Sylvester Stallone’s ‘Tulsa King’ Explodes Into Chaos: 26 Crew Fired, No Showrunner, And Full-Blown Behind-The-Scenes Drama

By ultapaltakhabar Nov 23, 2025 0

Season 4 begins with a messy leadership vacuum, last-minute firings, and rising panic as insiders say the hit Paramount series is “running without a captain.”

In what should have been a smooth, power-packed kickoff to Season 4 of Sylvester Stallone’s crime drama “Tulsa King,” chaos has instead taken center stage. While fans eagerly await the return of Dwight “The General” Manfredi, insiders say the real drama is happening behind closed studio doors — and it’s messier than a mafia turf war.

According to multiple sources, the usually high-powered, tight-ship production that Taylor Sheridan is known for has stumbled into its biggest off-camera scandal yet: over two dozen crew members have been abruptly fired, no official showrunner is in place, and confusion so thick that even senior staff reportedly don’t know who’s steering the ship.

And yes, Stallone is very much watching.

No Showrunner? No Stability. “Tulsa King” Season 4 Begins Like a Bad Sitcom

The trouble began when crew members learned — in the most shocking way possible — that Season 4 would be made without a traditional showrunner.

You read that correctly. A hit show, backed by Paramount, powered by Stallone, and created by Taylor Sheridan… shooting a whole season without a captain.

Stunt coordinator Freddie Poole says he got the first whiff of trouble in an eyebrow-raising conversation with Scott Stone, the executive in charge of production at 101 Studios.

“We’re not going to have a showrunner. 101 is the showrunner,” Stone allegedly told him.

Poole says that’s when the alarm bells started ringing. And they only got louder from there.

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26 Crew Fired Days Before Filming — Some Found Out Through Job Listings

Just days before cameras were set to roll in Atlanta, 26 crew members across sound, transportation, stunts, and hair departments were suddenly let go. And the way they found out? Brutal.

Some discovered they were jobless when someone sent them a job listing for the role they had held the previous season.

Let that sink in.

Others say they were told to leave their equipment on the stage after Season 3, only to be informed a week before Season 4 that they were no longer employed.

Freddie Poole didn’t mince words:

“The manner in which this was done was just unprofessional and unnecessary.”

Sources say the abrupt firings weren’t entirely unprecedented — crew turnover does happen between seasons — but the cold, chaotic communication method has left crew members furious.

101 Studios has provided no comment despite multiple requests.

So Who Is Running “Tulsa King”? Apparently… The Studio.

Here’s where the story gets even more tangled.

With no showrunner officially in place, sources say Scott Stone is effectively acting as the de facto showrunner, working closely with UPMs Rebecca Rivo and Christian Agypt.

But here’s the catch:

None of them write.
None of them is direct.
None of them is a creative lead.

In other words… the people in charge of Season 4 are handling logistics, not storytelling — an unusual, risky setup in an industry built on creative hierarchy.

Insiders say even seasoned Atlanta-based crew members are shocked.

One source summed it up perfectly:

“I’ve never seen a studio executive running a set this way.”

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A History of Showrunner Drama: From Winter to Erickson to… No One

“Tulsa King” hasn’t had an easy road with showrunners:

Season 1: Terence Winter served as showrunner, then stepped back due to “creative differences.”
Season 2: No official showrunner. Director Craig Zisk unofficially stepped in.
Season 3: Dave Erickson was appointed showrunner… until he and Stallone clashed creatively.
Season 4: Winter returns — but only as head writer and executive producer. Not as a showrunner.

Winter is reportedly leading the writers’ room from Los Angeles, but won’t be overseeing production in Atlanta as part of his negotiated return.

Which means, once again, “Tulsa King” is shooting without a creative commander.

And sources say this is already causing confusion and tension on set — especially given the scale of a Stallone-led action drama.

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Stallone vs. Showrunners? Insiders Say the Star’s Influence Is Huge

Stallone is famous for being deeply involved in his projects — creatively, emotionally and professionally. And insiders say his vision often drives the series forward.

Multiple sources say Stallone clashed with Erickson during Season 3, reportedly disagreeing on creative direction. Stallone then pushed for Winter to return, which he did — but only in a limited capacity.

This left no one truly in charge on the ground, and the crew now feels the vacuum more than ever.

As one insider put it:

“The show has a star. It has writers. It has a studio. What it doesn’t have is a leader.”

The Bigger Hollywood Problem: No Showrunners, No Training, No Future

The drama surrounding “Tulsa King” highlights a growing industry concern:

The shrinking opportunities for writers to learn how to become showrunners.

With fewer shows hiring writers, and fewer writers getting on-set experience, many fear a looming leadership crisis — one that shows like “Tulsa King” are already suffering from.

Having a studio executive run production instead of a creative head, experts say, is a warning sign for the whole industry.

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Will Season 4 Suffer? Fans Are Nervous, Insiders Are Worried

Despite the drama, filming is moving forward. But many familiar with Taylor Sheridan’s brand of storytelling — highly authored, tightly controlled, character-first — worry that “Tulsa King” may lose its identity without a strong showrunner to guide it.

Meanwhile, Stallone’s fans want to see the legend deliver another powerhouse season.

The question now is: Can a show run by committee survive? Or will Season 4 feel like a series on autopilot?

Only time — and the final episodes — will tell.

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