The True Story Inspiration Behind Tulsa King

Paramount’s Tulsa King is about banished New York mobster Dwight “The General” Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone), an entirely fictional character whose life is loosely based on the mafia’s dark history. Since it began in 2022, Tulsa King has quickly become one of the most popular and best shows on Paramount+. The show has been so popular that Tulsa King season 3 was confirmed even before season 2 had finished being released. Part of the reason for its popularity is its novel premise, of a New York gangster taking control of an Oklahoma city, but it actually is more rooted in reality than it seems.

There have been plenty of gangster movies that were inspired by true stories, from The Godfather to Goodfellas. Most gangster stories are rather loosely based on reality, and it turns out that Tulsa King is no different. While there hasn’t actually been a New York mafia capo who traveled to and took over the city of Tulsa, the idea of Dwight comes from real-life mobster history. Tulsa King‘s real-life inspirations evoke one of the bloodiest eras and gang wars in the history of the Sicilian mafia.

Tulsa King Isn’t A True Story, But The Show Is Based On A Real Mob Family

Dwight’s Banishment Seems To Be Inspired By The Inzerillo Crime Family

Much of Tulsa King is predicated on the idea of Dwight being a representative of the “old” ways of the Mafia. That more traditional view of the mafia and how his silence should have been rewarded put him in contention with Chickie Invernizzi, the soon-to-be don of the New York mob. Chickie’s contentions surrounding Dwight ultimately led to him banishing the capo to Tulsa to start a new operation out West. Dwight is not based on a single person, but his banishment to Tulsa is highly reminiscent of what happened to the Inzerillo crime family of Palermo, Italy.

The Inzerillo Crime Family Explained

The Inzerillos Were Banished From Sicily In The 1980s

The Inzerillo crime family has been described as “the mafia aristocracy of Palermo,” but they’re mostly known for their fall from grace (via La Repubblica). In the 1980s, while the Gambino crime family ruled New York, the city of Palermo was ruled by the ruthless Salvatore Riina, also known as the “Boss of Bosses” and “The Beast.” Authorities deemed Riina responsible for thousands of murders. In a successful bid to take leadership of the Sicilian mafia, Salvatore Riina and the Corleonesi faction of the mafia nearly exterminated the Inzerillo family and their other rivals throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.

Salvatore Riina allowed the Inzerillos to escape his takeover of the Sicilian underworld after the Inzerillos’ American allies – including the Gambinos – intervened on the family’s behalf. While he let them live, Riina also demanded they leave and never set foot on Sicilian soil ever again. The banished Inzerillos lived their lives in exile in New York, mostly content with staying under the radar and the protection of the powerful New York mafia, at least, until the Gambino crime family, the real-life inspiration behind Goodfellas, fell from power in the mid-80s.

More recently, the Inzerillos have made a new play for power in both New York and Sicily. In the 2000s, some surviving Inzerillos and Gambinos, most notably Tomasso and Francesco Inzerillo, returned to Palermo (via CBS News). In 2019, however, 15 members of the Inzerillo and Gambino families were arrested as part of a joint raid carried out simultaneously by American and Italian law enforcement. It’s unknown what the Inzerillo family has done since then, how many members remain active, or how involved they are with either the New York or Italian mafias.

How Much Of The Inzerillo Crime Family Has Been Adapted For Tulsa King

Tulsa King Is Only Loosely Inspired By The Inzerillo Crime Family

Though Dwight’s story and the premise of Tulsa King are reminiscent of the history of the Inzerillo crime family, the show has also deviated from it significantly. The biggest part of the story that Tulsa King adapted was the idea of banishment. Dwight’s banishment to Tulsa, however, was little more than an ineffective move by Chickie, and Dwight was very easily able to become a veritable kingpin himself. In contrast, the Inzerillo family was banished as a form of mercy after the head of the family was murdered, and they never rose to the same prominence in New York that Dwight has in Oklahoma.

Additionally, the Inzerillos’ banishment came with a very literal threat: a return to Sicily while Salvatore Riina was still in power would mean certain death. Dwight, on the other hand, returned to New York several times in Tulsa King season 1, though Chickie did eventually try to have Dwight killed. Chickie is also only loosely based on Riina, as he has yet to become a real threat to anybody but his own father. In short, Tulsa King only follows the history of the Inzerillo family in premise alone, and has since become a completely fictitious story.

Whatever future fictional storylines are in store for

Tulsa King

, however, there will always be factual inspiration for the show.

However, there is a chance that history could play a bigger role in future episodes of Tulsa King. After the ending of Tulsa King season 2, episode 4, it seems that there could be a shakeup of power within the New York mafia families, which would be similar to Riina’s takeover of Sicily. It’s even possible that Dwight could follow in the Inzerillo family’s footsteps and eventually return to New York, trying to take the Invernizzis down. Whatever future fictional storylines are in store for Tulsa King, however, there will always be factual inspiration for the show.

Sources: La Repubblica, CBS News