''Tulsa King'' is an American

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

television series created by

Taylor Sheridan Taylor Sheridan (born May 21, 1970) is an American filmmaker and actor. Sheridan portrayed David Hale (Sons of Anarchy), David Hale in the FX (TV channel), FX television series ''Sons of Anarchy'' and Danny Boyd in ''Veronica Mars'' (2005–2007 ...

with

Terence Winter Terence Patrick Winter (born October 2, 1960) is an American writer and producer of television and film. He is the creator, writer, and executive producer of the HBO television series ''Boardwalk Empire'' (2010–14). Before creating ''Boardwal ...

showrunning A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...

for

Paramount+ Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

. The series stars

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

, marking his first leading role in a scripted television series. Stallone plays a Mafia capo who just got out of prison and is sent to

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, where he begins to set up a criminal organization. It premiered on November 13, 2022. In November 2022, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise

Dwight "The General" Manfredi is a New York Mafia capo who has just finished serving a 25-year prison sentence. Upon release, his boss sends him to

, to establish criminal operations there. Not knowing anyone in the area, the General seeks a new crew to help establish his empire.

Cast

Main

as Dwight "The General" Manfredi, a capo in the Invernizzi family who is given Tulsa after serving 25 years in prison for murder. *

Andrea Savage Andrea Kristen Savage (born February 20, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, and writer known for her roles in projects such as the Comedy Central mockumentary series '' Dog Bites Man'' (2006), the comedy film '' Step Brothers'' (2008), Hulu ...

as Stacy Beale, Manfredi's love interest and a senior

ATF The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as the ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and preven ...

agent *

Martin Starr Martin James Pflieger Schienle (born July 30, 1982), professionally known as Martin Starr, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for the television roles of Bill Haverchuck on the short-lived comedy drama '' Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2 ...

as Lawrence "Bodhi" Geigerman, a weed dealer recruited by Manfredi to help finance his syndicate * Jay Will as Tyson Mitchell, a former taxi driver who becomes Dwight’s driver and the first member of the Manfredi syndicate. *

Max Casella Max Casella (born Maximilian Deitch; June 6, 1967) is an American actor. He is known for his roles on the television series ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'', ''The Sopranos'', ''Boardwalk Empire'', ''Vinyl'', '' Cro'' and the voice of Daxter in the ''Jak ...

as Armand "Manny" Truisi, a former Invernizzi

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

who made a new life in Tulsa working at Fennario horse ranch, after breaking his vow to the family. He joins Manfredi's crew after unsuccessfully trying to kill him. *

Domenick Lombardozzi Domenico "Domenick" Lombardozzi (, ; born March 25, 1976) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Herc in ''The Wire'', and is also known for his roles in ''A Bronx Tale'' (1993), '' Entourage'', and ''The Irishman'' (2019). Ca ...

as Don Charles "Chickie" Invernizzi,

underboss Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The underbo ...

of the Invernizzi family *

Vincent Piazza Vincent Piazza (born May 25, 1976) is an American film, television and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of gangster Lucky Luciano in the HBO television series ''Boardwalk Empire''. He has also played Earl Hefner in the comedy-dra ...

as Vince Antonacci, Chickie's top capo * A.C. Peterson as Pete "The Rock" Invernizzi, ailing boss of the Invernizzi family *

Garrett Hedlund Garrett John Hedlund (born September 3, 1984) is an American actor. His films include ''Troy'' (2004), '' Friday Night Lights'' (2004), '' Four Brothers'' (2005), ''Eragon'' (2006), ''Death Sentence'' (2007), '' Tron: Legacy'' (2010), ''Country ...

as Mitch Keller, an ex-

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

star, ex-convict, and current bar owner who is an associate of the Manfredi syndicate *

Dana Delany Dana Welles Delany (born March 13, 1956) is an American actress. After appearing in small roles early in her career, Delany received her breakthrough role as Colleen McMurphy on the ABC television drama '' China Beach'' (1988–1991), for whic ...

as Margaret Devereaux, the owner of the Fennario horse ranch

Recurring

Annabella Sciorra Annabella Gloria Philomena Sciorra ( , ; born March 29, 1960) is an American actress. She came to prominence with her film debut in '' True Love'' (1989), earning an Independent Spirit nomination for Best Female Lead. Subsequent projects include ...

as Joanne Manfredi, Dwight's younger sister *

Ritchie Coster Ritchie Coster (born 1 July 1967) is an English actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Dietrich Banning in '' The Tuxedo'' (2002), the Chechen in ''The Dark Knight'' (2008), Elias Kassar in '' Blackhat'' (2015), Mayor Austin Chessani o ...

as Caolan Waltrip, the Irish leader of the

outlaw biker An outlaw motorcycle club is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, ...

club “The Black Macadams” * Emily Davis as Roxanne "Roxy" Harrington, Manny’s co-worker, a Black Macadams old lady, and an informant for Stacy. *

Ronnie Gene Blevins Ronnie Gene Blevins (born June 20, 1977) is an American character actor. He is best known for his role as small-time criminal Willie Russell in the 2013 film '' Joe'', directed by David Gordon Green. Career His TV credits include '' NCIS'', '' ...

as Ben Hutchins *

Barry Corbin Leonard Barrie Corbin (born October 16, 1940) is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Maurice Minnifield on the television series '' Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), which earned him two consecutive Primetime Emmy Awar ...

as Babe *

Michael Beach Michael Anthony Beach (born October 30, 1963) is an American actor. He has appeared in films '' Lean on Me'' (1989), ''One False Move'' (1992), ''Short Cuts'' (1993), ''Waiting to Exhale'' (1995), ''A Family Thing'' (1996), ''Soul Food'' (1997), ...

as Mark Mitchell, Tyson's father * Tatiana Zappardino as Tina Manfredi, a

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

florist and Dwight's estranged daughter * Scarlet Rose Stallone as Spencer, a former waitress who Dwight hires to care for his prize horse. * Chris Caldovino as Dennis "Goodie" Carangi, a member of Chickie's crew before joining Manfredi *

Alan Autry Carlos Alan Autry Jr. (also known for a time as Carlos Brown; born July 31, 1952), is an American actor, politician, and former National Football League player. During his brief football career, he was known as Carlos Brown. He played the ro ...

as Brian Gillen, former owner of Fennario Ranch and Margaret Devereaux's ex-husband

Episodes

Production

''Tulsa King'' was first announced in December 2021 as ''Kansas City'', a new

series created by

and showrun by

was cast in the lead role, where he made his scripted television debut. It was ordered to series by February 2022, and the title and concept were reworked to take place in

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

instead of

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, with

, and Jay Will added to the cast. In May, A.C. Peterson,

, and

were cast.

was added in June. In August,

was added to the cast. Sheridan created the series during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, taking a week to come up with the idea, write the

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

, and recruit Stallone to the project. Some filming occcured in Tulsa on March 29, 2022, at

Tulsa International Airport Tulsa International Airport is a civil-military airport five miles (8 km) northeast of downtown Tulsa, in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named Tulsa Municipal Airport when the city acquired it in 1929; Most interior filming occurred in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

at Prairie Surf Media, which also hosted the production offices for the entire first season; most other exterior location filming also occurred there. On November 30, 2022, Paramount+ renewed the series for a second season. In February 2023, Winter was announced to have stepped down as showrunner, due to creative differences, with search underway for a new showrunner. At this time it was also reported that the second season would not film in Oklahoma due to financial costs and complaints from the cast and crew who did not like the extreme Oklahoma temperatures.

Release

The series initially premiered along with the first episode of

Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...

's season 5 in a special screening in AMC theaters, October 29–30, 2022, prior to their release on Paramount+. The series premiered on November 13, 2022, on Paramount+. The first two episodes of ''Tulsa King'' received special linear television airings on

Paramount Network Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was or ...

on November 20 and 27, serving as a lead-out for the fifth season of ''

''.

Reception

The

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

reported a 79% approval rating and an average rating of 6.6/10, based on 47 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "''Tulsa King''s stale comedy sometimes feels like ordering spaghetti with marinara and instead getting egg noodles and ketchup, but Sylvester Stallone still commands the screen with his swaggering charm." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, it has a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

score of 65 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Libertarian commentator

James Delingpole James Mark Court Delingpole (born 6 August 1965) is an English writer, journalist, and columnist who has written for a number of publications, including the '' Daily Mail'', the '' Daily Express'', ''The Times'', ''The Daily Telegraph'', and ' ...

, an English journalist, writing in ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'', wondered "how morally warped does an audience have to be to root for a character whose primary goal is to transform somewhere relatively sweet and innocent into yet another urban cesspit?" and wrote that "the worrying suspicion arises that our perceived nostalgia for Stallone is being asked to do all the heavy lifting here." He concluded that "writers Taylor Sheridan and Terence Winter could have exploited all this in a storyline that didn't leave such a nasty taste in the mouth." The premiere episode that aired on Paramount Network on November 20, 2022, had 3.7 million viewers, "making it the best new linear cable premiere of 2022".

References

External links

* * {{Paramount+ 2020s American crime drama television series 2022 American television series debuts English-language television shows Paramount+ original programming Television series about organized crime Television series created by Taylor Sheridan Television shows filmed in Oklahoma Television shows set in Tulsa, Oklahoma Works about the American Mafia