Esref's Dream

As a boy, Eşref carried a private obsession: a girl he called "Rüya" who haunted his imagination. Years later that longing has warped into power, and he rules an underworld from a luxury hotel that doubles as his fortress. When Nisan, a hopeful musician, performs at one of the hotel's events she ends up in danger, and Eşref quickly becomes drawn to her. Neither knows the full truth: Nisan is the woman he once chased, and she is also working with the police. The series tracks the collision of old promises, undercover loyalties, and criminal ambition, setting up a tense romance that complicates both love and authority without resolving its central mysteries too soon.

Directed by Uluç Bayraktar and created by Ethem Özışık, the 2025 Turkish drama stars Çağatay Ulusoy, Demet Özdemir, Büşra Develi, Necip Memili, and Ahmet Rıfat Şungar. Its production emphasizes glossy hotel interiors and nighttime cityscapes, framing a crime story with mainstream star power.

As of its 2025 release there are no major international awards attached to Esref's Dream. The series is new to awards cycles, so formal recognition may come later as it reaches broader critics and festival programming.

Early audience chatter has focused on the leads and the show's atmosphere, with viewers noting Ulusoy and Özdemir's chemistry and the moody hotel setting. Online discussions compare it to recent Turkish crime dramas that mix romance and underworld politics, and some viewers highlight its serialized melodrama and stylistic choices.

Critical and fan reaction has been mixed to positive, reflected in a modest 7.2/10 user score from early votes. Reviewers and viewers point to themes of identity, obsession, the cost of power, and conflicted loyalties, especially how personal history warps criminal authority. The show leans on romance and moral complexity to keep viewers guessing about who can be trusted and what price redemption might demand.