey offering himself as an alternative. Amid political turmoil, Nilüfer Hatun stands by Orhan with unwavering support, while Malhun Hatun, losing hope in Gonca, seeks a new bride for Alaeddin. Orhan escalates the conflict by killing Flavius’s brother, prompting a vow of revenge and setting the stage for a storm at Bursa’s gates.
Episode 2: Episode 2
Orhan Bey returns victorious but is shaken by unexpected news, prompting him to surrender his position to Osman Bey with a solemn acceptance of fate. As tensions rise between Alaeddin and Orhan, Temurtaş's secretive alliance with Saroz and his hosting of Şahinşah and Alaeddin deepen the intrigue, especially as his schemes leave Osman Bey bedridden. Orhan faces mounting pressure from Byzantine and Ilkhanate forces while striving to fulfill his father's dream of conquering Bursa, where he confronts the vengeful Flavius in a deadly bid to rescue Boran. Meanwhile, Temurtash Noyan’s arrival threatens to upend the regional balance of power. Nilüfer Hatun’s belief that Orhan has been wronged sparks conflict among the women, potentially pitting her against Gonca and drawing a decisive response from Malhun Hatun. In a final blow, Osman Bey reclaims command of the siege and appoints Şahinşah Bey as leader, sidelining Orhan once more.
Episode 3: Episode 3
As the Byzantine, Ilkhanate, and Turkmen forces unite to defend Bursa, Orhan Bey urges diplomacy to dismantle the alliance, clashing with Şahinşah’s call for immediate attack despite Osman Bey’s illness. Tensions rise in the council and within the family, as Malhun Hatun fears division among her children, especially with Gonca believing Alaeddin deserves leadership while Didar claims Malhun favors Orhan. Meanwhile, enemies Temurtash, Saroz, and Flavius plot a devastating strike on the Kayı tribe, targeting a caravan led by Fatma Hatun. Driven by vengeance, Flavius seeks to capture her, but Orhan Bey confronts him head-on, determined to fulfill a hidden purpose in their fierce showdown.
Episode 4: Episode 4
Orhan Bey faces a critical test of leadership as tensions rise within the Kayı tribe, challenged by both his father and brother to prevent internal division. Supported by Nilüfer Hatun, he survives an ambush with help from Kan Turalı and Abdurrahman, then seeks to lift the siege of Bursa by negotiating with Temurtaş, risking confrontation with Alaeddin and Şahinşah Bey. Meanwhile, Flavius plots revenge in Söğüt, torn between attacking and protecting Fatma Hatun. Temurtaş’s brutal raid on Yarhisar leaves the tribe mourning, prompting Malhun Hatun to confront Alaeddin Bey. Despite Orhan’s efforts to stop the war, Alaeddin orders him to Karacahisar; when Orhan refuses, their conflict erupts into violence, leading to Orhan’s exile and a deep fracture in the tribe’s unity.
Episode 5: Episode 5
As Orhan Bey assumes leadership, unrest brews when Şahinşah Bey, angered by his removal from command despite pledging allegiance, seeks to challenge him. Determined to prove himself, Orhan Bey plans with Abdurrahman and Kanturalı to retake Yarhisar and honor fallen martyrs, marking his first true test. Meanwhile, Flavius, thwarted by the destruction of the Bursa tunnel, turns to violence, plotting an assassination against Osman Bey during Orhan’s sword-girding ceremony. With obstacles cleared in the camp, Orhan Bey advances his ambitions, seizing Bursa and issuing his first threat to Iznik, setting the stage for a new era defined by his uncompromising stance against the Tekfur.
Episode 6: Episode 6
Orhan Bey’s campaign to win Bursa blends mercy and strategy, alarming the Byzantines while a hidden threat rises in Söğüt. Flavius entangles Fatma in his schemes, suitors stir tensions in the camp, and Şahinşah’s loyalty is questioned as Temurtaş is courted. The Emperor’s sudden arrival with a mysterious woman promises to upend the tribe’s balance of power.
Episode 7: Episode 7
The Knights of the Holy Temple launch a brutal crusade in Anatolia, targeting Orhan Bey and his family, with Hector plotting to capture Fatma Hatun. Orhan and Flavius form a tense alliance against them, while Dafne’s arrival unsettles the Kayı tribe and sparks conflict among the women. Amidst forbidden love, marriage disputes, and rising tensions, the knights strike again—forcing Orhan to confront their relentless threat and leaving Fatma’s fate tied to whether Flavius reveals his true identity.
Episode 8: Episode 8
Orhan Bey’s rescue mission for Fatma Hatun is disrupted by Princess Asporça, who demands his father’s surrender and threatens war, while the Knights Templar attack, leaving him trapped between enemies. Flavius rescues Fatma and Yiğit, raising suspicions of secret alliances and prompting Daphne’s betrayal to Hector. As the tribe questions the true identity of the merchant Akçora—revealed as Flavius—Fatma and Alaeddin Bey uncover the Templars’ hideout in Söğüt, cornering Daphne and escalating the conflict.
Episode 9: Episode 9
Orhan Bey thwarts the Knights’ ambush on Princess Asporça, sparking new tensions in the camp and raising questions about his true motives as he maneuvers against Hector. Meanwhile, Hector orders Flavius to commit a killing that clashes with his love for Fatma Hatun, forcing a painful choice between loyalty and affection. Away from the tribe, Dursun and Halime confront their growing feelings, uncertain of their future. As conflicts mount, Orhan continues battling the Knights while advancing Osman Bey’s dream of raising the Kayı banner in Bursa.
Episode 10: Episode 10
Orhan Bey’s triumph over Hector reshapes the balance of power, even as he returns to camp to face the sorrow of Osman Bey’s decline and renews his vow to conquer Bursa. Asporça’s unexpected choice to stay and her bold offer deepen the political tension, while Flavius’s quest for revenge and his hidden identity push him toward a dangerous reckoning that threatens his bond with Fatma Hatun. As Bursa is finally taken and Osman Bey dies with its soil in his hand, an era ends and Orhan Bey steps into leadership, setting his sights on new conquests along the path to the Red Apple.
Episode 11: Episode 11
Orhan Bey’s conquest of Bursa sparks both the birth of a state and fierce opposition, with Karasid leader Demirhan Bey emerging as his most determined rival, refusing to yield the city’s future. As Orhan strengthens his hold on Bursa, a dark alliance of Mabedists, Demirhan, and Temurtaş plots to assassinate Asporça and frame him, risking a new war with Byzantium. Personal tensions rise as Halime and Dursun’s forbidden love edges toward exposure, Fatma reels from Flavius’s true identity and lashes out in heartbreak, and Şahinşah Bey maneuvers against Temurtaş’s schemes. Ultimately, Orhan Bey confronts growing threats by declaring his sultanate, marking a decisive turning point that reshapes the frontier world.
Episode 12: Episode 12
Sultan Orhan’s clash with Temurtaş triggers rebellion, shifting alliances, and rising intrigue, while Asporça’s unexpected turn against him and Nilüfer Hatun’s growing hostility deepen the turmoil. As Orhan rallies his forces after proclaiming his sultanate, he must navigate betrayal and looming conspiracies to secure his rule.
Episode 13: Episode 13
Sultan Orhan’s advance toward the Biga Gorge sparks unrest, pushing Demirhan to pressure Dursun into betraying him to save Temurtaş, while Nilüfer Hatun and Asporça’s clash deepens tribal fractures. As Şahinşah quietly maneuvers for power through Fatma Hatun’s engagement—forcing Flavius into a painful choice—Orhan’s negotiations in Constantinople take a shocking turn when the emperor demands he marry Asporça, whose growing fury now drives her toward thoughts of Orhan’s death.
Episode 14: Episode 14
Bursa is thrown into turmoil as hidden forces move against Sultan Orhan, while Asporça—angered by political schemes and Orhan’s secret İznik plans—launches open rebellion, ordering Nilüfer Hatun’s abduction and attacking Orhan’s soldiers through Flavius. Nilüfer is shaken by the emperor’s marriage plans, Demirhan allies with Germiyanoğlu Mehmet to weaken Orhan and target Alaeddin, and Dursun’s betrayal leads to his imprisonment and Halime’s desperate attempt to stop his escape. As Şahinşah joins Demirhan and Yiğit confronts his father’s corruption, Orhan prepares to face a tightening web of enemies on all sides.
Episode 15: Episode 15
Sultan Orhan marches into a decisive battle against Asporça, unaware that Shahinshah’s suspicious disappearance may signal a new betrayal. On the road to Germiyan, Alaeddin and Gonca narrowly survive an ambush while trying to protect their unborn child, and years later their encounter with Mehmet Bey will spark new turmoil. In Bursa, Demirhan reveals Dursun’s true motives, forcing Orhan and Halime into a painful reckoning. Asporça, wounded and vengeful, launches a new plot to capture Nilüfer and corner Orhan, while Flavius—torn between love and loyalty—falls into Orhan’s hands and faces judgment. With enemies closing in on every front, Orhan must confront treachery, war, and impossible choices.
Episode 16: Episode 16
Orhan Bey races to seize key territories while Şahinşah plots to kill Demirhan to protect his secrets. Nilüfer is captured and used as leverage by Asporça, leading to a bloody confrontation that endangers her life and unborn child. As alliances shift and betrayals surface, Alaeddin and Gonca struggle to escape enemy lands, and in Bursa, Yiğit’s jealousy over Fatma and Flavius erupts into violence, leaving him stabbed and threatening to expose their forbidden love.
Episode 17: Episode 17
Şahinşah seizes Karacahisar and sparks a frontier revolt, then hunts Orhan and Asporça to a cliff where Orhan chooses a desperate leap over capture. As Şahinşah unleashes a bloody raid on Bursa, the palace descends into chaos and Kasım faces death, while the wounded Flavius clings to life and declares his wish to convert for love of Fatma. With Bursa on the brink and Şahinşah marching toward the throne, Orhan must rise from the abyss before the empire falls into his enemy’s hands.
Episode 18: Episode 18
Flavius dies after a brutal attack, his final embrace of faith shaking the palace and driving a painful wedge between Orhan and Fatma. The Emperor’s command that Asporça marry Orhan ignites jealousy in Nilüfer and threatens to upend fragile alliances. Alaeddin is ambushed on his envoy mission and left near death, pushing Sultan Orhan—already grieving Flavius—to swear vengeance and launch a bold night assault on Karacahisar.
Episode 19: Episode 19
Orhan and Asporça are trapped by Şahinşah, Demirhan, and later Andronikos, forcing Orhan into desperate, risky moves to save her. Evrenos uncovers his origins while a deadly clash leaves Yiğit near death. Alaeddin’s worsening condition throws Bursa into fear, and Nilüfer is gravely injured during Daphne’s capture. As Asporça faces execution and Orhan walks into another trap, their survival hangs by a thread.
Episode 20: Episode 20
Sultan Orhan strikes Şahinşah’s camp, triggering a vicious counter‑trap from Şahinşah and Demirhan. Yiğit’s quest for vengeance ends in flames, pushing Didar toward a bloody reckoning. Evrenos and Fatma reunite and seek marriage amid palace tension. To secure a powerful alliance, Orhan chooses to marry Asporça, shaking Nilüfer and ushering in a new political era for Bursa.
Episode 21: Episode 21
Orhan’s marriage to Asporça ignites palace chaos: Nilüfer challenges her, enemies plot bloodshed, Daphne schemes escape, and Evrenos fights to save Fatma. Amid the turmoil, Nilüfer gives birth with Asporça at her side, shifting their rivalry, while Orhan welcomes a new prince and renews his oath as greater battles gather.
Episode 22: Episode 22
Sultan Orhan and Asporça’s political marriage disrupts the palace, pushing Nilüfer into open defiance as jealousy and fear strain her bond with Orhan, while enemies accuse Dursun of treachery and drag him toward an uncertain fate, Yiğit hunts Evrenos and Fatma with burning vengeance, and Orhan’s campaign for Çınarlı leads him, Boran Bey, and Cerkutay Bey straight into a deadly ambush that may demand sacrifice and reshape the empire’s rise.
Episode 23: Episode 23
Sultan Orhan charges into vengeance and chaos as he hunts Asporça through a deadly monastery, while palace tensions, Yiğit’s brutal trap, and Gonca’s life‑or‑death childbirth push everyone to the brink; in the midst of it all, Orhan and Asporça’s fiery clash hints that their dangerous escape may forge an unexpected new bond.
Episode 24: Episode 24
Asporça’s return ignites a fierce clash with Nilüfer, strains her bond with Orhan, and unfolds alongside rising political threats, a wedding scandal that shakes the palace, a deadly trap set for Orhan, and Dursun’s life hanging by a thread – a storm tightening around everyone.
Episode 25: Episode 25
Sultan Orhan drives toward İznik and İzmit while vowing revenge after Şahinşah’s ambush, as palace tensions explode between Asporça and Nilüfer, Dursun defies his power‑hungry brother, and Fatma and Evrenos fall into a deadly trap that forces Orhan into a race against the flames.
Where to Watch
Streaming availability varies by region. Check your favorite streaming platform to see if this title is available in your country.