Northern raveller:
Turkish series go on forever and ever....They changed the advertisement rules sometime in 2000s and the channels asked the production companies to have 2 hr long dramas in order to have 3 advertisement slots. That is why main characters stare one another for too long in many episodes. If the ratings are good, they drag the story as long as possible. No one is happy about it, but it is one of the rules of doing business with popular TV channels.
Same is the case with almost every country. You must not have seen Pakistani, Thai or Indian dramas, there is no logic in them, relationships are so complicated that you cannot understand, continuity is not taken care of.
I don't mind watching a long drama but it is well written and presented