Sylvester Stallone Breaks Down the Shocking ‘Tulsa King’ Premiere Twist

Dwight Manfredi has spent three seasons building an empire in Oklahoma, and the new season of ‘Tulsa King‘ wastes no time testing it. The fourth season arrived Oct. 16 on Paramount+, with new episodes set to stream weekly on Fridays.

The Taylor Sheridan-produced drama stars Sylvester Stallone as Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a New York mafia capo exiled to Tulsa after serving 25 years in prison. It was Stallone’s first leading role in a scripted TV series, and it has become one of Paramount+’s biggest hits, with its second-season premiere drawing a then-record 21.1 million global streaming viewers.

This season finds Dwight trying to legitimize his empire and protect his crew while corrupt politicians, dangerous new enemies and a crushing personal loss close in from every direction. The premiere, titled “W.W.D.D.,” made that clear very quickly.

The episode begins with Dwight in better shape than ever. He heads to New York City for the national meeting of bosses, where he declares that he represents “the Manfredi family of Tulsa,” and his crew is thriving back home. But it’s clear that James Russo’s Quiet Ray is going to keep being a problem.

Then the episode ends with Dwight losing both his girlfriend and his powerful political ally. Stallone says that was exactly the point. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he explained that he wanted viewers’ jaws to drop and that he believes he went as far as he could go with the characters who met their end.

He compared the structure to a horror movie, where just when you think it’s safe to go back in the water, everything collapses. Dwight had the governor in his pocket and a nice girlfriend, and then it all vanishes, replaced by someone who hates his guts. The shock is designed to set up the season’s central conflict.

Stallone also said he wants the season to deliver a penchant for violence in the spirit of ‘Rambo’, with villains who really get what they deserve. That matches the darker tone the show has been promising, and it fits the sense that Dwight is about to enter his most dangerous stretch yet.

In a separate preview, Stallone said there is growing tension between Tulsa and the gangs in New York City, building to what he cryptically called an interesting climax. He also said Dwight’s long-running cat-and-mouse game with FBI Agent Musso, played by Kevin Pollak, will reach a boiling point this season.

The season also adds a mystery newcomer whom Stallone described as one of the most dangerous and unpredictable characters the show has ever featured. Gretchen Mol joins the main cast as Amanda Clark, a Tulsa politician, and Richie Stephens plays English Dan, a rival crime supplier who wants a piece of Dwight’s territory.

Martin Starr, Jay Will, Vincent Piazza, Annabella Sciorra, Frank Grillo, Neal McDonough, Garrett Hedlund and Dana Delany all return. Terence Winter serves as head writer and executive producer, joined by Sheridan, Stallone and others.

A new trailer for Tulsa King Season 4 is here, and Sylvester Stallone’s Dwight Manfredi is facing another round of trouble as his empire continues to grow. Get your first look at Season 4 and find out when Tulsa King returns. #TulsaKing https://t.co/RzyxMZYr3r

— CBR (@CBR) September 1, 2026

One of the biggest questions is where the show goes next. A fifth season has not been formally announced in the reports we reviewed, but a writers’ room for it opened in June, and the show has reportedly been eyeing a move to New York for filming rather than Atlanta, where it has shot most of its first four seasons. Stallone also hinted at that direction when discussing the finale, setting up a bigger fight with New York to come.

The franchise is expanding as well. Paramount has a spinoff, ‘Frisco King’, starring Samuel L. Jackson as hitman Russell Lee Washington Jr., which finished shooting earlier this summer and does not yet have a premiere date. The character was introduced in ‘Tulsa King’ Season 3.

By stripping Dwight of the two people who anchored his new life, the show resets the stakes. His empire is bigger than ever, but his personal support system is gone, and his enemies in New York and Tulsa both know it. Stallone’s comments suggest the show’s most daunting challenge is still ahead, and that this loss is only the start.

For fans, that means a season with more bloodshed, more politics and a Dwight who may be more dangerous than ever. The first episode proves that nobody is safe, and that Stallone is willing to take the show in a darker direction.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!