Is ‘Tulsa King’ based on a true story?

Sylvester Stallone’s New York mafia man turned Oklahoma criminal kingpin took the entire world by storm after the release of Tulsa King this past November. With a second season on the way, we can’t wait to see where it all goes next.

From the mind of Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, Tulsa King is unlike anything on television. Following the exploits of Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi as he establishes a new criminal organization in (you guessed it) Tulsa, Oklahoma — it’s the type of series that seems crazy enough to be real, or at very lease based on something, but is it?

The truth is that Tulsa King is completely, 100 percent…fiction. Sorry to disappoint. This hit series comes entirely from the genius that is Taylor Sheridan. Yet fans should expect nothing less from a Hollywood creative that has been behind movies like Sicario, Hell or High Water, and Wind River. Oh, and he co-created Yellowstone’s prequels 1883 and 1923 too. Forget about Sly Stallone, Taylor Sheridan is a Grade-A badass.

If you needed more proof, Sheridan’s creation of Tulsa King is fit for fiction in its own right. As the story goes, Sheridan wrote the script for Tulsa King in less than a day — according to an interview in The Hollywood Reporter.

Producer David Glasser had Sheridan spitballing ideas on a Friday, and by Saturday morning there was a script in his inbox. We don’t know much about screenwriting, but that has to be some type of record. Can anyone fact check us on that?

“Taylor (Sheridan starts to spitball the idea of a fish out of water story for an hour. Then, Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m., he goes, ‘Check your inbox.’ There is a script he’s already written called Kansas City King and it’s incredible.”

Now we’re not saying that the story of an ousted mafia member being sent across the country hasn’t actually happened in real life (we’re sure it has), but as far as this show is concerned; it’s all made up. Tulsa King is a show after all, even the true to life ones are embellished from time to time.

It may sadden some know that there’s really no basis for inspiration when it comes to this Tulsa tale of murder and mayhem, but when you think about it, the show is even more impressive in light of that fact. The second season of Tulsa King can be expected late this year, or early 2024.