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Netflix cancels TV series over pressure from Turkey to remove gay character

Photo credit: Anadolu Agency - Getty Images
Photo credit: Anadolu Agency - Getty Images

From Digital Spy

Netflix has cancelled plans to film series If Only in Turkey following objection from the government over a gay character in the series.

The streamer has opted to completely pull out of producing the series from writer Ece Yorenc just before it was due to begin filming with Turkish film star Özge Özpirinçci, according to The Financial Times.

Yorenc told Turkish news outlet Altyazi Fasikul that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government wouldn't grant Netflix a filming permit for If Only unless the writer agreed to cut out a gay character in the series.

Netflix executives reportedly declined to bow to censorship orders, choosing instead to shut down the series entirely — a decision that has also proved controversial, since there are other locations where the series conceivably could have been produced with the gay character included.

Photo credit: Pacific Press - Getty Images
Photo credit: Pacific Press - Getty Images

"Due to a gay character, permission to film the series was not granted and this is very frightening for the future," Yorenc noted.

A spokesperson for Erdogan's Justice and Development Party confirmed Netflix was pressured to remove the gay character. Meanwhile, Netflix has denied that it is planning to cancel all future production in Turkey.

Netflix has previously complied with demands from the Turkish government to take down content, including locally removing a Designated Survivor episode in which a fictitious leader from the country is depicted as villainous.

At the time, a Netflix spokesperson said: "Following a demand from the Turkish regulator, we have removed one episode of Designated Survivor from Netflix in Turkey only, to comply with local law."

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

Related: Netflix removes It's Always Sunny episode over blackface scenes

That specific Designated Survivor episode remains available to watch in all other countries outside of Turkey, but Netflix's decision to bow to censorship remains controversial.


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