Tulsa King

[Bellaboo]

They blew it up during filming there that day.

Yes I know that.

[soonerguru]

Even though the majority of this was shot in OKC, this is going to be a tremendous lift in profile for Tulsa.

[catch22]

Can’t wait to see it. I’ve been needing a new series to watch now that Better Call Saul has come to its conclusion. I’m very picky with TV series, so I don’t watch a lot of them. They have to hook me in early. This has potential to be in my TV routine.

[Pete]

I can't believe no one has ever thought to cast Sly Stallone as a gangster.

I bet this show is a big hit.

[Ginkasa]

I think he has played mobsters or mafia-adjacent roles before, but nothing that really hit into the public consciousness.

[Libbymin]

I think he has played mobsters or mafia-adjacent roles before, but nothing that really hit into the public consciousness.

His role in 1991's Oscar comes to mind, though that was more of a comedy.

[shartel_ave]

The 1975 movie Capone he played a mobster

[Ginkasa]

His role in 1991's Oscar comes to mind, though that was more of a comedy.

Oh, nice, I'm unfamiliar with that one. My mind went to Get Carter.

[Pete]

The first episode debuted today on Paramount Plus.

So far, pretty cliched both in the mafia stuff and Oklahoma. Cowboy bar was featured prominently.

Stallone is a good fit in the role in a classic fish-out-of water tale. It's good enough... We'll see how it goes forward.

Two OKC scenes that were easy to pick out (even though pretty much all the scenes are supposed to be in Tulsa):


The first was in the Farmer's Market Area where Stallone extorted a weed shop; it was located in the abandoned gas station just east of the market:



And another in Penn Square Mall where Stallone enjoyed ice cream for the first time in 25 years after being in jail:




We had reports of filming in both locations, so I bet they turn up again.

[Ginkasa]

I thought it was pretty OK (pun intended). Pretty obvious first episode beats. No real strong characterization yet; just establishing the roles they play. Hopefully this deepens as the show goes on. I thought the fish out of water stuff was played to the right level. Enough to convey that, yeah, he's been out of the game for a long time and he's in a new environment, but they still showed him confident and in charge. They've set him up well enough to be a "likeable" mafia guy.

If the show stays on the same level as this first episode it will be a decent enough watch, but nothing to really set the TV world on fire. Probably I wouldn't invest my time watching it past this if it wasn't set in OK and shot in OKC. Hopefully the show ramps it up and does well enough to earn a second season; I'd like to see it keep shooting around for a while yet.

[Sydonesia]

If the show stays on the same level as this first episode it will be a decent enough watch, but nothing to really set the TV world on fire. Probably I wouldn't invest my time watching it past this if it wasn't set in OK and shot in OKC. Hopefully the show ramps it up and does well enough to earn a second season; I'd like to see it keep shooting around for a while yet.

Yeah, I'd be one-and-done with this if it was shot anywhere else. I'll give it a chance but I was pretty unimpressed. Hard eyerolls on any of the "I've been in prison 25 years so I don't know what the internet is. And I still think discos are popular" jokes.

I know the show isn't a documentary or anything, but that scene where he walked into a dispensary that actually had more than one customer in it? That was veering way into fantasyland...

[Anonymous.]

Paramount pushed this show hard last night during the new Yellowstone season premier.

[TheTravellers]

Yeah, I'd be one-and-done with this if it was shot anywhere else. I'll give it a chance but I was pretty unimpressed. Hard eyerolls on any of the "I've been in prison 25 years so I don't know what the internet is. And I still think discos are popular" jokes.

I know the show isn't a documentary or anything, but that scene where he walked into a dispensary that actually had more than one customer in it? That was veering way into fantasyland...

The dispensary we frequent has multiple customers in it when we go - either finishing up or some come in while we're there. Not a crowd, by any means, but generally 2-3 sets of customers at once most of the time.

[Midtowner]

I enjoyed it. This should be a pretty great series.

[barrettd]

I liked it more than some other shows that were supposedly set in OK, like the Holly Hunter vehicle some time ago. I'm a fan of Taylor Sheridan, and I think the writing was alright, but should pick up if his past series are an indicator. I'll definitely keep watching, I like it.

[PhiAlpha]

I liked it more than some other shows that were supposedly set in OK, like the Holly Hunter vehicle some time ago. I'm a fan of Taylor Sheridan, and I think the writing was alright, but should pick up if his past series are an indicator. I'll definitely keep watching, I like it.

You mean Saving Grace where they overcompensated for not actually shooting the series in Oklahoma by forcing Oklahoma cities into the characters names? Who could forget Grace Hanadarko, Bobby Stillwater, Clay Norman, Butch Ada, Ham Dewey, Kate Perry or Percy Yukon?

Surprisingly it made it 46 episodes through three seasons. It actually wasn’t terrible for what it was (a TNT drama) but it was definitely Walker Texas Ranger level corny lol (though i liked that show too so i guess I’m easily entertained).

[jerrywall]

I know the show isn't a documentary or anything, but that scene where he walked into a dispensary that actually had more than one customer in it? That was veering way into fantasyland...

I need to find these empty dispensaries that everyone talks about because all the ones in my area always have a wait to get checked in and multiple folks shopping.

[barrettd]

You mean Saving Grace where they overcompensated for not actually shooting the series in Oklahoma by forcing Oklahoma cities into the characters names? Who could forget Grace Hanadarko, Bobby Stillwater, Clay Norman, Butch Ada, Ham Dewey, Kate Perry or Percy Yukon?

Surprisingly it made it 46 episodes through three seasons. It actually wasn’t terrible for what it was (a TNT drama) but it was definitely Walker Texas Ranger level corny lol (though i liked that show too so i guess I’m easily entertained).

Yeah, that was the one. I'm shocked it lasted as long as it did! I couldn't handle all the obviously not Oklahoma City settings. And the show wasn't good enough to overcome that for me.

[AnguisHerba]

I also probably wouldn't continue if it wasn't shot in Oklahoma. I had more fun spotting locations than actually watching the show because the writing was kind of weak. For instance, he stops at the dispensary because he's so shocked it's legal to sell weed, but then minutes later he seems to already know the difference between state and federal law on this issue and how it impacts banking regulations, etc.

[Plutonic Panda]

^^^ eh, I know a few people who out west who seem to be pretty knowledgeable on *almost* all things marijuana regarding the plant, it’s effects, and the laws around it. Then they act shocked when I tell them it’s legal in Oklahoma. Stereotype thing I’m guessing…

[barrettd]

I also probably wouldn't continue if it wasn't shot in Oklahoma. I had more fun spotting locations than actually watching the show because the writing was kind of weak. For instance, he stops at the dispensary because he's so shocked it's legal to sell weed, but then minutes later he seems to already know the difference between state and federal law on this issue and how it impacts banking regulations, etc.

I'm usually a little more lenient on pilots, so we'll see how the second episode holds up, but the laws about banking and pot are pretty well known, I think, especially for someone in the mob. Additionally, it didn't really matter in that moment how much he actually knew or didn't know, as he was in the process of strongarming that dispensary as soon as the cab stopped there.

[Ginkasa]

I thought the second episode was okay. A smaller, more character focused episode. There were some nice moments although I'm not sure I remember the Center of the Universe working like they described in the episode? The preview for next episode looks be more dramatic with elevated stakes. I'm still feeling the same regarding the show as last episode. The show is OK enough, but being OK is really all that's keeping my interest.

I do have one big complaint from this episode. There's a scene where Dwight gets acquainted with people having different pronouns and while I can buy some confusion from him due to just coming out of prison, there's no explanation or refutation of his ignorance. Not sure if it was intended this way, but I felt like the show was endorsing the character's view point with the way the scene was handled and that made me uncomfortable. Fingers crossed that this is a one off or that they circle back on that topic in a positive way.

[Pete]

^

The time gap storyline is really inconsistent. One minute he acts like he's been on Mars for the last 25 years, the next he's Googling on his laptop and using a smartphone like a pro.

I'm disappointed in the writing in general. The storyline, characters and dialog are lightyears behind The Sopranos, a comparison they bring up in their promos due to some writer overlap.

Thus far, the series is a solid C for me, but I'll keep watching just due to the Oklahoma angle.


In episode 2, I didn't see any OKC scenes except the neighborhoods that looked like The Village.

[theabg]

^

The time gap storyline is really inconsistent. One minute he acts like he's been on Mars for the last 25 years, the next he's Googling on his laptop and using a smartphone like a pro.

I'm disappointed in the writing in general. The storyline, characters and dialog are lightyears behind The Sopranos, a comparison they bring up in their promos due to some writer overlap.

Thus far, the series is a solid C for me, but I'll keep watching just due to the Oklahoma angle.


In episode 2, I didn't see any OKC scenes except the neighborhoods that looked like The Village.

When they went to the “Tulsa State Bank” I think the outside shots were of the stockyards near Agnew?

[Ginkasa]

When they went to the “Tulsa State Bank” I think the outside shots were of the stockyards near Agnew?

I had the same thought, but I'm not familiar enough with that area to say for sure. The exterior shots seemed vague enough to me that its possible it could have been a similar area in Tulsa.