According to the Turkish Exporters Assembly, 170 countries buy up Turkish series each year. In 2023, these productions are said to have racked up about $600 million (€575 million) in exports.

Obviously, it could collapse in acrimony in the next few hours, but the relentless behind-the-scenes work by Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi Arabian fight fixer, to somehow bring together two of the ...