“Tulsa King.” “The Outsider.”

“Tulsa King.” (Paramount+ via Amazon) crime drama or comedy drama or dramedy action, whatsoever suits you. I am not really a huge fan of Sylvester Stallone, regardless of “Rocky I,” but hey that was 47 years ago! Yet I need to admit that I am on Taylor Sheridan fix and I thought the writer isn’t going to lose (at least for me). Add co-creator Terence Winter of “The Sopranos” and “Boardwalk Empire” fame, plus his remarkable screenplay of Martin Scorsese's “The Wolf of Wall Street.” 

       But this Tulsa whatever is a disappointment. 

       Mr Stallone is Dwight "The General" Manfredi, a New York Mafia capo who has just finished serving a 25-year prison sentence. Upon release, his boss sends him to Tulsa, Oklahoma to establish criminal operations there. Not knowing anyone in the area, the General seeks a new crew to help establish his empire. Sure, y’all gangster cinema fans like me, have lumbered into the same Mafiosi drill before. That’s okay, as long as we get to watch new takes, right?

       None. 77-year old Sly mumbled 47-year old cliches you’d wish he’d simply hush. But this is his showtime so yes. Give grandpa the floor. Throw in his crew, a bunch of awkward sidekicks, who are kind of confused whether to act funny or act soap-operatic or both. Are they making a Season 2? Google it, I don’t know. I don’t care. Yes, Taylor Sheridan lost this time. 🎥📺📹

“The Outsider.” (Apple TV+) psychological thriller-horror crime drama miniseries, based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Stephen King. You know what I mean? This is Stephen King so, more or less, we’d get what we expected. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, with the decision to click play. I clicked play. Ten episodes hence, I really can’t tell if this macabre hayride is good. Or bad. Watch it yourself. 

       But the series has an unquestionably kickass cast: Ben Mendelsohn, Cynthia Erivo, Bill Camp, Mare Winningham, Paddy Considine, Julianne Nicholson, and Jason Bateman. With special mention to Ms Erivo. (Catch her on “Harriet,” the 2019 movie about American abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Cynthia is Harriet. Netflix.)

       In Flint City, Oklahoma, the mutilated and raped corpse of a boy, Frankie Peterson, is found. Fingerprints and DNA at the crime scene as well as witness accounts all clearly indicate local sports coach Terrence Maitland (Mr Bateman) as the killer, so detective Ralph Anderson (Mr Mendelsohn) orders a public arrest. The story was disturbingly intriguing at first, all the way to the entry of Holly Gibney (Ms Erivo), a private detective with savant-like memory and perceptive capabilities who is called in to consult on the Maitland investigation.

       And then midway in the journey, the pace started to plod, trudge and stagger. You just wanna say, please let’s get this over with. The series should’ve been concluded in 6 or 7 episodes, I think. 

       Stephen King then stated that scripts for a second season were written, and the cast and crew expressed interest in continuing the series. However, I don’t know what’d be in store for a second season. It’s done, as far as my nerdy squirrel self is concerned. 🎥📺📹

SERIES that I just gave up: “Yellowjackets,” thriller drama. A group of teenagers were involved in a plane crash in 1996 and then mysteries start to unravel in later years in their adult life. I finished Season 1. But I had to quit as I started episode 1 of S2. Although I dig the (1980s/1990s) songs in the background, and I do like Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, and Christina Ricci, the series gets hysterically mushy and plotpoints tend to run around the bush, sort of. So next! 🐝📺🐝