‘Tulsa King’: Max Casella Shares How He Knew the Taylor Sheridan Show Was a Hit
Max Casella jumped at the opportunity to work with Sylvester Stallone on the Taylor Sheridan series Tulsa King. The actor has idolized Stallone for years, but even with a star-studded cast, there was no guarantee Tulsa King would be a hit. Fortunately, the series has been a massive success. Casella recently shared what made him realize the show is a hit.
[Warning: Tulsa King spoilers ahead.]
‘Tulsa King’ ratings are topping the streaming world charts
Taylor Sheridan’s latest series follows the story of Dwight Manfredi, a mafia capo from New York. After serving a 25-year prison sentence, Dwight expects a reward for his loyalty. Instead, he is sent to Tulsa, OK, to establish the mob’s influence.
So far, Tulsa King is receiving high praise and incredible ratings. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the series even bested a highly anticipated HBO Max show. “Tulsa King scored as the number one new series of the year, topping all others, including the Game of Thrones sequel House of the Dragon,” said Paramount Media Networks and MTV Entertainment Studios president and CEO Chris McCarthy.
With such high ratings, it only makes sense that Tulsa King has already been renewed for a second season. McCarthy continued of the series, “With its preview on Paramount Network and on Paramount+, it shattered records, driving us to our biggest new signup day in history — which is why we instantly greenlit season two.”
Here’s how Max Casella knew ‘Tulsa King’ was popular
In Tulsa King, Max Casella plays Armand Truisi. Armand previously worked for the same crime family as Dwight until things went south, and he skipped town. Now Armand lives a quiet life in Tulsa with his wife and children. When Dwight arrives, Armand is convinced that he was sent to kill him and decides to beat Dwight to the punch.
Casella spoke with New York Live TV about how he knew the series was doing well. “You know when you’re on a hit show because all your friends and extended relatives start reaching out to you saying that they’re loving it, watching it,” Casella explained. “And when you’re on a show that’s not doing so hot, you don’t get that.”
“People that I haven’t spoken to, members of my family, in years and years and years, and they’re like, ‘We’re loving you on this show!'” Casella continued. “You can tell people are watching it and loving it.”
What’s next for Max Casella?
Tulsa King showrunner Terence Winter previously worked with Max Casella on another hit show. Casella portrayed Benny Fazio in The Sopranos, and Winter was a writer and executive producer on the same show.
Casella has another exciting project coming up. He is set to appear in the Netflix series Kaleidoscope, which premieres in 2023. The heist drama series can be watched out of order, giving each fan a unique viewpoint of the story.
New episodes of Tulsa King drop Sundays on Paramount+.
