5 Tulsa King facts that only die hard fans would know

When Tulsa King was first released on November 13, 2022, it quickly became one of the most popular crime dramas on television. The show tells the story of Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a New York mafia captain who has just finished serving twenty-five years behind bars.

Instead of being welcomed back, he is sent by his boss to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to set up business there. With no contacts and no allies, Dwight slowly builds a new crew. While millions have watched and loved the show, only the most die-hard fans know some facts behind the making of Tulsa King.

Keep reading to know five such facts.

5 Tulsa King facts only die-hard fans would know

1923 Las Vegas Premiere Screening & After Party - Source: Getty

Here are five Tulsa King facts only die-hard fans of the show would know:

The pilot script was finished in just one day

As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor Sheridan wrote the pilot episode of Tulsa King in only 24 hours. The idea was born when Sheridan’s producing partner, David Glasser, mentioned that Sylvester Stallone had always dreamed of playing a gangster.

That inspired Taylor Sheridan to write a story that would portray Stallone as a gangster, and he finished the pilot in one day. He sent it to Glasser, and the following Monday, they pitched it to Stallone, who accepted immediately.

The premiere outperformed House of the Dragon

The very first episode of the show, 'Go West, Old Man,' made television history. With 3.7 million viewers, the Tulsa King debut became the most-watched cable premiere of 2022. It even topped HBO’s House of the Dragon.

Stallone struggled with the demands of television

Although Stallone has decades of experience in film, playing a lead in a television drama turned out to be more exhausting than he expected. In an interview with Variety, he admitted:

“It’s beyond tough. I can’t believe some people have done this for four, five, or six seasons. It’s brutal, compared to filmmaking. I’ll never say, ‘This is a hard shoot’ again on a feature. It’s a vacation compared to this!”

He half-jokingly added:

“Can they shoot it in my home in Palm Beach? That’d be nice.”

Despite the heavy workload, Stallone returned for Season 2 and again for Season 3, prioritising the show over himself.

Sheridan and Stallone crossed paths years earlier

Taylor Sheridan and Silvester Stallone did not meet for the first time when they were developing Tulsa King. They had crossed paths before. Stallone shared in an interview with Outsider that he first met Sheridan in 2015 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Centre, long before Sheridan’s breakout as a writer on Sicario. At the time, Sheridan was still struggling to find consistent work.

"Tulsa King" Season 3 New York Screening - Source: Getty

Stallone said he related to Sheridan in that regard because, early in his own career, he faced the same hardships, which led him to write Rocky in 1976. Years later, Sheridan would call Stallone to offer him the role he had always wanted: A gangster.

Dwight reflects Stallone’s own personality

Part of what makes Dwight Manfredi unique is how different he is from the typical mob boss. Instead of being purely ruthless, he is both tough and warm. Stallone described his character in an interview with Tom Power for Q, saying:

“I’m not a killer. Never have been. I’m more of an organizer. They call me The General.”

He went on:

“There’s a regret and a heartbreak to him. And that’s gonna drive a great deal of this show. It makes it more relatable to anyone who has a family.”

Stallone’s personal touch to the character of Dwight made the character more relatable and humanized Tulsa King, making it more than just a story about a gangster.

Tulsa King Season 3 premiered on Paramount+ on September 21, 2025. Two episodes of the season have been released so far; the remaining eight episodes will be released weekly on Sundays on Paramount+.