Sylvester Stallone’s Hit Paramount+ TV Series To Undergo Another Major Change for Season 4

Paramount has undergone quite a few changes over the past year, and that was before the recent merger with Skydance. As a result, there have been a number of shifts across the company’s various divisions and projects, with one such shift affecting Sylvester Stallone and his hit Paramount+ series. The series has already undergone quite a few changes since its very first season, and the latest change might end up having the biggest impact of all of them.

A new report by Variety states that the latest behind the scenes change in Stallone’s Tulsa King series is in regards to the showrunner, but it’s slightly more complicated than just a showrunner change. According to multiple sources, Scott Stone of 101 Studios has become the de facto showrunner, but according to the series’ former stunt coordinator Freddie Poole, he’s not the actual showrunner.

Poole, who was nominated for an Emmy for his work on Tulsa King, says that he had a conversation with Scott Stone between seasons 3 and 4 about wh would be in charge during season 4, and he didn’t love the answer. “[Stone] said, ‘We’re not going to have a showrunner. 101 is the showrunner.’ And I raised an eyebrow at that,” Poole said. “That was the writing on the wall for me. I knew at that point I better start looking out for myself.”

The show let go of 26 crew members only a few days before season 4 started filming, and Poole was part of those cuts, which encompassed sound, stunts, transportation, and hair departments. Some affected by those cuts revealed that they only learned about the news they were let go when someone sent them a job listing for their roles.

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“The manner in which this was done was just unprofessional and unnecessary,” Poole said. “Some of these people … were told to leave their equipment at the stages [after Season 3], and then told a week before shooting that they don’t have a job. I think it was really disheartening.”

This is only the latest behind the scenes change for the series, which has had quite a bit of turnover in the showrunner position. Terence Winter was the showrunner for season 1 but stepped away ahead of season 2. That would lead to the decision to not have a formal showrunner in season 2, though Craig Zisk would handle most of those duties.

Then in season 3 Dave Erickson would become showrunner, but sources say that Stallone and Erickson didn’t see eye to eye creatively, which led to reported tension on set. Stallone evidently also insisted the show bring Winter back in the role, and while Winter is returning as the show’s head writer and executive producer, he isn’t stepping into the showrunner role. Instead the day to day duties of a showrunner are largely going to fall to 101 Studios and Stone.

Tulsa King season 4 currently doesn’t have a release date.

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