Sylvester Stallone has amassed a number of titles over the course of his illustrious career. He’s known as an actor, writer, director and producer, but he can now add another moniker to that list: reality TV star. That’s right, Stallone is heading up a reality TV show alongside his wife, Jennifer Flavin, and their three daughters. The Family Stallone, which will be available to anyone with a Paramount+ subscription, is set to give viewers an intimate look into the daily lives of the California-based brood. The group seems excited to provide this level of insight and, to mark the release, they humorously weighed in on which famous Stallone famous characters would be great subjects for reality TV series.
It goes without saying that the 76-year-old star has played more than his fair share of iconic roles, from the punchy Rocky Balboa to the mostly silent (but deadly) John Rambo. A vast number of them would be entertaining leads on a reality show. I was fortunate enough to speak with the Hollywood A-lister and his wife, along with daughters Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet Stallone, during the press day for The Family Stallone. As a movie fan, I couldn’t help but get the group’s thoughts on which characters would best fit the small-screen bill, and they offered up some thoughtful responses:
Sophia Stallone: [Angelo Provolone from] Oscar.
Sistine Stallone: Oscar’s great.
Scarlet Stallone: Oscar would be a good one.
Scarlet: Probably Rambo, because it’d be so funny.
Jennifer Flavin: Definitely not Copland. Not Rambo, because he doesn’t talk.
Angelo “Snaps” Provolone of the aforementioned 1991 dramedy is certainly one of the more lighthearted characters that the Stallone family patriarch has ever portrayed. I could definitely see him being the star of a show of some kind. When addressing the matter himself, Sylvester made a humorously honest suggestion:
Sylvester Stallone: All the films that failed would be the good ones, like Rhinestone, because they’re goofy characters.
Adam Sandler: Love him.
Jennifer Flavin: Yeah, yeah, Rhinestone would be the best.
Rhinestone’s Nick Martinelli is another Stallone character that tends to fall by the wayside, but he’d be absolutely great for TV. In a world where Taxicab Confessions and Cash Cab, the tart-tongued cabbie would be a shoo-in for the genre. After he was brought up during the discussion, Sistine Stallone brought up her dad’s superhero work. She first mistakenly referred to his Guardians of the Galaxy character, Stakar Ogord, before bringing up one of his more recent fan favorite roles:
Sistine Stallone: … the shark.
Sylvester Stallone: Oh, you’re talking about the shark. Well, that’s [The] Suicide Squad.
Sistine: Oh, Suicide Squad. Yeah, the shark.
Jennifer Flavin: He would definitely steal the show.
Sylvester: He would just eat all the guests.
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DC Comics’ King Shark would make for a highly entertaining reality TV star. The character, which was tough to pull off without Sylvester Stallone. Doesn’t say all that much, but his antics speak louder than his words. Sure, he probably would just devour anyone and everything in his path, but the ratings would be wild, I think. And the show could simply be called “King Shark is a Shark.” Those who’ve read comics know that the antihero has muttered that phrase more than a few times, and it’d make a perfect title.
Of course, you probably shouldn’t expect such a project to happen and should probably place your focus on The Family Stallone. The series kicks off with Sylvester returning home from Oklahoma, where he worked on his record-breaking series Tulsa King. And once he’s back with his family, they all contend with the fun and unpredictable nature of their lives. The series should keep audiences entertained though, if you’re like me, you may continue to fantasize about shows starring Stallone’s various characters.
The Family Stallone premieres on Paramount+ on May 17th as part of the 2023 TV schedule.
