Tulsa King


Tulsa King is an American crime drama television series created by Taylor Sheridan for the streaming platform Paramount+. The series stars Sylvester Stallone as Dwight "The General" Manfredi, an American Mafia caporegime who has been recently released from prison in New York and is sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he begins to set up a criminal organization. It is Stallone's first leading role in a scripted television series.
The series also stars Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Jay Will, Max Casella, Domenick Lombardozzi, Vincent Piazza, A. C. Peterson, Garrett Hedlund, and Dana Delany. After receiving an early premiere in theaters on October 29, 2022, the series was released on Paramount+ from November 13, 2022, to January 8, 2023. Shortly after premiering, Tulsa King was renewed for a second season, which premiered on September 15, 2024 and concluded on November 17.
Terence Winter was the showrunner for the first season, but due to differences with Sheridan, he was demoted to head writer before the second, while director Craig Zisk produced the second season. Dave Erickson took over as showrunner for the third season. The first season was largely filmed in Oklahoma City, but primary production on the second season relocated to Atlanta after the cast and crew complained. Annabella Sciorra, Tatiana Zappardino, Frank Grillo, and Neal McDonough joined the second-season main cast. Paramount later confirmed the third season renewal by announcing the start of production. A fourth season as well as a spin-off series called NOLA King which will star Samuel L. Jackson, have both been ordered. The third season premiered on September 21, 2025.
The series has proved to be a success by providing a television ratings boost during its broadcast on Paramount Network and setting viewership records on Paramount+. Critics have given Tulsa King generally positive reviews. Many have praised Stallone's performance, but some criticized the dialogue and overall story arc. In 2023, Tulsa King was nominated for a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award.

Premise

Dwight "The General" Manfredi is the American Mafia capo from New York City who has just finished serving a 25-year prison sentence. Upon release, Dwight's boss sends him to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to establish criminal operations there. Dwight, who does not know anyone in the area, seeks a new crew to help him establish his empire. He first meets taxi driver Tyson Mitchell, whom he recruits as his personal driver, and acquires financing by threatening and later befriending Lawrence "Bodhi" Geigerman, the owner of a local dispensary. While attempting to grow his enterprise, Dwight gains many more associates, including Mitch Keller, who owns a bar Dwight frequents. Dwight initially remains in contact with the syndicate in New York but later begins to despise them. Dwight and his crew become enemies with the outlaw biker gang The Black Macadams. During this time, Dwight experiences personal and family problems as a result of his actions. Stacy Beale, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent and Dwight's love interest, investigates Dwight's actions and those of his crew.

Cast and characters

Overview

Main

  • Sylvester Stallone as Dwight "The General" Manfredi, a capo in the Invernizzi family who is sent to Tulsa after serving 25 years in prison, and forms his own syndicate
  • Andrea Savage as Stacy Beale, Manfredi's love interest in season 1 and a senior ATF agent. She is transferred to Alaska as punishment for failing to secure a conviction of Dwight in season 2.
  • Martin Starr as Lawrence "Bodhi" Geigerman, a marijuana dealer who Manfredi recruits to help finance his syndicate, associate of the Manfredi family
  • Jay Will as Tyson Mitchell, Dwight's driver, associate of the Manfredi family
  • Max Casella as Armand "Manny" Truisi, a former Invernizzi soldier who made a new life in Tulsa working at Fennario horse ranch. He joins Manfredi's crew as a soldier
  • Domenick Lombardozzi as Don Charles "Chickie" Invernizzi, underboss and later boss of the Invernizzi family
  • Vincent Piazza as Vince Antonacci, Chickie's top capo, and later consigliere and boss
  • A. C. Peterson as Pete "The Rock" Invernizzi, the ailing boss of the Invernizzi family
  • Garrett Hedlund as Mitch "the Stick" Keller, ex-convict and bar owner who is an associate of the Manfredi syndicate
  • Dana Delany as Margaret Devereaux, the owner of Fennario horse ranch.
  • Tatiana Zappardino as Tina Manfredi-Grieger, a Brooklyn florist and Dwight's estranged daughter
  • Annabella Sciorra as Joanne Manfredi, Dwight's younger sister
  • Neal McDonough as Cal Thresher, corrupt businessman
  • Frank Grillo as Bill Bevilaqua, boss of the Bevilaqua family of Kansas City
  • Chris Caldovino as Dennis "Goodie" Carangi, long-time capo and consigliere of the Invernizzi family who joins Manfredi in Tulsa
  • McKenna Quigley Harrington as Grace, associate of the Manfredi family
  • Mike "Ca$h Flo" Walden as Michael "Bigfoot", associate, enforcer and bodyguard of Manfredi family
  • Beau Knapp as Cole Dunmire, Jeremiah's son and Mitch's rival
  • Robert Patrick as Jeremiah Dunmire, the so-called "tyrant of Tulsa", the leader of the Dixie Mafia
  • Bella Heathcote as Cleo Montague, the rebellious daughter of Theodore Montague and Mitch's old flame
  • Kevin Pollak as John Musso, the special agent in charge of handling Dwight as an asset following his detainment
  • Gretchen Mol as Amanda Clark, a Tulsa politician.

    Recurring

  • Miles Mussenden as Hendricks, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge or ASAC of the ATF Tulsa Bureau office
  • Steve Witting as Donnie Shore, a car dealership owner
  • Dashiell Connery as Clint, associate of Manfredi family
  • Justin Garcia-Pruneda as Fred, associate of Manfredi family
  • Michael Beach as Mark Mitchell, Tyson's father
  • Emily Davis as Rochelle "Roxy" Harrington, Manny's co-worker and an informant for Stacy
  • Glen Gould as Jimmy "the Creek", associate of Manfredi family, marijuana producer and distributor
  • Juliette Jeffers as Angie Mitchell, Tyson's mother
  • Scarlet Rose Stallone as Spencer, a former caretaker at Margaret's ranch employed as a bartender by Dwight
  • Loren Dunn as Emory, Tina's husband
  • Ritchie Coster as Caolan Waltrip, the Irish boss of the outlaw biker gang Black Macadams MC
  • Robert Walker Branchaud as Carson Pike, member of the Black Macadams gang
  • Stephanie Kurtzuba as Clara, Armand's wife
  • Joseph Riccobene as Jerry Izzo capo in the Invernizzi family
  • Guy Nardulli as Johnny the Zip, capo for the Invernizzi family
  • Ron Castellano as Nicky D, capo for the Invernizzi family
  • Rich Ting as Jackie Ming, a Chinese triad gangster
  • Stephen Shelton as Cowboy Art, one of Bevilaqua's top enforcers, who gets into conflict with Bodhi
  • James Russo as "Quiet" Ray Renzetti, an Italian mob boss
  • Dallas Roberts as Dexter Deacon, a hitman specializing in explosives
  • Tim Guinee as A.G. Sackrider, the attorney general of Tulsa, who is in Dunmire's pocket

    Notable guests

  • Barry Corbin as Babe Keller, Mitch's elderly dad
  • Alan Autry as Brian Gillen, former owner of Fennario Ranch and Margaret Devereaux's ex-husband
  • Jonathan Joss as "Bad Face", associate of Manfredi family
  • Josh Fadem as Elliot Evans
  • Jelly Roll as himself
  • Graham Greene as Old Smoke, the Native American chieftain
  • Brett Rice as Theordore Montague, the owner of a large distillery and Cleo's father
  • Jayson Warner Smith as Walden Eustice, a licensed liquor distributor
  • Frank Roberts as Jonny Wednesday, an old contact of Dwight's in Shreveport
  • Mary Ann Hermansen as Anna Sackrider, the attorney general's wife and Margaret's friend
  • Samuel L. Jackson as Russell Lee Washington Jr., a crafty veteran hitman from New Orleans, who served time with Dwight

    Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2022–23)

Season 2 (2024)

Season 3 (2025)

Production

Development

On December 6, 2021, it was reported Taylor Sheridan and Terence Winter were developing a series titled Kansas City for the digital streaming platform Paramount+. The series was created by Sheridan, who had signed a multi-year contract with ViacomCBS to create new series during the COVID-19 pandemic. The series would be centered around Sal, an Italian-American mobster from New York City who is tasked with returning the mafia to Kansas City, Missouri. Sheridan, Winter and series-star Sylvester Stallone were announced as executive producers alongside Braden Aftergood from Stallone's banner Balboa Productions which was served as co-producer for the series along with Sheridan's company Bosque Ranch Productions; and David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle and Bob Yari from the production company 101 Studios who would also be serveed as co-producer. Winter was also the series' showrunner, as MTV Entertainment Studios will be producing the upcoming television series as producer.
Sheridan wrote the pilot episode in a week. Winter moved the show's setting to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to give the characters a more-remote setting. In 2022, Deadline Hollywood stated the show was given a straight-to-series order under the title Tulsa King to reflect the change in location. Stallone involved himself in several aspects of the production. Winter noted: "With Stallone, you're getting a writer, a director, a producer, an editor"; and Glasser said Stallone was "heavily involved in the editing process".
On November 30, 2022, Tulsa King was renewed for a second season. The following February, it was announced Winter had resigned as showrunner due to "creative differences"; a new showrunner was sought but Winter would remain as an executive producer of the show. It was later revealed Sheridan had dismissed Winter because of differences in writing style; Sheridan stated he preferred character-driven plots whereas Winter preferred plot-driven characters. In February 2024, Winter was re-hired as a writer after an opening in his schedule due to delays caused by the 2023 Writers' Guild of America strike. In his modified position, Winter is the series' head writer and works outside Sheridan's direct supervision. Sheridan chose not to use a conventional showrunner for the second season and instead decided to hire a director and executive producer to oversee day-to-day production. It was announced Craig Zisk would fill this role.
In November 2024, it announced that Tulsa King was on track to secure a third and fourth season renewal. Winter once again resigned from the series in order to work on the untitled Sammy the Bull series for FX. A third season was officially confirmed in March 2025. At this time, it was reported that Dave Erickson would fill the position of a traditional showrunner, with Zisk's status unknown. By August 2025, during the production of the third season, Paramount Television Studios had taken over production of the series following the merger of MTV Entertainment Studios' parent company Paramount Global with Skydance Media into Paramount Skydance.
Ahead of the season three premiere a fourth season was ordered; it was also said that if the program continued to be successful, it could run for a total of six seasons. Erickson departed the show before the season four entered production, stating that it was due to obligations on Mayor of Kingstown, another series by Sheridan, and that Winter would once again return in a head writer capacity. A later report indicated that Stallone and Erickson disagreed with each other on the creative direction of the show, and that Stallone personally requested that Winter return. As before, a showrunner was not hired with on-set oversight handled by Scott Stone, the executive in charge of production at 101 Studios, working with two unit production managers. Winter meanwhile, lead the writers' room from Los Angeles, and specifically had minimal on-set obligations worked into his contract. Crew members noted that a while studios are sometimes actively involved in production, that an executive having Stone's level of control on one of its series was unusual in the television industry.