Netflix Pulls 'If Only' After Turkish Government Demands Removal of Gay Character

A new Netflix original Turkish series announced in March, "If Only," has been canceled, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Allegedly, the Turkish government demanded Netflix remove a gay character from the script in order to receive a filming license. Instead of nixing the character, Netflix canceled the show altogether.

Netflix had announced the eight-part romantic drama in March. Produced by Turkish shingle Ay Yapim, If Only was set to feature Turkish film star �zge �zpirincci.

Though homosexuality in Turkey has been legal for nearly a century, the current Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has "lead a nationwide crackdown on freedom of expression. Turkey has arrested tens of thousands of people, including many journalists, in recent years for alleged ties to anti-government and terrorist groups" after a failed military coup in 2016. This "crackdown" includes continued attempts to oppress the country's LGBTQ+ people through loose and broad interpretations of a law pertaining to "offenses against public morality."

Interestingly, the Turkish government did not demand the censorship of LGBTQ+-related content in popular Netflix shows such as "Orange is the New Black" and "Hollywood," both of which aired in Turkey in their original forms.

Despite pulling the plug on "If Only," Deadline reports that according to the platform's spokesperson:

"Netflix remains deeply committed to our Turkish members and the creative community in Turkey. We are proud of the incredible talent we work with. We currently have several Turkish originals in production – with more to come – and look forward to sharing these stories with our members all around the world."