After several underwhelming episodes, Season 3 of Tulsa King redeemed itself in its final two installments, thanks to the presence of Samuel L. Jackson. The celebrated actor plays Russell Lee Washington Jr., a skilled hitman who is sent to Tulsa to whack Sylvester Stallone’s character, Dwight Manifredi. Upon arriving, he becomes awed by the empire the mobster has built and opts against killing him. Russell’s rare “moral” moment also stems from an incident that occurred years ago, when Dwight saved his life in prison.
The season’s last two episodes serve as backdoor pilots to NOLA King, a spinoff show that’s set to star Jackson. In it, the A-lister will attempt to use Dwight’s template to build his own empire in New Orleans. The move will undoubtedly be a major challenge for Lee, as he hasn’t been in the city in more than four decades, despite growing up there. He will not only have to deal with former foes but also with new underworld figures who control the city at the moment. Additionally, he will be hunted for failing to honor his contract to kill Dwight.
How ‘Tulsa King’ Sets Up ‘NOLA King’
Paramount+
Season 3’s penultimate episode wastes no time in introducing Jackson’s seasoned hitman. The camera slowly scans his van, parked somewhere in New Jersey, before introducing us to the man. Wearing a handyman’s uniform, he is quiet… no mention of the word “mother***r…. Not yet. Lee then sneaks into a building and kills a man. We soon learn that he carried out the hit for the Renzetti crime family boss, Quiet Ray (James Russo). Shortly after, Lee is given a new order: make Dwight sleep with the fishes. He isn’t enthusiastic about the new assignment, but since he’s in debt to Quiet Ray, he heads to Tulsa.
Will Lee stay straight or go rogue? His manner keeps viewers curious and guessing, a testament to Jackson’s acting prowess. What moral math will he perform here? Well, rather than pump bullets into an exposed Dwight at the Bred2Buck (why doesn’t he ever have proper security?), Lee joins the mobster at this table and informs him that Renzetti has put out a hit on him. And when Ray calls Lee to check on the progress, the hitman tells him he is not gonna do it. Well, Quiet Ray (now Noisy Ray) retorts with a familiar mob threat: “Ya gonna pay for this, you son of a……” Our man isn’t bothered. Instead of feeling threatened, Jackson’s character maintains the actor’s toothy smile and mock-coated laugh. He’s always been a showoff… a boaster.
The “switching sides” arc is hardly a new idea on the screen, but we’ve never seen it worked out with as much potency or with as soothing a charm as in those last two episodes of Tulsa King. In a few hours, Lee creates a stronger bond with Dwight than Tyson has in three seasons. Understandably, an infuriated Quiet Ray sends a pair of hitmen to Tulsa to take out both Dwight and Lee. No chance! The old pals get to the men first. Enjoying himself, Lee offers to help Dwight in his feud with local liquor tycoon Jeremiah Dunmire (Robert Patrick). The feud ends with Dwight burning Dunmire on a stake like a witch at the Salem trials. Lee then considers his future, saying, “Seeing what you’ve done here makes me want to go back to New Orleans and maybe start something new.” Now we have the perfect bridge from Tulsa King to NOLA King.
‘NOLA King’ Is a Refreshing Departure From Taylor Sheridan’s Western Settings
Paramount+
So far, Taylor Sheridan has been biased toward Western settings. Who can blame him? He was raised in Texas, and according to the writer/producer himself, his mother was obsessed with the cowboy lifestyle, often emphasizing the importance of “learning firsthand about the peaceful feeling of freedom in nature.” Sheridan also cut his teeth in neo-Western productions, his first ever TV role coming in Walker, Texas Ranger. He then went on to have greater responsibilities in Sons of Anarchy.
After hitting it big as a producer, Sheridan has gone on to make a whopping six Western shows, with two more (Y: Marshals and The Madison) in development. Like Mayor of Kingstown and Lioness, NOLA King is thus a refreshing detour from Sheridan’s preferred route. Fans can expect more cultural diversity, a greater law enforcement presence, more street chaos, and urban decay over rural beauty.
However, Sheridan will need to work a little harder on the Tulsa King spinoff. A quick analysis of his previous projects shows overwhelmingly positive reviews for his Western-themed shows, but mixed reviews for the rest of his work. For example, only one of Mayor of Kingstown’s four seasons is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Additionally, Lioness‘ first season was heavily panned by critics, but the second has received better reviews.
Having grown up in Texas, Sheridan has an easy, authoritative way with Western fashion, lingo, and general mannerisms of street toughs. For NOLA King to be as good as other black-culture gangster shows like The Wire, Power, and Godfather of Harlem, he will need to do greater research on New Orleans and its gang culture. Sheridan will also need to maintain the basics: the power struggles, the personal drama, and the little twists. His shows, for all their depth and sophistication, always have some obvious plotting that makes fans prefer them over other trending drama series.
Above all, the spinoff needs to be a quintessential gangster show, furnished with all the familiar gangster motifs – emerging hoodlums sparring with experienced ones, rooms draped with gorgeous molls, and an unmistakable stench of raw, macho existentialist angst. On top of that, the good dude—bad dude demarcation shouldn’t have to be clearly defined. Cops can be bad, and gangsters can be bad.
Samuel L. Jackson Has the Right Resume For the Job
Miramax Films
Sheridan likes casting A-listers for his shows, and by choosing Samuel L. Jackson for NOLA King, he has gotten the best person for the job. The actor has portrayed many iconic gangsters over the years, including Stack Edwards in Goodfellas, Jules in Pulp Fiction, and Ordell Robbie in Jackie Brown.
It’s equally important to have a lead actor who is thrilled about the job, and, just like Lee is in awe of Dwight, Jackson happens to love what the empire Sheridan has built over the years. Speaking with Collider over the summer, he confessed to being a huge fan of most of the writer/producer’s shows.
“At least 15 of those shows are on my watchlist all the time, so I’m really happy to be in that universe. I watched Tulsa King, and I liked it even before that idea came up.”
Unlike Stallone, Jackson will embrace his TV lead role confidentially, having garnered some valuable experience in small-screen projects over the years. Though he is primarily a film actor, he was the main man in a couple of TV shows in the 2020s. These include Secret Invasion and The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey. And to see just how fitting he is for the current role, watch him in Fight Night: The Mission Dollar Heist. The star-studded yet underrated Peacock miniseries has Jackson playing a crime boss who hunts down robbers who stole from him on the night of Muhammad Ali’s October 1970 comeback fight (his boxing license had been suspended for three years for being a conscientious objector to fighting in the Vietnam War). In the show, Jackson goes past anyone’s imagining of how ruthless he can be, and he’s more than a little terrifying — so dictating and assured that some people may mail the Television Academy to inquire why an Emmy nomination never came.
At the moment, it’s unclear who Jackson’s character, Lee, will be dancing with in the New Orleans playground, but judging from the most recent episodes of Tulsa King, Quiet Ray and the Renzetti crime family will be a large part of the story, eager to settle their feud with the hitman. A release date hasn’t been revealed either, but Deadline reported in July 2025 that production is set to begin in February 2026. This means fans will have to wait until winter or fall 2026 for a premiere.
