Tulsa King: the show that went from laughing stock to must-watch

Tulsa King: the showdown that saved the show from its own fruta

Does Tulsa King deserve a second chance? Judging by how its audience has evolved, yes, even if the road there was anything but smooth. What began as a show many dismissed with contempt turned, episode by episode, into a series those very same viewers ended up defending.

The catalyst can be found in a showdown between two characters written as one-dimensional tough guys: one, with the name of a mythological hero, Patroclus, described as a roguish grown man; the other, a textbook bad apple. The confrontation between them changed the tone of the season, and the commentary shifted from mockery to respect. Not everyone saw it that way: some responses preferred name-calling over argument, but even those interventions ended up confirming that the show had struck an uncomfortable nerve.

Masculinity on screen: from gladiators to Tulsa King

Part of the debate wasn't about quality, but about who this kind of fiction is actually made for. For a segment of the audience, the display of male bodies in these productions isn't aimed at female viewers, but at a specific male audience. A point already being made back in the fifties with the gladiator movies: the audience for those films was always more varied than the official story wanted to admit.

Tulsa King has ended up doing something very few shows manage: turning its own critics into defenders. The next time someone dismisses it as a minor product, they should remember the showdown between the tough guys. Because that was exactly when it started to get good.