Critic Reviews

The result is the perfect marriage of actor and material, with Stallone relying on his trademark formula of charisma, intimidating physicality and clever dialogue uttered in a low, often self-deprecating growl.

Fans of Sheridan's prior films and series as well as fans of Stallone will feel right at home with Tulsa King. It's the kind of show that knows its audience and isn't trying to woo over any naysayers. Some of it may come off as a little wooden, but much like its central character, the intrigue never fades.

When “Tulsa King” coasts on its winking, knowing comedy, it’s gangbusters. ... The show around him occasionally struggles to keep up—Garrett Hedlund, Dana Delaney, and Annabella Sciorra are barely present, despite occupying significant space in the credits and press materials. But it’s worth sticking around to see what role they’ll play in Sly’s most interesting ride into the sunset.

All of this conforms to the Stallone playbook, although the premise—the DIY organizing of organized crime—is an intriguing one, as is the Rip Van Winkle aspect of Dwight’s emergence from incarceration. ... I’m sorry there were only two episodes to watch, because for all the show’s hiccups, I wanted to see another.

While it’s mainstream fare when compared to such sublime mafia fish-out-of-water comedy dramas like Get Shorty and Barry, it’s entertaining, nonetheless. Winter, of Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos renown, is on home ground with his playful script and the series doesn’t waste any time setting out its stall.

Whether or not it can reach the heights of Taylor Sheridan or Terence Winter's past successes remains to be seen. For now, though, Tulsa King promises to be a royally good time – for fans of comedy and mob drama alike.

While it's impossible to say how well everything will ultimately come together, Tulsa King Season 3 is a thoroughly tense ride nonetheless — and the best that Sheridan's series has been so far.

It’s still fun, even if it can get easy to get lost, so to speak, in the weeds.

Because of its character-centric narrative and the way its story expertly juggles so many conflicts, Tulsa King season 3 is by far the best the show has ever been. The dynamics of this season are incredibly promising for its future.

The challenge for “Tulsa King” will be to expand beyond the “What a great idea!” stage. Right now it’s trying to be a whole lot of things at once: mob comedy; fish-out-of-water story; family drama (Dwight wants to reconnect with his estranged daughter); small-time-crooks yarn. It has plenty of time to make room for all of that, and the dynamite premise and talent pool isn’t going anywhere.