‘Tulsa King’ Season 3 preview: Marietta native Robert Patrick plays a baddie
In Paramount+ show “Tulsa King,” Sly Stallone’s mafioso leader Dwight Manfredi and his motley gang are regularly facing enemies trying to take them down.
In the show’s third season, which debuts Sunday, they face off against Jeremiah Dunmire, nicknamed the “Tyrant of Tulsa.” He’s played by Marietta native Robert Patrick, who has a knack for portraying tough guys, from “Terminator 2″ to “The X-Files” to “Peacemaker.”
Dwight opens a distillery selling extremely rare and valuable bourbon. Dunmire gets angry because Dwight is honing in on his valuable liquor business turf. So he naturally retaliates. The battle between Dwight and Dunmire is the season story arc that will likely end badly for Dunmire because there is only one “Tulsa King.”
Patrick previously worked with Stallone in the critically acclaimed 1997 dramatic film “Cop Land.” In an email to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Patrick said he had “the best time filming ‘Tulsa King’ in my hometown. Working with Sly is always great! My respect and admiration for him runs deep!”
The soapy drama, which moved production to metro Atlanta from Oklahoma last year, has been both a critical and ratings success for Paramount+. The streaming service is so confident about Season 3, it renewed the show for a fourth season this week.
Kevin Pollak, a longtime character actor who has been in big films like “Casino” and “The Usual Suspects,” plays rogue FBI agent Musso who knows about Dwight’s illegal activities in Tulsa. But instead of turning him in, Musso decides to blackmail Dwight for his own purposes. Dwight has to keep this relationship under wraps from his employees.
“Musso relishes this opportunity,” Pollak said.
Pollak was thrilled to get the role since he had never worked with Stallone before.
“Another gift has fallen into my lap,” Pollak said. I’m going to make the most of it. I was thrilled to be jumping into a show that was already a massive success. That’s a pretty rarified situation. Sly was instantly disarming and charming and funny and generous as a scene partner. It’s been a phenomenal gig.”
Dana Delany, another actor with plenty of accolades over the years on shows such as “Body of Proof” and “Desperate Housewives,” has gotten to work with Stallone all three seasons. She plays Dwight’s loyal love interest, the likable and sharply intelligent horse farm owner Margaret Devereaux.
Their interplay on the show remains sweet and lived in, a couple who understands and supports each other even if Dwight’s actions are often questionable and sometimes violent. At the same time, she is her own woman.
“She may be crazy about Dwight but she always has her own thing going on behind the scenes,” Delany said. “Even if she does things that help Dwight out, she is helping herself out, too.”
Martin Starr, who plays Dwight’s snarky business manager and technical whiz Bodhi, gets a little vengeance after one of his friends was killed in Season 2.
“I get to dabble in a little drama,” Starr said. “But it’s always fun to provide a little levity.”
Atlanta doesn’t really resemble Tulsa, but the producers work hard to ensure viewers won’t notice.
“It was amazing how we could match the ranch in Oklahoma in Atlanta,” Delany said regarding her character’s horse farm. “You have some beautiful land out there in Alpharetta.”
If you watch
“Tulsa King”
Season 3 debuts Sunday on Paramount+
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
