Like many other Taylor Sheridan creations,Tulsa Kinghas been a huge hit for Paramount+. According to Paramount Global, Season 2 reached 13.6 million households — big numbers for a gangster series. Consequently, the show was renewed for two more seasons, meaning we could be in for aSopranostype of run. This is all good news considering there have been very few good shows about mobsters in recent years.
Tulsa King
The critically acclaimed crime drama stars Sylvester Stallone as Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a mafia caporegime who is sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma, after being released from prison. There’s little going on in the region’s underworld when he arrives, but Dwight soon creates a major empire, attracting all kinds of enemies. As is usually the case with gangster tales, the show has several power players, each with a varying degree of influence. But trust Dwight to always come out on top, no matter who is threatening him.
Here are the most important power players inTulsa King, ranked.
11Caolan Waltrip
Season 1’s major weakness is its lack of enough intriguing or believable characters (both the inconsistent screenplay and average acting can be blamed for this), but Ritchie Coster’s deliciously vile antagonist makes up for this, with menace. His character,Caolon Waltrip, is the leader of the Black Macadam biker gang, and he controls most of Tulsa before Dwight’s arrival. Eager to keep his empire, he is forced into a war with the mobster.
Tulsa’s Original King
From drugs to extortion,Waltrip initially has his thumb firmly in the entire Tulsa underworld. Any other crime boss would have backed down when confronted by a mobster from a major New York family, but instead of cowering at home, Waltrip is exhilarated by frequent confrontations and the general upheaval unleashed by the war with Dwight. Even though he eventually loses, hegets major points for trying to protect what belonged to him.
10Pete “The Rock” Invernizzi
Pete “The Rock” Invernizzi (A.C. Peterson),the boss of the Invernizzi crime family, has reached the dreaded point in life. He is aging and ailing, leaving him prone to manipulation by his son. Chickie. However,as the person who built the family, his word carries a lot of weight.
An Old Timer Struggling To Hold On
Pete reminds us all ofDon Corleone in the third act ofThe Godfather. He is no longer the person he used to be, but unlike Corleone,the Invernizzi boss doesn’t have a reliable son. Chickie schemes against him and eventually kills him. Still, Pete deserves a spot on the list becauseno one would have been where they are without him. Chickie would never have been close to power and Dwight would never have risen to the position of caporegime.
9Mitch Keller
Above all,Tulsa Kingis a quirky, heartwarming tale about life’s infinite possibilities and locating sustenance when you least expect it. Take Mitch Keller (Garret Hedlund) as an example. He is a former convict and ex-bullrider who appears to have settled for a rather mundane existence as the owner of the Bred2Buck Saloon. Then comes Dwight, who takes an interest in his struggling bar, turning Mitch into one of the most influential people in Oklahoma’s criminal circles.
Just the Man Dwight Needed
Once a criminal, always a criminal! That is the facile aphorism that we unpick through Mitch, a man who is neither lackluster nor tempestuous as many other characters of his kind tend to be.As Dwight’s first major ally in Tulsa, Mitch provides the much-needed local connections. Thanks to him, the capo gets the perfect platform to launch his empire. Besides that, Mitch is smart, loyal, and has the necessary combat skills.
8Chickie Invernizzi
In manypopular gangster TV shows, the distinction between outside-man virtue and inner-man vice is a standard theme. The man who was brought to the crime family from the outside tends to be steadfast; representing true, undying loyalty. The heir tends to be spoiled, arrogant, and selfish. Chickie (Domenick Lombardozzi) fits the latter description. Hekills his father and takes power, but struggles to fill the old man’s boots.
A Weaker Boss
As the son of the boss, Chickie has some major pull, so nothing comes in the way of his plan to send Dwight to Tulsa. He does this not because Dwight’s time out of the game has lowered his stock, but because Chickie intends to sideline him. Unfortunately, the move backfires for him. However,Chickie doesn’t get to do much as a boss. His attempts to control Dwight, once the capo builds an empire, prove unsuccessful.
Everything We Know About ‘Tulsa King’ Season 3
Here’s what we know about Season 3 of Paramount+’s mob drama ‘Tulsa King.’
When Dwight arrives in Tulsa, he fixes his rapacious eye on Bodhi (Martin Starr).The tech-savvy marijuana dispensary owner seems like easy prey when the mobster demands protection money from him, but he proves tough, convincing the hunter to see him as a potential partner.
Crime Needs Tech, Too
Bodhi’s intelligence and expertise with technology make him useful for the “old school” Dwight, who knows little about the modern world’s financial systems. Using Bitcoin and various other digital tools, he helps fish Dwight out of stale waters. Bodhi’s loyalty and bravery are also admirable. Even when the violence escalates, he never runs. He tries to be as helpful as he can.
6Stacy Beale
ATF agent Stacy Beale (Andrea Savage) enters the picture whenshe is relocated from the buzzing New York Bureau’s Anti-Terror Squad and O.C. Task Force to an Oklahoma outpost. There, shemeets and falls in love with Dwight before learning that he is a criminal. A perfect match, in other words? Not quite. This doesn’t turn out to be one oftelevision’s greatest love stories.
The Feds Are Watching
Law enforcement officers always wield great power in gangster shows, since they can either make a criminal prosper (by aligning with them) or whither (by planting cases on them). Stacy does the latter by flipping on Dwight later in Season 1. After Dwight gives Stacy a flash drive with $1 million that he stole from Caolan, she hands it over to the ATF and has him arrested for attempted bribery.
5Margaret Devereaux
In a show filled with hoodlums, Margaret Devereaux (Dana Delany) stands out asa sophisticated horse ranch owner. A prominent figure in Oklahoma’s high society, she radiates independence and fearlessness.After crossing paths with Dwight Manfredi, she becomes his lover.
Ever Graceful
Ever a strong-willed character,Margaret refuses to let Dwight or Cal dictate how she runs her ranch. And they respect her enough to not bully her. She is to Dwight what Carmela is to Tony Soprano or what Kay is to Michael Corleone, except she has less toxic traits. Margaret never engages in any form of malice. She simply looks to protect her wealth and her inner peace from any outside interference.
4Jackie Ming
Jackie Ming (Rich Ting) is theboss of the Chinese Triads in Tulsa. Heowns a large weed farm in partnership with Cal. Additionally, he grows poppies (heroin), much to Cal’s chagrin. When Cal demands a 50% share of the heroin business, Ming disagrees, proving he cannot be intimidated.
No Time To Smile
Ming is a true underworld bully.So powerful is he that he eventually threatens Cal with death to hand over the entire weed business to him for a mere £1,000, to which Cal reluctantly agrees. However, this proves to be the start of his downfall. Before it all falls down,he is shown to have all the necessary manpower. When Cal needs goons to attack Dwight’s wind farm, he approaches Ming.
3Bill Bevilaqua
Next in line is the stout-hearted, outspoken Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo),the boss of the Kansas City Mob. He takes an instant dislike to Dwight, yet as events unfold, the two criminals are repeatedly drawn together. Could their initial antipathy mutate into something different? The character demonstrates what can happen, on a purely emotional level, when two egos collide.
Bows Down to No One
Grillo never lets you forget his character’s fiery charisma, the threat level, the candor of his speeches, or the resentment he has for those he doesn’t agree with. Bill has connections across the board.He has ties to legitimate circles, something that helps him operate without much scrutiny.And as the show progresses, his influence is only going to get stronger.
Every TV Show Created by Taylor Sheridan, Ranked
From the rugged, neo-Western landscapes of ‘Yellowstone’ to the high-stakes world of ‘Mayor of Kingstown,’ here are all Taylor Sheridan shows, ranked.
2Cal Thresher
Cal (Neal McDonough) is a powerful Oklahoma businessman whose strained rapport with Dwight eventually matures from mutual disdain to one of honest affection. As an ambitious man, the tycoon has his feet in both the oil industry and the drug trade, via his partnership with Ming. He eventually hands over his marijuana business to Dwight, having grown tired of the violent lifestyle of Oklahoma’s underworld.
Ever Flexible
Neal McDonough has those “don’t mess with me” eyes, so Cal emerges as a very intimidating figure.The character’s power stems from the fact that he doesn’t have all his eggs in one basket.He always has something to fall back on whenever he loses a portion of his empire. And things are bound to get even better for him. New reports indicate that Cal islikely to become Governor of Oklahomain Season 3, granting him even more power.
