There’s some more showrunner shakeup on a Taylor Sheridan series, and at this point, that’s to be expected.
Taylor Sheridan shows have a handful of virtual guarantees: They are going to be highly entertaining, they are going to chock-full of A-list actors (despite what the New York Post says), and they are are going to have a revolving door at the showrunner position.
The Yellowstone creator has a very specific vision for his shows, and often writes all of the scripts by himself. More often than not, that leads to friction between Sheridan and the showrunner. Creative differences turn into high turnover rates for showrunners. Dutton Ranch has experienced some issues between Season 1 and Season 2, and now, the latest example of a showrunner shuffle playing out? That’d be the crime-drama Tulsa King.
The Sylvester Stallone-led show is heading into its fourth season. It debuts on Friday, October 16 on Paramount+, and if it seems a little different (or similar to Season 1) when it hits your television screen, there’s an explanation. Season 3 showrunner, Dave Erickson, left the position after he and Sylvester Stallone didn’t agree on the direction of the series.
So who stepped in? That’d be Tulsa King‘s original, Season 1 showrunner: Terence Winter. He’s the showrunner behind Season 4, and if you guessed that he left the show – that he helped develop – because he and Taylor Sheridan had a different idea of where the Tulsa King should go, you’d be correct.
But apparently enough time has passed and enough conversations have been had for Winter to feel comfortable enough to get back behind the wheel.
So technically (?), the series has had a new showrunner for each and every season. Winter had the first, and then Craig Zisk came in to do Season 2. He left, and Dave Erickson took over as the showrunner. And that gets us caught up to the current situation, where Erickson is leaving and Winter is coming back to the role he held prior.
Safe to say the showrunner situation off screen is just as complicated as Dwight’s (Sylvester Stallone’s character) on screen. But hopefully Winter can tap back in to the vibes of Season 1, which established the series as one of Sheridan’s most underrated.
Here’s the show’s official description:
“Dwight (Stallone) fights to legitimize his empire and protect his crew as corrupt politicians, dangerous new enemies, and a crushing personal loss hit from every direction. However, every hard-won gain comes with even harder truths: about loyalty, leadership and the cost of ambition.
Each move drags Dwight deeper into the street instincts he left behind in New York – turning Tulsa into a battleground and Dwight into the one threat no one can afford to underestimate.”
I’ve got a feeling that the series will still shine despite the showrunner issues. After all, how could you go wrong with a mafia story that stars Sylvester Stallone in the leading role, and has a cast rounded out by names like Martin Starr, Jay Will, Vincent Piazza, Annabella Sciorra, Neal McDonough, Chris Caldovino, McKenna Quigley Harrington, and Frank Grillo, just to name a few.
Here’s the the show’s Season 4 trailer, which Paramount+ shared earlier today:
Tulsa King Season 4 Official Teaser Trailer
