Tulsa King: Season One review by Bobby Blakey
Sylvester Stallone has cemented himself as an action icon with his roles in multiple major franchises including Rocky, Rambo and The Expendables not to mention excellent flicks like Cliffhanger, Demolition Man and Cobra. Recently he made the transition to TV for the series Tulsa King from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan and Boardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter. The series co-stars Garrett Hedlund, Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Jay Will, Max Casella, Dana Delaney, Ritchie Coster, Domenick Lombardozzi and A.C. Peterson. Could Stallone’s first foray into TV deliver or will it fail to make parole?
Tulsa King follows New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi, (Stallone) as he’s released from prison after 25 years and unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Realizing that his mob family may not have his best interests in mind, Dwight slowly builds a crew from a group of unlikely characters to help him establish a new criminal empire in a place that to him might as well be another planet.
I am a huge Stallone fan and will watch anything he does. I know there have been some clunkers over the years, but I was still there for them all. Needless to say I was excited for this series and add to the mix Sheridan and Winter and I could only imagine the greatness to come and I was not disappointed. This show brought everything I hoped it would and more offering up a new version of Stallone that fits his persona and age now to perfection while still bringing the usual swagger and badassery to the forefront.
The story is simple, but puts a fun twist on the gangster genre. It offers up just enough twists and turns to keep you invested without over populating
it with nonsense. Much like the Soprano’s did with Tony, it also infuses some depth to Manfredi outside of the tough guy business side. This allows for them to let him explore reconnecting with family, new love and finding his way all while trying to rebuild the only world he knows in an unknown place. This locale also plays up the fish out of water idea and showcases that sometimes the old ways still work the best.
I loved every episode of this series and where it took us in the obviously planned next season. I don’t know how long Stallone will stay on board, but I hope he rides this new role for as long as possible. His action persona and filmography of some of the best action flicks out there will stand the test of time on their own, but this series adds a new layer of performance and strength to his legacy that will live on.
In addition to all nine episodes, audiences can dive deeper into the criminal empire with over 90 minutes of bonus content that explores the creative development of an action-packed fish-out-of-water tale, the impressive cast of characters, costume design, stunts, and more!
Grab your copy of Tulsa King: Season One available now from Paramount.
