TV Show review
November 13, 2022 · TV-MA · Returning Series
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Tulsa King.
Woke representation / casting
Natural mix of local Tulsa characters including a Black taxi driver; casting fits story logic and setting without visible emphasis, quotas, or identity signaling in marketing or arcs.
Woke political dialogue
Occasional light humor about post-prison modern life and standard mafia loyalty talk; no activist speeches, identity lectures, or ideological framing.
Identity-driven story themes
Story focuses on power, betrayal, crew-building, and criminal empire in classic mob/Western style; no race, gender, sexuality, or identity-centered plotlines or messaging.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Traditional genre critique of mafia family disloyalty and underworld violence; no modern activist-style attacks on patriarchy, capitalism, whiteness, or Western institutions.
Review
Tulsa King follows New York mafia capo Dwight "The General" Manfredi, played by Sylvester Stallone, who is released from prison after 25 years and exiled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he builds a new criminal crew from local outsiders including a taxi driver, a dispensary owner, and a bar owner. The series blends classic mob drama, fish-out-of-water humor, action, and family loyalty themes across four seasons in a straightforward crime story style created by Taylor Sheridan and Terence Winter. No prominent identity politics, DEI framing, or activist messaging appears in the narrative, dialogue, or marketing; it prioritizes traditional gangster tropes and entertainment over social themes.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant — fully original premise with no source material alterations.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Very limited viewer notes on one minor early-season line later dropped; overall reception praises avoidance of virtue signaling and traditional tone with no organized "too woke" complaints.
Creator track record context
Key figures like Stallone and Sheridan show public pushback against woke culture and prioritize classic narratives; supporting writers and directors have low-profile, non-activist careers in crime genres.
Production
