When Taylor Sheridan and Terence Winter teamed up to make a mob show set in Oklahoma, people expected The Sopranos meets Yellowstone. It's a weird pitch. But what actually makes the show work—and why it stayed at the top of the Paramount+ charts through 2024 and 2025—is the cast of the Tulsa King. You can have the best writers in the world, but if you don't have the right faces in that dusty Oklahoma landscape, the whole thing falls apart. It’s a mix of old-school Hollywood royalty and character actors who have been grinding for decades.
Sylvester Stallone is the obvious draw. Let’s be real. At his age, most actors are looking for a comfortable chair and a legacy award. Instead, Sly decided to play Dwight "The General" Manfredi, a caporegime who gets out of prison after 25 years only to realize his "family" doesn't want him anymore. They exile him to Tulsa. It's basically a fish-out-of-water story with more hand-to-hand combat and expensive suits.
The Heavy Hitter: Why Stallone Matters
Dwight Manfredi isn't Rocky. He isn't Rambo. Stallone plays him with this weird, tired grace that actually feels human. You see the regret in his eyes when he realizes he missed a quarter-century of his daughter’s life. That's the emotional core. Without that, the cast of the Tulsa King would just be a group of people playing dress-up in cowboy hats and leather jackets. Stallone brings a gravity that most TV leads can't match.
He’s 75+ and still has better comedic timing than most actors half his age. Have you seen the scene where he gets his first Oklahoma driver’s license? It’s gold. Pure gold.
The Supporting Players Who Actually Steal the Show
If the show was just the Stallone Hour, it’d get boring fast. Thankfully, the ensemble is stacked with people who feel lived-in.
Jay Will as Tyson Mitchell
Tyson is the heart of the show. He’s the first person Dwight meets—a taxi driver who becomes his right-hand man. Jay Will brings this infectious energy that balances out Dwight’s "I’ve seen too much" vibe. Their dynamic is essentially a masterclass in unlikely friendships. Tyson isn't some hardened criminal; he’s just a kid from a good family who wants something more exciting than driving a cab.
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Martin Starr as Bodhi
Bodhi is the absolute best. As the owner of the Higher Plane marijuana dispensary, Martin Starr plays the "deadpan tech geek" role better than anyone. Watching a New York mobster try to understand the legal weed business through the eyes of a guy who just wants to vibe is one of the show's biggest strengths. Starr has that Silicon Valley cynicism that works perfectly against Stallone’s old-school brutality.
The Law and the Lawless
You can't have a mob show without some friction from the authorities. Andrea Savage plays Stacy Beale, an ATF agent who has a... complicated relationship with Dwight. It’s messy. It’s awkward. It’s totally believable. Savage is usually known for comedy, but she brings a jagged, weary edge to Stacy that makes her feel like a real person stuck in a job she hates.
And then there's the muscle.
Garrett Hedlund plays Mitch Keller. He’s a former bull rider and ex-con who runs a bar. Hedlund has this quiet, simmering intensity. He doesn't say much, but you know he can handle himself. He’s the bridge between Dwight’s world and the local Oklahoma culture.
Breaking Down the Antagonists
Every hero needs a foil. In the first season, we had the biker gang. In the second, things got even more complicated. The cast of the Tulsa King expanded to include Neal McDonough as Cal Thresher. If you know McDonough’s work, you know he plays "quietly terrifying" better than almost anyone in the business. He represents the local power—the guy who owns the land and the people on it.
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Then you have Frank Grillo.
Grillo joined the fray as Bill Bevilaqua, a mob boss from Kansas City who isn't exactly thrilled about Dwight moving into his territory. Grillo is a physical actor. He brings a sense of genuine threat. When he’s on screen, you feel like someone is about to get punched in the face. It's a great contrast to the more cerebral threats Dwight faces.
The Family Dynamic
We have to talk about Tina. Tatiana Zappardino plays Dwight’s daughter. Their relationship is the show's "why." Why does Dwight keep going? Why does he care about building an empire? It’s for her. Or at least, he tells himself it is. Their scenes are often the quietest in the show, but they carry the most weight.
Why This Cast Works When Others Don't
Look at most streaming shows these days. They feel plastic. Everyone looks like a model. Everyone talks in perfect quips.
The cast of the Tulsa King feels like they actually live in Tulsa.
- Domenick Lombardozzi as Chickie Invernizzi is a great example. He’s a veteran of The Wire. He knows how to play a guy who is perpetually angry and slightly incompetent. He makes the New York side of the story feel grounded in reality.
- Dana Delany as Margaret Devereaux adds a level of sophistication. She’s the owner of a horse ranch, and she provides a romantic interest for Dwight that isn't just a trophy. She’s his equal.
The show succeeds because it understands "character." Each person has a specific motivation that isn't just "be the bad guy" or "be the sidekick." Even the smaller roles, like Max Casella as Armand Truisi, have depth. Armand is a guy who fled the mob life years ago only to have it show up on his doorstep. You feel his panic. You see his sweat.
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The Production Behind the Faces
Terence Winter, the showrunner for a big chunk of the series, knows how to write for actors. He did Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos. He knows how to give a cast meat to chew on. When you combine that with the cinematic eye of the Sheridan-verse, you get something that looks like a movie but feels like a novel.
Filming shifted from Oklahoma to Atlanta for some of the production, but the cast never lost that gritty, humid feel of the plains. They make you believe in the heat.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans of the Show
If you’re following the cast of the Tulsa King, here are a few things to keep an eye on:
- Watch the older filmography: If you like Martin Starr, go back and watch Freaks and Geeks or Silicon Valley. It shows just how much range he has.
- Follow the New York actors: People like Lombardozzi and Casella are staples of the prestige TV era. If you see them in a cast list, the show is usually worth your time.
- Look for the crossover: Since this is a Taylor Sheridan production, keep an eye out for familiar faces from the Yellowstone or Mayor of Kingstown universes. He loves to reuse actors who can handle his specific brand of grit.
- Stay tuned for Season 3 news: With the way Season 2 ended, the cast dynamics are going to shift significantly. New alliances are being formed, and some long-standing characters might not make it through the next chapter.
The real magic of the show isn't just the explosions or the mob hits. It’s watching a 75-year-old legend interact with a group of hungry, talented actors who are all bringing their A-game to a story about second chances in the middle of nowhere. It shouldn't work. On paper, it sounds ridiculous. But because of these specific people, it's one of the most compelling things on television. Dwight Manfredi found a new life in Tulsa, and Stallone found one of the best roles of his career.
To truly understand the show, you have to look past the "Mafia in Oklahoma" gimmick. Look at the faces. Look at the history those actors bring to their roles. That is the real power of the cast of the Tulsa King. They turned a fish-out-of-water concept into a genuine character study that resonated with millions of viewers across the globe. Whether you're there for the drama, the comedy, or just to see Sly break a few noses, the ensemble ensures there's never a dull moment in Tulsa.
Check the latest casting calls and industry news if you’re interested in how the show's world is expanding. The production is known for hiring local talent for background roles, which adds to that authentic Oklahoma vibe that fans have come to love.