Turkish for Beginners (Türkisch für Anfänger)

This German comedy drama has first been broadcast in 2006 and has run for two series of 12 and 24 episodes respectively. A third series is currently in production.

It's about a hippie psychologist mother of two who moves in with a Turkish-German police officer, who himself has a chav but handsome son and a radical muslim daughter. There's also a Nazi grandpa who only gets along with the muslim girl.

Here's a version with English subtitles (the translations are a bit on the experimental side):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax8OuPrYmyk

Discuss.

I can barely bring myself to watch anything on YouTube which lasts longer than a minute, but found myself watching that entire first episode. Really enjoyed it, very funny at times, and Lena is gorgeous. I would love to see this on DVD with English subtitles, and the format is ripe for the buying. Now I must try and find further episodes for normal download, 'cos YouTube kills me.

Thank you Finck!

I stuck it for five minutes and thought it was ok. Always good to hear someone called Schneider as well. So, its not quite comedy gold(en shower) from me - sorry.

I haven't found any other episode with subtitles.

If you really like it, I could do the translating and subtitling. Might take a while, though.

I would like to see at least the second to see what it is like, if/when you have the time, yes please!

Quote: Nigel Kelly @ August 6 2008, 1:34 PM BST

I stuck it for five minutes and thought it was ok. Always good to hear someone called Schneider as well. So, its not quite comedy gold(en shower) from me - sorry.

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Well, it still is a German TV show. It couldn't be comedy gold, even if it tried.

I was saying sorry for my atrocious joke. Always good to see something new Finck.

Quote: Aaron @ August 6 2008, 1:30 PM BST

and the format is ripe for the buying.

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Actually, I suppose ... https://www.comedy.co.uk/sitcoms/all_about_me.shtml

Quote: Aaron @ August 6 2008, 1:58 PM BST

Actually, I suppose ... https://www.comedy.co.uk/sitcoms/all_about_me.shtml

View original

"The main problem is that this family sitcom is too afraid to break away for even a moment from being 100% politically correct,..."

That's the difference. This is handled really well in Turkish for Beginners. You never have the feeling that dialogue is not realistic because of concerns about political correctness.

Yeah, that was exactly the problem with All About Me, and exactly what I thought when I re-read the article. I loved it when Yagmur called Lena a Nazi. Really refreshing. But assuming they could even find a British equivalent, you wouldn't get that here. They'd never get broadcast anything remotely close to the kinds of boundaries and edginess that Turkish for Beginners is pushing.

Father Ted, In sickness and in health, Porridge, All Allo, Peep show, Dad's Army,

They all covered difficult subject matter and did it well.

Well maybe not Allo Allo but it had nazis innit.

We do seem to get queezy these days about family oriented shows having controversial material.

Peep Show? How's that "difficult"?

Hmm paedophilic drug assisted rape? the Nazi episode? the mental health/sectioning one? The chav burglary one?

Tonnes of stuff, yes it was ina flippant comedic manner.

But how many shows genuinely covered racism at work, or mental break downs at all?

The only thing there I remember is the racism at work.

And it covered it well. Better than mnay so called dramas.