In the first season of the Paramount+ crime drama Tulsa King, New York Mafia capo Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone) was released from prison after 25 years, having taken the rap for the Invernizzi crime family without squealing. As a thanks for his silence, the mafia exiled him to Tulsa, Oklahoma. However, despite being a fish out-of-water in today’s modern world, Dwight quickly established his own crew and money-making operation, enlisting the services of taxi driver-turned personal driver Tyson (Jay Will), local weed dispensary owner Bodhi (Martin Starr), and Bred-2-Buck bar owner Mitch Keller (Garrett Hedlund). In the first season Dwight and his crew found themselves at odds with outlaw biker gang The Black Macadams; Dwight reconnected with his old flame, ranch owner Margaret Devereaux (Dana Delany); had a run-in with a former mafia soldier Armand Truisi (Max Casella) and forced him to join his crew; and started up a relationship with Stacy Beale (Andrea Savage), who turned out to be a Fed with the ATF. As the first season came to a close, Dwight’s freedom seemed short-lived as he found himself in danger of going back to prison, accused of trying to bribe a federal agent.

As the second season of Tulsa King opens, Dwight prepares to represent himself in court for his indictment. Meanwhile, Dwight looks at going more legit while expanding his empire, such as growing his weed business, investing in a wind farm, and buying a used car lot. However, Dwight quickly finds himself pulled back into the darker side of the crime business when his ventures catch the eyes of Cal Thresher (Neal McDonough), a local businessman and largest weed distributer in Tulsa. Cal is not only upset that Dwight is potentially stealing some of his business, but he is also interested in Margaret and wants to eliminate the competition. And so Cal tries to use his power and influence with the District Attorney to ensure that his rival is sent away. But when that doesn’t quite work out, he turns to more violent means, and alerts Kansas City mafia boss Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo) that Dwight is encroaching on his territory. Everyone seems to have it out for Dwight, and he and his crew soon find themselves targeted and in danger. Dwight is unsure who is behind the attacks or who can be trusted, though he has his suspicions. Meanwhile, Dwight works hard to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter Tina (Tatiana Zappardino), who turns out to be a lot like her father. And Dwight’s younger sister Joanne (Annabella Sciorra) visits from New York to help Tina get settled.

This second season of Tulsa King was even better than the first, with more action, drama, and humor. There are so many twists and turns to the season that you’re never quite sure where loyalties lie, or who is going to turn on who. Each of the main characters is given a chance to grow and evolve. Dwight still has some fun fish-out-of-water moments, but he’s quickly adapting to the modern world. He can be menacing and tough when he needs to be, but at his core is a kind and caring guy who loves his family and crew. He once again has a relationship with his daughter and doesn’t want to mess that up. At the same time, he’s also becoming like a father figure and mentor for Tyson, but worries about this nice guy getting pulled into the darker side of the business. Neal McDonough and Frank Grillo make wonderful additions to the cast as the second season’s primary new adversaries for Dwight and his crew. Both of these men are powerful and pose a believable threat to th Bord-2-Bred crew. Meanwhile, there’s also trouble brewing back in New York as Dwight is becoming a bit of a thorn in the side of the mafia.

What I really enjoy about this show is the varied tone. One moment the action and drama can get tense, with some high stakes, and then the series will switch gears and take a moment to just have some fun. Some of the more comical moments this season include an early guest appearance by Jelly Roll to sing his hit song “I Am Not Okay”, and later Mitch dressed as a pirate filming a TV commercial for a used car lot. Another thing I appreciate about the series is that each season is somewhat self-contained, telling a complete story over the course of the season, but then teasing the following season in the final moments.

Paramount Home Entertainment has released Tulsa King Season 2 on Blu-ray and DVD. I was sent the Blu-ray for review, and found the presentation to be solid. The picture is crystal clear, with an excellent level of detail. Whether it’s a brawl on a sunny day, a nighttime confrontation, or people hanging out inside at the bar, the picture always looks great. The Dolby TrueHD audio track provides clear dialogue throughout, and makes excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to put the viewer in the middle of the action, or set the immersive ambiance of the locations. If I had one complaint about the presentation, it’s that there are no chapter stops just after the opening title sequence, so there’s not an easy way to skip over this while binging though the episodes.

The ten episodes of the season are even ly spread across 2 discs, which are placed on either side of a standard-sized Blu-ray keepcase, which is covered with a glossy carboard slipcover. The discs contain over 50 minutes of bonus material, with a couple of these featurettes being exclusive to this Blu-ray/DVD release.

What’s Included:

Episodes: (6:44:31)

• All 10 episodes of the second season:
  Disc 1 (3:33:03): “Back in the Saddle”, “Kansas City Blues”, “Oklahoma v. Manfredi”, “Heroes and Villains”, “Tilting at Windmills”
  Disc 2 (3:11:28): “Navigator”, “Life Support”, “Under New Management”, “Triad”, “Reconstruction”
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD
• Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

• The Boss Is Back (29:31)
  The cast and crew talk about being back on set for the second season, the new characters, storylines and threats, the stunts, working with Sly, and more. Includes clips, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with stars Max Casella (“Armand Truisi”), Chris Caldovino (“Goodie Carangi”), Martin Starr (“Bodhi”), Tatiana Zappardino (“Tina”), Vincent Piazza (“Vince Antonacci”), Dana Delany (“Margaret Devereaux”), Neal McDonough (“Cal Thresher”), Annabella Sciorra (“Joanne”), Garrett Hedlund (“Mitch Keller”), Domenick Lombardozzi (“Chickie Invernizzi”), Frank Grillo (“Bill Bevilaqua”), Jay Will (“Tyson Mitchell”) & Michael Beach (“Mark Mitchell”), stunt coordinator/second unit director Freddie Poole, special effects coordinator Matthew Kutcher, and writer/executive producer Terence Winter. Exclusive to this home video release.
• Mob Rule: Writing a Season of Crime (12:56)
  Writer/executive producer Terence Winter discusses the characters and storylines of the second season, and teases some of the things that will be explored in season 3. Exclusive to this home video release.
• Who Said It? (4:27)
  Cast members Garrett Hedlund, Dana Delany, Tatiana Zappardino, Max Casella, Chris Caldovino, Martin Starr, Jay Will & Annabella Sciorra read quotes from season one and try to guess which characters said them.
  
• Meet the Rivals (2:23)
  New cast members Neal McDonough and Frank Grillo discuss their characters, along with returning actors Domenick Lombardozzi & Vincent Piazza.
• Best in Crew (2:06)
  Cast members state who among the cast would be the Best in Court, the Best on the Street, the Best Getaway Driver, the Biggest Rule Breaker, the Best Business Partner, the Most Fashionable, and the Best Used Car Salesman.

Final Thoughts:

Tulsa King is another solidly-entertaining series from Yellowstone-creator Taylor Sheridan. It has a really fun collection of characters, interesting setting, and a wonderful blend of action, drama and humor. Stallone is charismatic and captivating and joined by a talented ensemble. The second season intrudes two great new villains for Dwight and his crew to face off against, and throws in plenty of twists and turns. Paramount’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, and includes a solid collection of bonus material. The release comes highly recommended for fans of the series or of any of Sheridan’s other shows, or those who just want to see Stallone in another entertaining role.