Tulsa King
Tulsa King is an American crime drama television series created by Taylor Sheridan with Terence Winter showrunning for Paramount+. The series stars Sylvester Stallone, 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, 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.
| Tulsa King | |
|---|---|
Promotional release poster | |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Taylor Sheridan |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Running time | 36–43 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Distributor | Paramount Global Distribution Group |
| Release | |
| Original network | Paramount+ |
| Original release | November 13, 2022 – present |
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 Tulsa, Oklahoma, to establish criminal operations there. Not knowing anyone in the area, the General seeks a new crew to help establish his empire.
Cast
Main
- Sylvester Stallone 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 as Stacy Beale, Manfredi's love interest and a senior ATF agent
- Martin Starr 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 as Armand "Manny" Truisi, a former Invernizzi soldier 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 as Don Charles "Chickie" Invernizzi, underboss of the Invernizzi family
- Vincent Piazza as Vince Antonacci, Chickie's top capo
- A.C. Peterson as Pete "The Rock" Invernizzi, ailing boss of the Invernizzi family
- Garrett Hedlund as Mitch Keller, an ex-rodeo star, ex-convict, and current bar owner who is an associate of the Manfredi syndicate
- Dana Delany as Margaret Devereaux, the owner of the Fennario horse ranch
Recurring
- Annabella Sciorra as Joanne Manfredi, Dwight's younger sister
- Ritchie Coster as Caolan Waltrip, the Irish leader of the outlaw biker 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 as Ben Hutchins
- Barry Corbin as Babe
- Michael Beach as Mark Mitchell, Tyson's father
- Tatiana Zappardino as Tina Manfredi, a Brooklyn 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 as Brian Gillen, former owner of Fennario Ranch and Margaret Devereaux's ex-husband
Episodes
| No. | Title [1] | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [2] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Go West, Old Man" | Allen Coulter | Teleplay by : Taylor Sheridan and Terence Winter Story by : Taylor Sheridan | November 13, 2022 | |
| Dwight Manfredi is released from prison 25 years after committing a murder for New York's Invernizzi crime family. Despite staying quiet in order to protect boss Pete "The Rock" Invernizzi and his son, Don Charles "Chickie" Invernizzi, Dwight is told to go to Tulsa since the family doesn't have any prospects for him in New York. Dwight is furious and winds up punching out one of Chickie's men, Vince, in his anger. Arriving in Tulsa, he obtains a car and a hotel room to work out of and hires taxi driver Tyson as his associate. Upon learning that weed is legally sold at a local dispensary, Dwight offers "protection" to the owner, Lawrence "Bodhi" Geigerman. As Dwight continues making contacts in Tulsa and establishing his base of operations, the FBI learns of his presence and issues a bulletin to all federal agents in Tulsa. One of them is Stacy Beale, an ATF agent who recently slept with Dwight. | |||||
| 2 | "Center of the Universe" | Allen Coulter | Terence Winter & Joseph Riccobene | November 20, 2022 | |
| Tyson convinces Dwight to get a new drivers' license so he can obtain a debit card for expenses. He then visits Bodhi and insists on meeting with his supplier, Jimmy. After thoroughly educating himself on the intricacies of legalized marijuana, Dwight cuts a more favorable deal with Jimmy for better product. Tyson's father, Mark, grows concerned that his son is throwing away any chance he has of a future by associating with Dwight. Chickie agrees to a request from Vince that he be given a large cash gift from Dwight to squash their beef. Stacy visits Dwight to reveal who she works for; he insists that she has nothing to fear from him. A ranch hand, Armand, discovers Dwight's presence and begins planning to take action against him. Dwight uses his debit card to pay for information on his estranged daughter, Tina. He tries to call her, but she refuses to talk to him after he cut her out of his life 18 years earlier. | |||||
| 3 | "Caprice" | Ben Richardson | Regina Corrado | November 27, 2022 | |
| Stacy is assigned to investigate the Black Macadams, a local biker gang, after a member commits suicide with explosives in his house. During his driving test, a masked Armand tries to shoot Dwight; he survives, but the experience convinces him to end his relationship with Tyson. Tyson, who is infatuated with his new gangster lifestyle, rebuffs Dwight and insists on working as his right-hand man. Dwight brings Bodhi and Mitch in on a scheme to sell nitrous oxide as a party drug during an upcoming Tulsa music festival, convincing Mitch to use his bar as a front to obtain supplies of the gas without suspicion. Stacy reconnects with Dwight after they share dinner, and winds up sleeping with him again. Dwight conducts his own investigation, using various contacts to identify Armand as the shooter. He buys a gun, but while preparing to kill the man at his home, he hesitates after seeing Armand's young son run out to hug him. | |||||
| 4 | "Visitation Place" | Ben Semanoff | Dave Flebotte | December 4, 2022 | |
| Dwight waits until Armand is alone and then questions him. When Armand reveals that the Invernizzi family tried to have him killed during his prison sentence, Dwight spares him and instead demands a monthly cut of his income. Dwight's plan to sell the nitrous hits a setback when Black Macadam bikers, who are selling drugs at the same festival, beat up his crew and steal the gas tanks. To resolve the problem, Dwight and his men (accompanied by Mark) surprise the bikers as they are packing up for the night, rough them up with baseball bats, and take back the tanks and their stolen money. Tyson and his father reconcile, but Tyson finds himself torn between his family and his loyalty to Dwight. Armand assaults a rude neighbor and decides not to move out of Tulsa. Stacy has sex with a handsome stranger who buys her a drink. Dwight, with the help of his sister Joanne, says goodbye to his dying younger brother Joey. | |||||
| 5 | "Token Joe" | Ben Semanoff | Joseph Riccobene | December 11, 2022 | |
| Dwight flies to Brooklyn so he can attend Joey's funeral in person while also taking the opportunity to finally speak with Tina. Tina still refuses to forgive her father, and reveals that during his time in prison, she was raped by one of Chickie's men, Nico, despite Pete swearing to protect her when Dwight was convicted. An enraged Dwight beats Nico to death in front of Chickie and Vince. Caolan Waltrip, Black Macadam's sergeant-at-arms, has dirty state cops on his payroll arrest Tyson and confiscate his phone. After Tyson is coerced into unlocking it, the bikers learn about Dwight's connection to Bodhi and force him to reveal that Mitch is fronting his drug racket. When the cops attempt to intimidate Mitch, however, he compels them to release Bodhi and leave by explaining that since his bar is on Cherokee tribal land, they have no jurisdiction. Armand is warned by Roxy, his co-worker, to stop encroaching on Waltrip's turf. | |||||
| 6 | "Stable" | Guy Ferland | Dave Flebotte | December 18, 2022 | |
| Dwight meets with his daughter one more time before flying back to Tulsa. He finds that Tyson had been arrested and that Bodhi is missing. Waltrip meets with Dwight and demands a cut of his business, but Dwight refuses. Dwight is warned by Stacy about his activities and that the FBI are getting involved. The Invernizzi family, mainly Chickie, are split on how to handle Dwight. Pete insists on having his consigliere visit Tulsa to smooth things over, so Chickie instead beats up Tina's husband Emory. Federal agents shut down Bodhi's shop, but Bodhi himself refuses to betray Dwight. After learning that Pilot, the white horse he's grown fond of, will be put down, Dwight buys Pilot and hires ex-waitress Spencer to take care of him. Waltrip has Roxy's boyfriend Carson Pike shoot up Mitch's bar; Dwight and Mitch return fire and Pike is killed. Mitch then agrees to take on Dwight as a partner in his establishment. | |||||
| 7 | "Warr Acres" | Guy Ferland | Terence Winter & Joseph Riccobene | December 25, 2022 | |
| 8 | "Adobe Walls" | Lodge Kerrigan | Terence Winter & Tom Sierchio | January 1, 2023 | |
| 9 | "Happy Trails" | Lodge Kerrigan | Terence Winter | January 8, 2023 | |
Production
Tulsa King was first announced in December 2021 as Kansas City, a new Paramount+ series created by Taylor Sheridan and showrun by Terence Winter. Sylvester Stallone was cast in the lead role, where he made his scripted television debut.[3] It was ordered to series by February 2022,[4] and the title and concept were reworked to take place in Tulsa instead of Kansas City, Missouri, with Max Casella, Domenick Lombardozzi, Vincent Piazza, and Jay Will added to the cast.[5] In May, A.C. Peterson, Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, and Garrett Hedlund were cast.[6][7][8][9] Dana Delany was added in June.[10] In August, Annabella Sciorra was added to the cast.[11]
Sheridan created the series during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking a week to come up with the idea, write the pilot, and recruit Stallone to the project.[12] Some filming occcured in Tulsa on March 29, 2022, at Tulsa International Airport.[13] Most interior filming occurred in Oklahoma City at Prairie Surf Media, which also hosted the production offices for the entire first season; most other exterior location filming also occurred there.[14][15]
On November 30, 2022, Paramount+ renewed the series for a second season.[16] In February 2023, Winter was announced to have stepped down as showrunner, due to creative differences, with search underway for a new showrunner.[17] 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.[18]
Release
The series initially premiered along with the first episode of Yellowstone's season 5 in a special screening in AMC theaters, October 29–30, 2022, prior to their release on Paramount+.[19]
The series premiered on November 13, 2022, on Paramount+. The first two episodes of Tulsa King received special linear television airings on Paramount Network on November 20 and 27, serving as a lead-out for the fifth season of Yellowstone.[20][21][22]
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes 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."[23] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[24]
Libertarian commentator James Delingpole, an English journalist, writing in The Spectator, 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."[25]
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".[16]
References
- ^ "Paramount+ – Tulsa King – Episodes". Paramount Press Express. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
- ^ "Shows A-Z – Tulsa King on Paramount+". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
- ^ White, Peter (December 6, 2021). "Sylvester Stallone Set To Star In Taylor Sheridan & Terence Winter Drama Series Kansas City For Paramount+ From 101 Studios & MTV Ent. Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ Pedersen, Erik (February 15, 2022). "2022 Paramount+ Pilots & Series Orders". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 24, 2022). "Tulsa King: Max Casella, Domenick Lombardozzi, Vincent Piazza & Jay Will Join Sylvester Stallone In Paramount+ Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (May 5, 2022). "Sylvester Stallone Paramount+ Series Tulsa King Casts A.C. Peterson (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ White, Peter (May 6, 2022). "Tulsa King: Andrea Savage To Star Alongside Sylvester Stallone In Taylor Sheridan's Paramount+ Mob Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ White, Peter (May 10, 2022). "'Tulsa King': Martin Starr Joins Taylor Sheridan's Sylvester Stallone-Led Paramount+ Mob Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (May 11, 2022). "Sylvester Stallone Paramount+ Series Tulsa King Casts Garrett Hedlund (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (June 20, 2022). "Taylor Sheridan's Tulsa King Paramount+ Series Casts Dana Delany (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (August 15, 2022). "Tulsa King: Annabella Sciorra To Portray Sylvester Stallone's Sister In Taylor Sheridan Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (April 20, 2022). "Taylor Sheridan Knows His Nine-Show TV Slate Is 'Excessive': 'This Volume of Work Is Not Sustainable'". Variety. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ Tramel, Jimmie (March 30, 2022). "Sylvester Stallone shoots 'Tulsa King' scenes at Tulsa International Airport". Tulsa World. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (August 31, 2022). "Tulsa King: Sylvester Stallone Says "I Never Worked So Hard In My Life"". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ "Paramount wraps season one of Tulsa King". Oklahoma Film Office. October 25, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
- ^ a b Otterson, Joe (November 30, 2022). "'Tulsa King' Renewed for Season 2 at Paramount+". Variety. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 9, 2023). "'Tulsa King': Terence Winter Stepping Down As Showrunner Ahead of Season 2 Of Paramount+ Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ Tramel, Jimmie (February 16, 2023). "Season 2 of 'Tulsa King' won't film in Oklahoma, according to exclusive story from The Oklahoman". Tulsa World. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Yellowstone And Tulsa King Premiere Early On The Big Screen". amctheatres.com. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ White, Peter (May 18, 2022). "'Yellowstone' Spinoff '6666' Moves From Paramount+ To Paramount Network". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ Pedersen, Erik (May 18, 2022). "'Yellowstone' Season 5 Premiere Date: Kevin Costner Series Returns To Paramount Network In The Fall". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ Pedersen, Erik (May 18, 2022). "Sylvester Stallone's 'Tulsa King' Gets Paramount+ Premiere Date, Simultaneous Cable Launch". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ "Tulsa King: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ "Tulsa King: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Delingpole, James (November 26, 2022). "Repellent: Paramount+'s Tulsa King reviewed". The Spectator. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
External links
- Official website
- Tulsa King at IMDb