Forget Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan’s Next Franchise Is Already Taking Shape
For years, Yellowstone has been the defining franchise of Taylor Sheridan’s television career. Its success led to multiple spinoffs, including 1883 and 1923, while Sheridan expanded his reach with other series such as Landman and Lioness.
But with Yellowstone ending in 2024, Sheridan has been looking for another series capable of growing into a major television universe. Now, Tulsa King may be emerging as the strongest candidate.
The Sylvester Stallone-led crime drama is about to enter its fourth season, premiering October 16, 2026, on Paramount+. More importantly, the series is getting its first spinoff, Frisco King, starring Samuel L. Jackson.
That development could give Tulsa King something Sheridan’s other shows have yet to achieve: a franchise structure capable of continuing through multiple interconnected stories.
Frisco King Gives Tulsa King a New Direction
Samuel L. Jackson’s Russell Lee Washington Jr. was introduced during Tulsa King season 3, and the character is now at the center of Frisco King.
The spinoff was originally announced under the title NOLA King, with New Orleans as its setting. In February 2026, however, Paramount+ announced a creative overhaul that moved the story to Frisco, Texas, and changed the title to Frisco King. Taylor Sheridan is writing all eight episodes of the first season.
Jackson will reprise his role as Russell Lee Washington Jr., a hitman connected to the New York mob who becomes acquainted with Dwight Manfredi during his time in federal prison. In Frisco King, Russell heads to Frisco, Texas, where he attempts to build a new life and establish his own criminal enterprise.
The series also has a supporting cast that includes Asa Germann as Teddy, Kai Caster as Keith, Lilah Pate as London, and Savanna Gann as Avery.
Production began in Fort Worth, Texas, in March 2026. Paramount+ has confirmed that the first season will consist of eight episodes, although a premiere date has not yet been announced.
Jackson’s involvement alone gives the project a major connection to the original series. Russell was introduced as a significant new figure in Tulsa King season 3, and now he has the opportunity to carry a story of his own.
Why Frisco King Could Matter More Than a Typical Spinoff
The most important thing about Frisco King may not be the individual show. It is the formula behind it.
Tulsa King follows Dwight Manfredi, a New York mafia capo who is released after 25 years in prison and sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma. There, he begins building a criminal organization of his own after realizing that his old mafia family may no longer have a place for him.
That basic premise creates an unusual amount of room for expansion.
Dwight’s world is filled with criminal connections, rival organizations and people with their own ambitions. That means future stories do not necessarily have to remain centered on Dwight himself.
Frisco King demonstrates how the formula can work. A character connected to Dwight can leave Tulsa, move somewhere else and begin building an independent operation. From there, an entirely different crime story can develop while remaining connected to the original series.
That gives Tulsa King a potential advantage as a franchise. Rather than depending entirely on one central character, the universe could potentially expand through different characters, locations and criminal enterprises.
The King Formula Could Open the Door to More Spinoffs
If Frisco King succeeds, the structure could theoretically be repeated with other characters.
A future series could introduce another established actor as someone with a history involving Dwight or Russell Lee Washington Jr. That character could then move to another city and establish a criminal operation of their own.
The naming convention would make the connection immediately recognizable as well. A new series could follow the same basic pattern as Tulsa King and Frisco King, using the location as part of the title.
The concept is comparable to the way Yellowstone expanded by exploring different periods and branches of the Dutton family’s history. The difference is that Tulsa King has a much more flexible foundation for moving between characters and locations.
Of course, none of this guarantees that the franchise will actually expand that far.
A spinoff only becomes a successful franchise if audiences respond to it. If Frisco King fails to connect with viewers or critics, the project could make further expansion considerably more difficult.
But if the Samuel L. Jackson-led series proves successful, Sheridan will have established a clear path for turning Tulsa King into something much larger.
Tulsa King Still Has to Prove Itself in Season 4
Before Frisco King can establish itself, the original series is returning for another season.
Tulsa King season 4 premieres Friday, October 16, 2026, with Sylvester Stallone returning as Dwight Manfredi. The new season continues Dwight’s attempt to legitimize his growing empire while he faces political corruption, new enemies and personal losses.
The season also arrives at an important point for the franchise. Tulsa King is no longer simply a single series built around Stallone. With Frisco King now in production and Sheridan writing its first season, the larger universe is beginning to take shape.
There is also a potential complication ahead. The original article points to reports that Tulsa King season 5 could move production to New York City. Such a change would represent a significant shift for a series whose identity has been closely tied to Dwight’s life and criminal operation in Tulsa.
For now, though, the fourth season remains firmly rooted in the show’s existing story, with Dwight continuing to deal with the consequences of building his empire in Oklahoma.
Sheridan May Have Found His Next Television Universe
For years, Yellowstone stood apart from Sheridan’s other work because it developed into a genuine franchise. Its success produced multiple connected series, while Sheridan’s other projects largely remained separate shows.
Tulsa King now has the first major ingredient needed to change that: a spinoff built around one of its established characters.
Frisco King is therefore more significant than simply another Taylor Sheridan series. It is a test of whether the Tulsa King concept can support stories beyond Dwight Manfredi.
If Russell Lee Washington Jr.’s story works on its own, the possibilities become much broader. Sheridan would have a template for moving from one character and city to another while maintaining a recognizable connection to the same criminal universe.
That does not mean Tulsa King is replacing Yellowstone. It does, however, give Sheridan another potential franchise with room to grow.
With season 4 arriving on October 16 and Frisco King already in production, the next phase of the Tulsa King universe is beginning to take shape.