WARNING: This article contains spoilers from “Tulsa King” season 2.
Taylor Sheridan’s comedy of errors, “Tulsa King,” returned to Paramount+ with a smashing start to season two Sunday.
The Sylvester Stallone-led series started with an absolute bang, throwing lead character Dwight Manfredi back into action with a brief stint behind bars, a casual break-in to an ex’s apartment, one mild fight and a whole lot of business BS to boot. Season two set off with a lot more humor than season one. Though the underlying darkness of mob life still runs thick throughout the Sheridan script, the lighter moments seemed more plentiful in this second installation of episodes.
We start the series off behind bars, where Dwight is facing felony charges related to bribing ATF officer and former lover Stacy Beale (Andrea Savage). Thankfully, his daughter Tina (Tatiana Lia Zappardino) helps him post the $300,000 bond, sending him right back to his ramshackle crew. (RELATED: REVIEW: ‘Tulsa King’ Is Going To Make Hollywood Hate Taylor Sheridan’s Talent Forever)
With his businesses expanding, particularly his cannabis empire, Dwight and the lads (Martin Starr, Garrett Hedlund, Jay Will, Max Casella, Chris Caldovino, Vincent Piazza, Glen Gould, et al.) have their work cut out for them.
The big new bad guys in season two are Cal Thresher (Neal McDonough) and Bill Bevilacqua (Frank Grillo). Neither of them want Dwight anywhere near their Tulsa territory, setting up a great storyline to thread this season together. (RELATED: Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Tulsa King’ Finale Leaves Viewers Screaming At The Screen, Sets Up Perfect Second Season)
Unlike most Sheridan shows, which feature long exposition shots of gorgeous landscapes and gritty cities, “Tulsa King” had hardly any in this premiere episode. I think Sheridan had so much to fit in less than an hour, he had to keep the plot rapidly moving along. Thankfully, the speed didn’t take away from just how funny and expertly surreal this series is becoming.
I cannot wait to see what happens next!