LIFETIME BRINGS “KUMA: THE OTHER WIFE,” A TURKISH DRAMA ABOUT LOVE, POWER, AND A TRADITION THAT SEALS FATES

Miami, March 2026.– LIFETIME introduced the new Turkish international phenomenon “Kuma: The Other Wife” to the Latin American press. At a virtual press event held on Thursday, March 5, media outlets had the opportunity to speak directly with the series’ lead actors, as well as with the producers behind this international hit: Inci Gulen, showrunner and co-producer at Stellar Yapim, and Rosalind Rotundo, Vice President of VIP 2000 TV.

“Kuma: The Other Wife” arrives on LIFETIME every Sunday starting March 15. This 100-episode drama will air in a special format, with three consecutive episodes each week, inviting audiences to immerse themselves in an intense story woven through with passion, family intrigue, and a cultural tradition that shapes the destiny of its characters.

Although Turkish cultural traditions differ from Latin American ones, Turkish dramas have aired across the continent for more than a decade and have maintained a steady hold on audiences. On this point, Rosalind Rotundo noted that this happens because many years ago Turkey used to buy Mexican telenovela formats, and Turkish producers gradually adapted that style of storytelling, giving their own dramas a new twist that turned into major hits.

The Vice President of VIP 2000 TV added that when Kuma was first pitched to them, beyond it being a very powerful melodrama, they also trusted Inci, who had already delivered major hits in Turkey — and she believes that combination is what led them to move forward with the project. She noted that this is VIP’s first co-production in Turkey and described it as a truly wonderful experience given the international success the drama has achieved.

Inci Gulen, creator and showrunner of “Kuma,” commented that Turkish series are very popular in Latin America because the essence is the same — people share the same feelings. She noted that everyone loves, feels envy, falls in love, since these are universal emotions shared by mothers, grandparents, and teenagers alike, which is why these stories resonate so strongly in Latin America.

At the center of “Kuma: The Other Wife” is the figure of the “kuma,” a practice rooted in certain traditional contexts in Turkey, where a woman is brought into a marriage as a second wife with no rights or voice of her own. The series exposes the emotional and social toll of this condition, and how this role affects not only the woman who bears it, but the entire family structure.

Inci Gulen explained that the kuma is an interesting and very old practice that still exists today, but that at the heart of this particular story there’s something beyond the kuma theme itself — namely, a man who falls in love with this young woman and wants to save her, and in order to do so, must take her on as a second wife. She described the underlying story as a very innocent love story, noting that unfortunately this kind of situation happens in different places around the world, not just Turkey — having lovers, having a second wife. In this case, she said, they wanted to focus on the story of the second wife, but from the innocence of love and care for another person.

Starring Emre Özmen and Aybüke Yilmaz, the story follows Ceylan Kervancioğlu, a young woman whose life changes abruptly when her father tries to hand her over as a “kuma” to settle a debt. While fleeing that fate, Ceylan meets Karan Celikhan, a businessman under pressure from his family to marry, who offers her protection and the possibility of a different life, marked by affection and hope.

But family conflicts ultimately take over. Amid a confusing situation marked by deception, Ceylan becomes involved in a murder that changes her destiny and breaks the bond she had begun to build.

Bound by family rules and the weight of tradition, Karan makes a decision that condemns Ceylan to become his “kuma.” From that moment on, she faces humiliation, constant tension, and a daily struggle to survive emotionally. Trapped in a home where she isn’t welcome and unable to return to her own, her only hope will be to uncover the truth and reclaim her dignity.

Talking about her character Ceylan, Aybüke Yilmaz shared that to prepare for the role, she worked to get inside Ceylan’s inner world and feelings.

She described Ceylan as a difficult character because of her many family problems and the emotional blows she suffers over the man she loves. Yilmaz said her approach is to try to step into Ceylan’s life, her dreams, and her inner world, imagining her entire emotional landscape as she builds the character — asking herself what Ceylan would do in a given situation, what she would think, how she would feel, even how she would eat or sleep. She said she imagines all of these details of Ceylan’s life and lets herself fantasize about them, which helps her portray the role.

On what it means to be a kuma, as a woman, Yilmaz said it’s unfortunately something that still exists, rooted in the past. She explained that it actually began as a way to look after and protect women, but that over time it changed and took on a different shape. She personally sees it as something negative, though she acknowledged there are cultures and people who accept it and live with it. What matters most to her, she said, is that they tell this story differently — not as something a woman simply accepts. Instead, she said, the focus is on the man’s desire to try to look after this woman: at its heart, “Kuma” is a love story, not about a woman accepting being a second wife, but about a woman accepting that Karan wants to care for and protect Ceylan out of love.

During the meeting with Latin American media, actress Hilal Tüfek, who plays Sema — the woman who constantly clashes with Ceylan over Karan’s elusive love — also spoke about her character.

Tüfek said Sema isn’t a woman who always does the right thing, but that she built a backstory for her — what kind of family she came from, how she lived, why she does things that make her hard to love, what her problem and her trauma are. She said focusing on those questions led to something very interesting. She noted that television doesn’t always tell “good” stories, and that they don’t see the concept of the kuma as something positive — but they do see it as positive to show how far love can push someone, and how far a person can go for love. She said that through Sema, viewers also get to see that side of things — how far someone will go for love.

On this love triangle, actor Emre Özmen, who plays Karan, spoke about his role and what it means to live with two wives.

Özmen said it might be difficult to live with both, but that the easier part is that there’s one he truly loves. He noted that this isn’t so unusual — there are people who live with more than one person at a time, or who flirt with several people at once — and that in this case, the point is that it’s something done out of love, and the sacrifice one makes for love. He said that at the start of the story, he didn’t judge the character much; he accepted everything Karan was going through, all his genuine feelings. Rather than digging too deeply into what was happening to him internally, Özmen said what he focused on most seriously was what Karan is capable of for love, and how much he truly loves this woman — and that’s what he tried to imagine: everything a person can become for love.

On the evolution of Turkish dramas to keep engaging audiences in Latin America, Rosalind Rotundo spoke about the importance of filming locations in these stories.

She said the evolution has been constant. As seen across Latin America, Turkish telenovelas have displaced novelas from other countries — mainly on broadcast television — that used to dominate the region, such as Colombian or Mexican productions. She explained that this shift happened because when viewers watch a Turkish novela, they see different landscapes, a different kind of beauty, something exotic that wasn’t present in Latin American telenovelas — and she believes that raised the bar for Latin American audiences, which is why Turkish dramas have increasingly won over the Latin American market.

Filmed in the striking locations of Cappadocia and Istanbul, “Kuma: The Other Wife” is a co-production of GoQuest Media, Stellar Yapim, and VIP 2000 TV. Since its 2025 premiere, the series has ranked among Turkey’s most-watched productions and has sparked interest across various international markets throughout Asia, Europe, and Latin America, establishing itself as one of the most talked-about titles in recent Turkish drama.

With this new addition, LIFETIME strengthens its commitment to stories centered on resilient women navigating deep emotional conflict and complex cultural realities, inviting audiences to reflect on the weight of tradition and the pursuit of personal justice.

ABOUT THE CAST

Aybüke Yilmaz (Ceylan)
Aybüke Yilmaz was born on September 30, 1993, in Turkey. She is an actress known for Fedakar (2023), Kuma: The Other Wife (2025), and Sahipsizler (2024).

Emre Özmen (Karan)
Emre Özmen was born on April 22, 1990, in Istanbul, Turkey. He is an actor known for Kumpas, Şeytan-ı İnsan (2019), Bir Zamanlar Kıbrıs (2021), and Kuma: The Other Wife (2025).

Hilal Tüfek (Sema Celikhan)
Hilal Tüfek was born on September 5, 2002, in Turkey. She is an actress known for Hicran (2022), Toprak ile Fidan (2022), and Kuma: The Other Wife (2025).