Movies and TV will never tire of Mafia tales. With Paramount+’s Tulsa King, we get a twist on the genre.

This two-disc set includes all nine of Season One’s episodes. The plot synopses come from the package’s liner notes.

Go West, Old Man: ““Blindsided by the news that his mob family has nothing left for him in New York, Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone) is sent to Tulsa. As he settles in and surveys his new surroundings, Dwight wastes no time making new associates.”

Based on “West”, one gets the impression the series will lean toward a mix of “man out of time” and “fish out of water” comedy combined with gangster/interpersonal drama. While not creative, those concepts open to intrigue and entertainment.

In that vein, “West” seems… fine. Its not-especially-original bent makes it less than enthralling, but it still keeps us reasonably engaged.

Center of the Universe: “Dwight, Tyson (Jay Will) and Bodhi (Martin Starr) go on a road trip to take care of some business and the group later takes a spontaneous detour. Stacy (Andrea Savage) does some digging into Dwight’s past.”

With “Center”, the series digs a bit deeper than what we saw in the opening episode. This doesn’t mean I feel certain the show will develop beyond the basics I described, but at least it leans toward something somewhat better drawn, and that gives me hope.

Caprice: “Dwight takes note of a possible new business opportunity. A routine errand has an explosive, unexpected outcome. Stacy opens up to Dwight about what led her to Tulsa.”

Though King opened as a series that seemed like it’d lean on comedy, it feels more dramatic as it goes. While not devoid of laughs, “Caprice” emphasizes the darker side of the situations, and it does so in a fairly positive manner.

Visitation Place: “At the Tulsa Arena, Dwight and company test out their new business plan until a roadblock forces them to adjust and defend their turf. Tyson and his father (Michael Beach) argue about his future. Dwight gets an unexpected call.”

Some parts of “Place” lean a bit more melodramatic than I might like. Still, the episode comes with decent development as well as some action, so it works fine as a whole.

Token Joe: “Dwight returns to New York under unfortunate circumstances, where his reunion with his daughter Tina (Tatiana Zappardino) and family doesn’t go quite as expected. Back in Tulsa, Tyson runs into some trouble. Armand (Max Casella) gets some news from Roxy (Emily Davis).”

While “Token” continues a semi-soap opera vibe, it also comes with some useful exposition, especially as related to Dwight’s daughter Tina. She loomed over prior shows, so it becomes a positive development to meet her. Other elements push things along fairly well too, so this turns into another good episode.

Stable: “Dwight visits Tina before returning to Tulsa. Pete (AC Peterson) agrees to send Goodie (Chris Caldovino) to Oklahoma, while Roxy tries to keep the FBI at bay. Dwight has an offer for Mitch (Garrett Hedlund).”

Various plot threads intensify with “Stable”. Enough drama emerges along with the exposition to deliver a solid show.

Warr Acres: “Stacy makes a decision that has serious consequences. Dwight and Armand dispose of evidence, and Bodhi proposes a new plan. Tina contemplates her future.”

With little time left in the season, “Acres” acts as a clear attempt to stir up tension. We get some notable deaths and other complications, all of which push us toward climactic drama.

Adobe Walls: “Dwight and Bodhi lay out the casino plan for Jimmy (Glen Gould). As pressure increases, Dwight, Mitch and Tyson assemble their team. Stacy confronts Waltrip (Ritchie Coster).”

As S1’s penultimate show, events intensify. “Walls” builds the narrative well as it leads us to the season finale.

Happy Trails: “It’s all hands on deck as tensions between Dwight’s crew and Waltrip escalate past the point of no return. Elsewhere, a flashback reveals what sent Dwight to prison 25 years ago.”

S1 concludes with an episode that seems more character-based than anticipated. While it comes with the requisite confrontations/violence, these play a smaller role than expected.

That doesn’t mean “Trails” falters, though, as it might seem more low-key than usual but it concludes matters on a pretty positive note. Add to that a teaser/cliffhanger for Season Two and we find a solid conclusion to the series’ initial year.

Tulsa King appears in an aspect ratio of 2.00:1 and 2.35:1 on these Blu-ray Discs; the dimensions depended on the episode and nature of the story. The series came with generally good – though not great – visuals.

General sharpness worked fine. Some mild softness interfered at times – usually during interiors – but the shows mostly came across with appropriate delineation.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects appeared, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws remained absent.

Colors leaned toward a mix of green, amber and teal. While the hues didn’t impress, they seemed more than adequate.

Blacks appeared fairly deep and dense, while shadows seemed acceptable, if a little on the thick side. Overall, the shows looked positive, if not exceptional.

Similar thoughts greeted the competent DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of King, as the material felt positive but not memorable. As a character comedy/drama, the series didn’t come with a ton of room for sonic fireworks.

Still, the mixes offered an appealing sense of place, and a few more violent sequences added zing. For instance, car chases and explosions brought involvement.

Nonetheless, most of the time the soundscapes remained low-key in nature. This made sense for the shows.

Audio quality appeared fine, with speech that came across as natural and concise. Music seemed vivid and full.

Effects boasted positive accuracy and range as well. Again, the soundfields didn’t dazzle, but they worked fine for the series’ intentions.

A mix of featurettes appear, and we find nine Behind the Story segments that fill a total of 52 minutes, 51 seconds. These accompany each episode, and across them, we hear from executive producers Terence Winter and David Glasser, stunt coordinator Freddie Poole, stunt driver Corey Eubanks, special effects coordinator Matthew Kutcher, and actors Sylvester Stallone, Domenick Lombardozzi, AC Peterson, Vincent Piazza, Jay Will, Martin Starr, Garrett Hedlund, Andrea Savage, Dan Waller, Dana Delany, Ritchie Coster, Max Casella, Annabella Sciorra, Tatiana Zappardino, and Chris Caldovino.

The “Story” segments look at story/characters, cast and performances, stunts and effects. Though the clips occasionally offer useful information, they mostly just recap various episode plot domains and feel promotional.

Disc One opens with ads for Yellowstone Season 5, Reacher Season One, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season One, and 1923.

On Disc Two, an additional six segments show up, and we open with Stranger in a Strange Land. It goes for eight minutes, 30 seconds and includes notes from Glasser, Stallone, Delany, Zappardino, Lombardozzi, Starr, Will, Hedlund, show creator Taylor Sheridan, and production designer Todd Jeffrey.

“Land” covers the series’ origins and development, casting and characters, genre domains, and design choices. While not packed with insights, we get a few good notes here.

Carpe DM goes for eight minutes, 19 seconds and features Stallone, Delany, Winter, Savage, Casella, Sciorra, Hedlund, Glasser, Zappardino, Lombardozzi, Caldovino, Piazza, Will, and Coster.

With “DM”, we look at Stallone’s work on the show. Unsurprisingly, this ends up as a lot of praise and little substance.

Next comes Mercy and Malice, a 12-minute, 24-second program with Winter, Stallone, Will, Starr, Casella, Hedlund, Caldovino, Zappardino, Sciorra, Lombardozzi, Peterson, Poole, Savage, Delany, and Coster.

“Malice” covers cast, characters and performances. Though it leans a bit toward happy talk, it comes with some decent material.

Haberdashery goes for nine minutes, 39 seconds and offers material from Stallone, Coster, Delany, Starr, Caldovino, Will and costume designer Susanne McCabe.

As implied by the title, “Haberdashery” looks at the series’ clothes and outfits. It offers useful insights.

After this we find Outthink Your Enemy, a 10-minute, 52-second reel with Winter, Poole, Stallone, Will, Kutcher, Coster, Savage, Casella, Eubanks, assistant property manager Katie Boaen, property master Niko Zahlten, stunt performer James Peyton,

“Enemy” examines stunts and action. It mixes informative notes and praise.

Finally, The Here and Now lasts eight minutes, 23 seconds. It features Winter, Delany, Stallone, Hedlund, Glasser, Zappardino, Peterson, Will, Savage, McCabe, Lombardozzi, Casella, Jeffery, and set decorator Janessa Hitsman.

We learn about the series’ sets and locations. It becomes another decent overview.

While not the most original concept for a series, Tulsa King nonetheless explores its concepts fairly well. The nine Season One episodes create an engaging world that keeps us with it. The Blu-rays bring largely positive picture and audio as well as a mix of featurettes. I look forward to Season Two.