Is Tulsa King based on a true story? We discuss the Paramount Plus series and question how true the story is.
What is the series Tulsa King about?
Tulsa King is a crime drama that follows Dwight Manfredi, who has been released from prison after serving 25 years. Dwight has kept quiet for the duration of his incarceration, never telling tales about his bosses or their operations and pretty much being a fall guy for the men in the upper echelons of power. Dwight, otherwise known as “The General,” is a “made man” in the Mafia but has been sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to establish a new criminal empire there. However, Dwight is suspicious of the real reasons behind his assignment and starts to build his own rag-tag group of accomplices in a city that he knows nothing about.
Is Tulsa King based on a true story?
It would appear that although there may be hints of a true story behind the premise, Tulsa King is a work of fiction. Taylor Sheridan is credited as the creator of the show, and you may recognize the name from other works, including Yellowstone and 1883. It is also worth noting that Sheridan is a writer in demand, and it seems he has as many as eight different projects, all in various states of production. To ensure that Tulsa King remains as true to its subject matter as possible, Sheridan collaborated with Terence Winter to be the showrunner. Terence Winter has plenty of experience with crime drama, and his prestigious biography includes producing and writing classic shows like The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire and film credits such as The Wolf of Wall Street. With such ground-breaking projects, it is safe to say the subject matter will look and sound authentic, even though it is not based on any real singular events.
Notable in the series, the part of Dwight Manfredi will be played by cinema heavyweight Sylvester Stallone. This will be the first time that Stallone has appeared in a TV series, and has certainly created a huge buzz about the show, and Stallone is also an executive producer on it too.
The premise, storyline, and pilot were all incredibly delivered over the course of a week by Sheridan, who also managed to convince Stallone to be a major part of the production. It would seem that Sheridan planned to feature a major Hollywood star in his show, and in a video for Paramount+ he stated that “I want to get movie stars.”
What is the plot synopsis for Tulsa King?
Ostensibly, the “fish out of water” concept that is being applied to a gritty mafia-driven crime drama has a lot of possibilities, especially, and surprisingly, there is a lot of scope here for some darkly comedic overtones. In the clips we have seen, Stallone seems perfect as the Mafia Capo trying to find some kind of handle on Tulsa, he may as well be on another planet. There are probably no two cities so different from each other on so many levels as New York and Tulsa, so most of the fun here is going to come from “The General” trying to get a handle on the underground scene in Tulsa. Instead of assembling a “family” of underworld dwellers, Dwight finds himself building relationships and associations with the unsuspecting residents of Tulsa. This fresh and new approach to the genre looks set to make Tulsa King a winner for the network.
When the show was first optioned, it was meant to take part in Kansas, with the working title Kansas City, however, the concept was reworked and extra cast members were added, with the relocation occurring in Tulsa.
The show has already sparked a lot of interest, and Paramount+ is hoping that the A-list talent both on and off the screen will lead to a spike in subscribers to the streaming service. Cleverly, the first two episodes will be available to watch on the Paramount Network, after that, you will need a subscription to watch the rest of the run.
So, it would appear that Tulsa King may not be based on real events, but the noteworthy back catalog of projects from the creator and showrunner may lend this series an air of authenticity that could make it appear as if the story is based on real events.
Is there a trailer for Tulsa King?
Yes, there is, check it out below
How to watch Tulsa King online, and when will it be released?
You can watch Tulsa King with a subscription to Paramount+. The first episode will air on Sunday, November 13th, 2022, and it appears that the episode will be a special simulcast, airing immediately after the season 5 premiere of Yellowstone.
