Terence Winter advised the costume designer of Tulsa King particularly for one character. The show’s writer wanted to imitate Austin Powers’ style.
Taylor Sheridan’s comedy-drama series Tulsa King presents a unique mixture of comic and crime elements on TV. The Sylvester Stallone starrer showcases the journey of Dwight Manfredi, a former American Mafia caporegime who is exiled to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The character undergoes various trials and errors as he works hard to start his criminal empire from scratch at the new location. The show’s setting called for a detail-oriented costume design which introduced viewers to the land. The former showrunner, Terence Winter also included his special wish to see one character dressed up in Austin Powers’ style, which made fans speculate if Sheridan greenlit the decision.
The special focus on costume design and its inspiration
Paramount’s Tulsa King presents its characters in the relatively unexplored backdrop of Oklahoma’s Tulsa. Like Dwight who is played by Sylvester Stallone, most of the audience was also unaware of the place’s charms and aesthetics.
To stay true to the setting, the costume in-charge Suzanne McCabe worked hard to understand the required vibe. In an interview with IndieWire, the designer spoke about the changes she incorporated in Season 2 of the show.
Yeah, it’s like Siberia in their mind. I mean, for Dwight’s character to be shipped there is a huge thing in a person’s mind to be like, ‘Oh, I’m getting sent to Siberia.’
McCabe further touched upon the constantly changing aesthetics of each character, which represented their growth. She firmly believed that every individual had their style, influenced by their development in the plot.
I really just thought about the different characters. But we also only go episode by episode, so there is a growth and an evolution that happens.
Interestingly, the former showrunner Terence Winter also lent his two cents when it came to one character’s costumes. Winter requested the designer to model Bodhi played by Martin Starr in Austin Powers’ style.
And then with Bodhi, Terry [Winter, the showrunner] asked for the Sergeant Pepper thing, which I did, and the Austin Powers-looking thing.
Mike Myers’s unique costumes and his vibe influenced Winter and he wanted the same to be reflected in Bodhi’s costumes. Later, McCabe stated she went with regular suits to style the actor in a more gangster-appropriate look.
The roller-coaster journey of the show’s backbone
Winter previously won four Emmy awards for his work on the hit series The Sopranos. Naturally, people attributed the success of Tulsa King to the skilled showrunner, but he abruptly left the show.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed that he quit due to scheduling conflicts and then returned for the second season. However, Winter did not take back the mantle of the showrunner and instead returned as the head writer and executive producer.
. Now this is where the fun starts. You can start building on those relationships, we can get into the backstories, and we see them develop and get faced with more challenges and conflicts.
He also revealed some information about the second season, stating it would focus on the character’s further development. Rotten Tomatoes also rated the new season at a perfect 100%, with fans praising the actors’ performances.