To quote Dwight “The General” Manfredi: “The answer is always ‘no’ until you ask.” Critics have described Paramount+’s Tulsa King as “The Sopranos meets Yellowstone.” And like Paramount Network’s record-breaking flagship series — which has so far spawned four spin-offs, including the Sam Elliott-led 1883 and 1923 starring Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford on Paramount+ — executives believe Sylvester Stallone’s crime dramedy is franchisable. Created by Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan and showran by Sopranos writer Terence Winter, the series helped drive a record number of single-day subscriber sign-ups on the streaming service and was renewed for a second season after debuting as the #1 new series of the year.
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“The short answer is absolutely. We’re open to the possibilities, everything,” Tanya Giles, Chief Programming Officer, Paramount Streaming, told IndieWire when asked if Tulsa King could receive the Yellowstone spin-off treatment. “What we love to do is take this valuable IP and turn anything into a franchise because we believe there’s a world of storytelling to be told that the audience can enjoy, and they love the characters. Let’s see where it can take us.”
The mob series stars Stallone as Dwight “The General” Manfredi, an old war horse who heads west and sets up shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Exiled from the Invernizzi crime family of New York upon being released from prison after 25 years, Manfredi forms his own criminal empire with a ragtag crew of misfits: driver Tyson (Jay Will), mafia soldier-turned-rancher Armand “Manny” Truisi (Max Casella), gun-slinging bar owner Mitch Keller (Garrett Hedlund), and leaned-on weed dealer Bodhi (Martin Starr).
Because Sheridan created Yellowstone prequel spin-offs 1883 and 1923, as well as Jeremy Renner’s Mayor of Kingstown for the streamer, Giles says the in-demand creator could similarly expand the world of Tulsa King under his second overall deal with Paramount Global.
“The huge success we’ve had with Tulsa King and Sylvester Stallone opens up possibilities with Taylor Sheridan, who consistently, his mind works in terms of universes and backstories, so I think there’s always a possibility that there’s more to that universe and more to that story,” Giles said. “More to come there.”
Tulsa King wrapped up its nine-episode first season with its season finale on January 8th. In November, Paramount renewed the series for a second season and credited the Nov. 13th series premiere with “driving [Paramount+] to our biggest new sign-up day in history.”
“With the combination of the incomparable Sylvester Stallone and Taylor Sheridan’s darkly comedic twist on the beloved mobster genre, we have found our latest hit in Tulsa King,” Giles said in a statement. “The series’ premiere on Paramount+ helped drive a record sign-up day fueled by our unique ability as Paramount Global to tap into Paramount Network’s incredible Yellowstone audience.”
All episodes of Tulsa King Season 1 are now streaming exclusively on Paramount+. Try Paramount+ for free here.
