Aside from the existing Yellowstone shows, Tulsa King qualifies as the most popular Taylor Sheridan series to date. Granted, Billy Bob Thornton’s Land Man could change that, but for the moment and heading into his second season, Sly Stallone is king. The Tulsa King, rather.
Unfortunately for viewers of the series, some reported upheaval surfaced in early 2023 with news that Boardwalk Empire‘s Terence Winter would not be returning as showrunner amid what appeared to be creative differences, possibly with Sheridan himself. Well, it’s a year later, and something happened to bring Winter back on board. Granted, he will not be showrunner but working exclusively on writing and shaping the story, and furthermore, The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Tulsa King will no longer have a “traditional showrunner” at all. There will be a new executive producer who focuses upon production, and curiously, this excerpt makes mention of how Winter will be “isolate[d] a bit more” from the show’s creator. Hmm:
Sources say Winter’s new position (he’s also an executive producer, same as season one) allows him to just focus on the show’s writing amid his busy schedule and work closely with Stallone, with whom he has a strong relationship. (It also isolates him a bit more from Sheridan compared to serving as showrunner.) “He loves these characters and loved working with Sly and was glad his post-strike schedule allowed him to return to write but not run the show,” explained one source close to the production.
Well, let’s step back a moment. Sheridan has been subject to multiple reports that he can be a little prickly and clash with those who are also used to calling the shots, which appears to also be why Kevin Costner is tossing his hat into another Horizon. As Sheridan previously told The Hollywood Reporter when quizzed about showrunner departures, he declared, “My stories have a very simple plot that is driven by the characters as opposed to characters driven by a plot — the antithesis of the way television is normally modeled.” He also added of writers’ rooms, “[If] I give this directive and they’re not feeling it, then they’re going to come up with their own qualities.” How that will roll into Winter in the writers’ room is anyone’s guess, so stay tuned.
Additionally, word recently surfaced that the show’s production has shifted from Oklahoma to Atlanta, Georgia. Stallone previously made no secret of not digging the sweltering heat and humidity of the Sooner State in the summer. However, Atlanta is not exactly Antarctica, so it remains to be seen how that transition goes. Sly will be fine, though, because unlike Dwight Manfredi, he hasn’t been banished in Tulsa.