Is Sly Stallone's New Mob Show "Tulsa King" Worth A Watch? A Review From A Mafia Connoisseur

Charles Sykes. Shutterstock Images.

Thanksgiving weekend is usually a great time to watch football or a good movie, but it's also a good time to catch up on some TV. 

Recently I had gotten a lot of messages on our Sitdown Twitter about the new show on Paramount Network "Tulsa King" and being that a lot of my crime content is centered around the Mafia and organized crime, I gave it a watch. 

I will say straight out, from a standpoint of authenticity it was pretty solidly done. It tells the story of Dwight Manfredi played by Stallone, who's a Mafia capo from New York who has just done a 25 year prison sentence and gets out of prison. He is summoned to see the family at a palatial estate. He is told by his boss "Pete" and his underboss "Chucky" that money in New York is drying up and he's to go to Tulsa and plant the flag and start earning. He is somewhat taken back and takes it a slap to the face and even sneaks another capo played by the great Vincent Piazza who disparages him. Now this was a bit much, this would never happen in real life but it was a nice touch and set the tone for the kind of guy Dwight is, likely an earner who can enforce as well. Something that only the legends in the Mafia can do both of. 

Dwight who claims he was named Dwight after Eisenhower travels to Tulsa. He has no idea what social or Uber is and it actually paints a pretty good picture of what inmates deal with who deal with long prison sentences. The characters in the show, the few we meet in the first episode are pretty likeable and none of what Dwight does seems out of place. He manages to begin to shake down a legit business in a very funny scene and by the end of the episode, a shadowy figure who funny enough is played by a familiar face sees Dwight in a mall and reports to the FEDS that he's in the Oklahoma area. My guess is he's some kind of informant? I can't lie some of it seemed farfetched but it's the first episode, so hopefully a lot of it will be expanded on. 

One thing to note, a lot of folks may comment on a parole officer. Keep in mind, Dwight was in the FEDS and did the entire length of his sentence and had no restrictions. In the federal system he is free and clear to move and associate with who he wants. I do find it interesting that he wasn't still being surveilled. However being that the show is set in todays times and the FEDS have moved on to other business most likely.

I will say I will absolutely be watching episode 2 and I was quite surprised with how much I enjoyed the first episode. It definitely gave me "Lilyhammer" vibes a bit. Sometimes shows start slow but this one kept me interested and I was sad that the episode ended. The truth is mob content is always hot and we haven't really had a show like this in awhile. Stallone came across like he should and even at the tender age of of 76 he still exudes "tough guy." I loved that because one of the drawbacks with mob films and or TV is they use the old school actors which is great but its hard to imagine Robert DeNiro beating someone up at this point. 

The interesting part of Episode 1 is that Dwight continues to act very old school, buying everything in cash and not having a cell phone, which in the end I believe is telling us that likely that will be what's him caught up. Sticking out in a world that has passed him by as his old school values are lost. I guess time will tell. 

I urge you to go check it out, I think you will like it. I did and will keep watching.

If you want real mafia and crime content, check out my podcast The Sitdown: A Crime History Podcast here.

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