Fall TV is finally making its way to the 2025 premiere schedule, and while there are plenty of network shows kicking off soon, one of the biggest debuts this week is easily the Season 3 opener of Sylvester Stallone’s action-steeped crime drama Tulsa King. With its first two seasons, the mob-centric series cemented itself as one of the best shows streaming on Paramount+, and I was very excited to talk to the cast about the new threats soon rising up in Oklahoma.
When I spoke with Annabella Sciorra alongside Jay Will and Martin Starr, I was curious about the actress’ experiences both on this show and during her memorable run on The Sopranos as Angie Bonpensiero. Relatively few actors can say they’ve shared the screen in gangster dramas with both Stallone and the late, great James Gandolfini.
When I asked Sciorra to compare working with two of Hollywood’s major heavies, she was understandably hesitant to speak too openly about her former on-screen beau, saying:
Oh, um, wow. I mean, gosh, they're both very particular. Jim was very...he liked to get himself in a state, you know, when he was doing something,. Oh, gosh, it's so hard to talk about Jim, I have to tell you that, so I'm not going to talk about him too much. But very different, very different.
Gandolfini, who died in June 2013 of cardiac arrest at 51, remains idolized by millions of fans, not just for his undeniably powerful role as Tony Soprano, but for a career full of interesting and often intimidating characters. As Sciorra noted, he was known to work himself up while filming to bring Tony to the razor's edge of emotions, and it's not like there were tons of scenes where Tony and Angie just hung out peacefully on the beach without any other cares in the world. That not how The Sopranos worked.
Annabella Sciorra continued, pointing out that where James Gandolfini was an intense performer, Sylvester Stallone is apparently the exact opposite, and that he knows how to mince words in a way that's most impactful. As she put it:
Sly is very easy-breezy. Sometimes I think there's something about his voice and the way it connects him to what he's feeling, that he could just say a word and it means something. It has gravitas, it has weight, without him really preparing for it. Or, I don't know, maybe he has some rituals.
In the case of Tulsa King, one might imagine the actor's rituals involving throwing two-bit goons through bar windows. But it's probably more peaceful than that.
Sciorra also spoke to how immaculately prepared Stallone is when he's on the set, and not just when it comes to what his character Dwight Manfredi is doing at any given monent. The Rocky vet knows it all, and Jay Will had something to say about it.
- ANNABELLA SCIORRA: I will say this: he knows his lines spot-on, and he knows everybody else's lines in the scene.
- JAY WILL: It’s annoying.
- ANNABELLA SCIORRA: Super professional, spry, lot of energy. He's fantastic to work with.
Martin Starr also talked about how well-versed Stallone is, not only with everyone's scene dialogue, but also with each of the characters' evolving storylines from season to season. It sounds like he has the long-game in mind, and I can only imagine that Paramount+ will be happy to keep this show (Jelly-)rolling, so long as viewers keep tuning in.
Tulsa King Season 3 premiere, titled “Blood and Bourbon,” will be available to stream via Paramount+ subscription starting on Sunday, September 21, with new episodes arriving weekly thereafter. Fans aren’t going to want to miss seeing Sylvester Stallone facing off against Terminator 2 and Peacemaker star Robert Patrick.
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