Chickie Invernizzi (Domenick Lombardozzi) perfectly explained how Tulsa King can explain future spinoff shows, and how Dwight Manfredi’s (Sylvester Stallone) criminal empire can expand well past Oklahoma. Tulsa King and Dwight’s criminal empire have already grown significantly since he first went to Oklahoma. The cast of Tulsa King has expanded to include new allies and enemies, and Dwight’s businesses have gone from simple extortion to an inter-state marijuana industry. Now, as Tulsa King season 3 draws nearer, the show is likely looking for another way to expand.
Luckily, Chickie gave Tulsa King the perfect way to continue getting bigger and better, and it’s not with a simple continuation of Dwight’s story. Like several other Taylor Sheridan TV shows, Tulsa King could begin to create spinoffs. The only problem with that plan is that Tulsa King has largely relied on Sylvester Stallone’s star power, and it hasn’t been immediately clear how the series could make an entire spinoff without him. Chickie, however, justified it in the finale of Tulsa King season 2, and there’s a chance the show’s creators will use his setup.
Chickie Explained That Dwight’s Gang Could “Franchise” Other Cities
Chickie’s Last Plan Was To Establish New Mobs Across The United States
Just before Bill Bevilaqua killed Chickie at the end of Tulsa King season 2, the New York gangster mentioned a plan for Dwight to expand his criminal empire. As Chickie explained, Dwight and Bill could “franchise” other cities and essentially have their gang members do what Dwight did in Tulsa: build a mob from the ground up. Bill was, presumably, the only classic gangster operating west of the coast, and he only seemed concerned about Kansas City. Huge swaths of America are ripe for Dwight to take control, and he may already have a city in mind.
Chickie’s Plan Could Work Perfectly For A New Orleans Tulsa King Spinoff
Terrence Winter, the main writer of Tulsa King, confirmed that a Tulsa King spinoff set in New Orleans is in the “talking stages” of development. Chickie’s franchise idea would be the perfect way to explain why Dwight expanded to Louisiana, especially now that his businesses in Tulsa are legitimate. Even though he had been on a downward spiral, Chickie’s plan made a lot of sense. Dwight can keep his legitimate businesses in Tulsa, but he can still use his criminal experience to turn his gang from a one-city show into a multi-state empire.
Using Chickie’s franchises to expand Tulsa King to new states and cities would be the perfect justification for the spinoff show. There are several members of Dwight’s gang who would be capable of establishing a new mob with his guidance, like Tyson (Jay Will) or Goodie (Chris Caldovino). Having Dwight’s people running a new gang would also be the perfect way to keep Sylvester Stallone attached to the spinoff, as they’ll likely need Dwight’s expertise for some of the problems they run into. Even Frank Grillo’s Bill Bevilaqua could appear in the New Orleans spinoff in a similar role to Dwight.
Chickie May Have Even Made Tulsa King Into Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Replacement
Chickie’s plan to franchise the mafia could not only expand Dwight’s operation, it could also expand Tulsa King. Taylor Sheridan, the creator of Tulsa King, has been looking for a replacement to Yellowstone, his biggest franchise. There have already been several Yellowstone spinoff shows that have turned the story of the Dutton family into a sprawling saga, but now that the show is ending, Sheridan may be looking for another of his shows to elevate into franchise status. If Dwight can spread his criminal empire across America, Tulsa King may just be that franchise.
Sheridan may be looking for another of his shows to elevate into franchise status. If Dwight can spread his criminal empire across America, Tulsa King may just be that franchise.
Tulsa King currently has its eyes on New Orleans, but Chickie’s franchise plan would let Dwight move into any city he wanted, save for New York. If the first spinoff proves to be a hit, Tulsa King could easily introduce an entire network of interconnected gangs spread across the United States. Each city would also have more than enough variety to justify a spinoff show, as they would be run by different characters and face different preexisting challenges. The only limit to Chickie’s franchise plan is viewer interest. Based on season 2’s 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Tulsa King has never struggled with generating interest.
The only issue with using Chickie’s plan to franchise the mafia is that future Tulsa King spinoffs may begin to feel a bit formulaic. While each city would have its own police, rival gangs, and other interesting problems to deal with, there’s only so much variety possible in a gangster show. Dwight can likely expand to several different cities across the U.S., but Tulsa King may reach a point where it’s not worth it to do so anymore. That seems to be a distant possibility, though, so for now, the future of Tulsa King seems very bright.