At the heart of The Sopranos was a dark black comedy before evolving into one of television’s great crime dramas. With Tulsa King, the same rule applies, combining that classic American mob series with not so much the Dirty Dozen, but Revenge of the Nerds—an organized crime series with a feather-light touch, embracing the absurdity of its fish-out-of-water premise.
So yes, skepticism doesn’t begin to describe my reaction when I heard about Tulsa King, starring Sylvester Stallone—an actor who once thought peak comedy was Rob Schneider’s sidekick shtick in Judge Dredd. However, as I have said several times, the series remains a bruising, brass knuckles comedy that’s visceral, hilarious, and above all, criminally entertaining.
Paramount+’s Tulsa King Season 3 Plot
The new season picks up where we last saw Dwight “The General” Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone), abducted from Margaret’s (Dana Delany) home by federal agents. One of them is Musso (Kevin Pollak), whom Dwight affectionately saves in his contacts as “Dickhead.” Musso has been watching Manfredi since his arrival in Tulsa—and now he’s ready to turn his surveillance into valuable information.
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However, that is the least of Dwight’s problems. He continues to expand his empire beyond Bodhi’s (Martin Starr) cannabis wind farms and now has his sights set on buying Mitch’s (Garrett Hedlund) ex-girlfriend’s family distillery. Unfortunately, Jeremiah Dunmire (Robert Patrick), the “Tyrant of Tulsa,” a man with ties to the Dixie Mafia, wants his cut of the mash, making the series bloodier than ever.
Paramount+’s Tulsa King Season 3 Review
Of course, Dwight still has to kick up to Bill (Peacemaker’s Frank Grillo), boss of the Bevilaqua family in Kansas City. The General is also taking new orders from New York’s “Quiet” Ray Renzetti (Donnie Brasco’s James Russo). And with Invernizzi family capo (Vincent Piazza) in Bill’s ear, Dwight reminds us that in the mob, the game never ends, it just changes players.
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This is the best season of Tulsa King yet. Season three is funny, thrilling, and addictive. From the “Godfather of Dad TV,” mega-streaming showrunner Taylor Sheridan continues to juggle mobster menace with ominous black comedy masterfully. It helps that he’s joined by Terence Winter, the maestro behind The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire, making the show an organized crime series for the underdogs, not the untouchables.
Is Paramount+’s Tulsa King Season 3 worth watching?
Half the fun of the series is how characters, even enemies, come and stick around later, with Dwight winning them over with his mumbly magnetism. Case in point, the series can turn into a buddy comedy when Stallone shares scenes with Grillo’s Bill, Neal McDonough’s Cal, and Pollack’s Musso, starting cantankerous friction at almost every turn.
Tulsa King proves to be one of television’s most consistently surprising shows, with each season not only topping the last but also refining the balance of crime, comedy, and Stallone’s gravelly grace. Every chapter is bigger, bolder, and brasher than the one before. And while the series occasionally leans a little too heavily on its misfit energy, Sheridan’s mob tale remains a refreshing entry that both walks the walk and talks the talk.
The third season of Tulsa King premieres on Paramount+ on September 21st! The first six episodes were screened for this review.
