Turkish television series are the second most globally exported series after American series, exported to more than 146 countries and viewed by more than 700 million people on television and digital platforms such as YouTube and Netflix (Ustuk, 2019; “Turkish TV series aim,” 2016). In this paper, I ask: How did Turkish television series transform from a domestic product to a global phenomenon? What is the official government discourse of the television series? I begin with a historical account of Turkish television series, leading to their global distribution, and followed by their development as a new academic endeavor. Additionally, I study official presidential discourse to uncover state intent behind the export of the series. Through a critical political economy approach I systematically analyze news, speeches, and press releases about television series published on the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey website. Since the early 1990s, neoliberal policies transformed the Turkish television industry, and with it, television content in Turkey and abroad. Though President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s words were potent and effectual in supporting the television industry with favorable policies and financial support, producers, distributors, and diplomats laid the groundwork. The government support for the Turkish TV series that followed was motivated by a desire to resurrect the Turkish economy, and with it, Turkish soft power. Though scholars of Turkish TV series tend to postulate economic factors and soft power as dichotomous elements and argue accordingly, studying the presidential discourse of Turkish TV series complicates these conceptions and points to a multifaceted Turkish appeal instigated by multiple developments, captured with neo-Ottoman cool (Kraidy and Al-Ghazzi, 2013). Presidential discourse reveals that TV series are primarily valued for inbound tourism, the single most important driver of the Turkish economy, and secondarily, to supplant local representations of Turkey, and disseminate representations that are in concordance with Turkish interests. References: Kraidy, M. M., & Al-Ghazzi, O. (2013). Neo-ottoman cool: Turkish popular culture in the Arab public sphere. Popular Communication, 11(1), 17-29. Turkish TV series aim to conquer Far East. (2016, December 6). Hurriyet Daily News. https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-tv-series-aim-to-conquer-far-east--106906 Ustuk, H. (2019, November 13). Turkish TV series attract audience from 146 countries. Anadolu Agency. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/culture/turkish-tv-series-attract-audience-from-146-countries/1643829