Director: Behnam Behzadi

Cast: Saeed Aghakhani, Mehdi Hosseininia, Shadi Mokhtari, Reza Behboudi, Yekta Naser

Bist O Yek (Twenty-One) is a 2026 Iranian crime-drama series directed by Behnam Behzadi, following a mysterious and complicated police investigation that grows darker the deeper it goes. With a cast led by Saeed Aghakhani, Behnaz Jafari, and Yekta Naser, each episode runs approximately 52 minutes.

What is Bist O Yek about?

When a complex criminal case lands on investigators' desks, what begins as procedure quickly turns into something far more layered. Bist O Yek builds its tension not through explosive revelations but through the slow accumulation of detail — contradictions in testimony, questions that multiply faster than answers, and the weight of lives shaped by having to fight for every inch. The series threads a quiet theme through its crime framework: women who have been forged, not broken, by difficult circumstances. The case unfolds across Drama, Crime, and Mystery registers, keeping the viewer oriented in atmosphere rather than shock.

Cast & crew

Behnam Behzadi, whose previous work has earned him recognition in Iranian cinema, directs all episodes. The ensemble includes Saeed Aghakhani and Mehdi Hosseininia alongside Yekta Naser and Behnaz Jafari — two of the most consistent presences in contemporary Iranian dramatic television — with further performances from Shadi Mokhtari, Reza Behboudi, Bahare Kianafshar, and Nahid Moslemi.

Context & significance

Iranian serial crime-drama has developed a distinct voice over the past decade: slower-burning than its Western counterparts, more attentive to domestic pressure and moral ambiguity than to procedural mechanics. Bist O Yek sits in that tradition. For diaspora viewers who grew up watching Iranian television, or who want to stay connected to what is currently being produced in Iran, a 2026 crime series directed by a filmmaker of Behzadi's caliber is a meaningful entry point — watchable in the original Persian, without the distance a translation creates.

Where & how to watch

Bist O Yek streams on K-Time in its original Persian. No VPN is required — the service is available wherever you are, on web, TV, or phone. Start or cancel your membership at any time.