The Turkish TV series Kuruluş Osman is vast in scale. With 194 episodes spanning six seasons, it premiered on 20 November 2019, and ran until 4 June 2025 on the ATV network. That length is measured in years rather than hours, and the series justifies almost all of its runtime. Mehmet Bozdağ created it, and Metin Günay directed it. The show follows the earlier series Diriliş: Ertuğrul, which aired from 2014 to 2019 on TRT 1. Kuruluş Osman continues the story of Osman Bey, son of Ertuğrul and the founder of the Ottoman Empire, as he transforms a small Turkic tribe into a sovereign state.
A tale of war, politics and adventure, this drama sets Osman against the Byzantine Empire and the Mongols while also facing betrayal from his own ranks. Through these struggles, he proves himself both as a fighter and a ruler. Faith and honour guide the story, which charts the founding of one of history’s most enduring empires.
Trailer, via atv.
Osman Bey and the Weight of History
Burak Özçivit carries the whole series on his shoulders as Osman Bey. The third and youngest son of Ertuğrul Ghazi and Halime Hatun, he is the younger brother of Gündüz Bey and Savcı Bey, and treats his aunt Selcan Hatun as his own mother. Married to Bala Hatun and Malhun Hatun, he is also the father of Orhan, Alaeddin Ali, Fatma Hatun and Halime Hatun.
The goal he sets for himself is modest: to walk in the path of his father Ertuğrul, following the example of their grandfather Süleyman Şah. Extremely observant of his surroundings, he handles a sword with great skill, much like his father. He sometimes disobeys his beys, choosing instead the road he judges will lead to success. His soft spot lies with those close to him, a trait that leaves him open to being ensnared. On the battlefield and at the bargaining table alike, he puts his foes to shame, leaving behind a burning desire for vengeance.
The Bey of his tribe is elected in Season 2, and he chooses to take a second wife in accordance with his father’s will, while also altering the Kayi flag. He presses forward in his campaign for a free realm through conquests such as:
- Kuluchisar
- Inegol
- Marmaracik
- Koyunhisar
- Koprihisar
- Yarhisar
- Bilecik
These make up the territory of Yenişehir, Itburnu, Kestel, Kite, Atranos and Karadin Castle. His holdings also include Karachisar and Soğut, both of which were taken by his father Ertuğrul. He now sets his sights on Bursa, resolved to conquer it.
“He is a fierce warrior for his enemies and a kind ruler for his subjects no matter their religion.”
Before the final chapter of Season 5, he declares his independent realm “Osmanli Beyliği”, which is known as an Ottoman Beylik.
Bala Hatun and the Family Line
Bala Hatun is played by Özge Törer, and she is the first wife of Osman Bey and the mother of Alaeddin Ali and Halime Hatun. Her father is Sheikh Edebali, and her mother is Ulduz Hatun, who died from a disease. Bala is described as a beautiful painter and best friends with Gonca Hatun.
The family unit is the engine of the show. Osman’s brothers, his nephews, his wives and his children all get their own arcs, and the series tracks how loyalty holds together a tribe under siege from every direction. The show’s strength is its willingness to sit with the personal cost of empire-building — the betrayals, the losses, the quiet moments of grief that sit alongside the grand military victories.
Cast of Characters Around Osman
A large number of actors round out the cast. Emre Bey portrays Orhan Bey, who is Osman’s son. Ecem Sena Bayır appears as Holofira, while Alaeddin Bey is played by Ömer Faruk Aran. Belgin Şimşek takes on the part of Gonca Hatun, and Leya Kırşan plays Fatma Melek Hatun. Yiğit Uçan performs as Boran Alp, with Çağrı Şensoy playing Cerkutay. Begüm Çağla Taşkın appears as Ulgen Hatun, Murat Boncuk plays Aykurt Alp, and Özgür Çevik portrays Komutan Lucas.
The series gives each character their own time in the spotlight, and it goes to great lengths to develop its ensemble beyond just the lead. That dedication to detail is among the reasons the show lasts as long as it does — there is always a fresh face to introduce, a grudge to settle, or a bond to build.
The Byzantine and Mongol Wars
Many enemies threaten from without, and two stand above the rest: the Byzantine Empire and the Mongol Ilkhanate. Osman devotes much of his time to freeing himself from the Sultanate of Rum so that he may found a realm capable of standing firm against both those powers. With the aid of faithful companions, kin and allies, the show shows how he surmounts these difficulties.
Warfare in the Middle Ages is not glossed over in this production. Detailed battles take place, alliances are broken, and the show does not look away from what building an empire from nothing entails. The founding of the Ottoman Beylik feels inevitable, yet the series still makes space for moments of doubt and failure within that broader story.
Faith and Honour as the Driving Force
Faith and honour define the series from start to finish. Every episode returns to these values, which shape Osman’s choices, even when they place him against his own beys. Loyalty, courage and sacrifice are celebrated throughout, and the characters are treated as people of principle rather than simple parts in a historical machine.
The story carries a moral gravity that distinguishes it from other historical dramas. Its characters act with intention, and their deeds have repercussions that spread through the tribe and beyond. This is not a show built around spectacle alone; instead, it centers on the reasons people fight, and what they are prepared to give up in order to prevail.
The Long Run and Its Payoff
Asking viewers to invest in six seasons is a significant request, and the series justifies that investment through patience. It never hurries, instead letting each season rest upon the last, adding new castles, new allies and new enemies along the way until the final declaration of the Ottoman Beylik arrives with a sense of inevitability rather than suddenness. The rhythm stays unhurried throughout, and the series trusts its audience to keep track of who the characters are and what they desire.
After so many episodes, the final season delivers on the promise made earlier, closing the story with a sense of resolution that few shows manage to achieve. Osman’s declaration of his free state “Osmanli Beyliği” marks the ending, and the show does not leave viewers hanging — it concludes on a note of triumph instead of uncertainty.
Where It Falls Short
Not every production succeeds at every turn, and Kuruluş Osman has stretches where its scope outruns its craft. Certain episodes read as padding, extending story threads that might have ended sooner. The series’ length offers breathing room for its narrative, yet it also strains the attention of viewers who would rather spend their evenings elsewhere.
The pacing problem is the biggest drawback here. The show drags at times, with repeated sequences and subplots that linger beyond what is necessary. These are small complaints for a production of this size, but they are genuine ones, and they prevent the show from attaining the very pinnacle of its genre.
The Verdict
Kuruluş Osman stands as a great achievement in television, one that honors its audience’s time through careful treatment of its story and construction of a lived-in world filled with characters who feel like real people instead of mere historical figures. The show is not without flaws, and it demands much from its viewers, yet the reward is genuine.
What makes the show work is its total dedication to the idea that the founding of an empire is a human story, not a dry historical footnote. The tale follows a man, his family, his tribe and his foes, and it unfolds that tale with skill, patience and a real emotional heart.
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