“That seems impossible": House of the Dragon fans in shock as Tulsa King premiere ratings top GoT sequel

Sylvester “Rocky” Stallone’s debut outing on the small screen, Tulsa King, has emerged as a winner. Based on reliable data, the premiere episode of the crime drama is this year’s highest-rated series debut on cable.

What is intriguing, however, is that fact that the show has bested fan-favorite House of the Dragon, much to fans' surprise and shock.

Expand Tweet

While it is an impressive feat, netizens are left unbelieving. While some claim that it is impossible, others say that there is no such thing as "recorded metrics."

Netizens are shocked at 2022's highest-rated series debut on cable (Image via Twitter/@CreatveMonster)

marked that they had never heard of Tulsa King, they were promptly silenced by fans of the show. Meanwhile, Paramount+ has ordered a second season of Stallone's Tulsa King.

What made Tulsa King the winner?

According to Nielsen data furnished by the show’s network Paramount, Tulsa King’s debut episode, Go West, Old Man, scored a solid 3.7 million viewers on linear channels alone. This included delayed viewing.

In contrast, the first episode of the Game of Thrones prequel, which aired on August 21, 2022, was reportedly watched by more than 3.2 on linear channels. This remains, of course, the biggest in HBO's history.

Expressing joy, Chris McCarthy, President and CEO, Paramount Media Networks and MTV Entertainment Studios said:

“Tulsa King scored as the number one new series of the year, topping all others including the Game of Thrones sequel House of the Dragon. With its preview on Paramount Network, and on Paramount+, it shattered records, driving us to our biggest new signup day in history — which is why we instantly greenlit season two.”

Although the data is out, many bewildered netizens aren’t believing it at face value. However, numerous spoke highly of the show.

Check out some reactions:

Netizens are shocked at 2022's highest-rated series debut on cable (Image via Twitter)

All about the first episode of Tulsa King

The TV series premiere, titled, Go West, Old Man, was released on November 13, 2022 and was directed by Allen Coulter. It was written by Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan and The Sopranos writer Terence Winter.

According to IMDb, the synopsis of the first episode is:

"Dwight 'The General' Manfredi (Stallone), blindsided by the news that his mob family has nothing left for him in New York, is sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma; as he settles in and surveys his new surroundings, Dwight wastes no time making new associates."

On the movie aggregator site, the series got a stupendous 8.2 rating based on more than 1,000 contributions.

The second episode, Center of the Universe, arrived a week later, while the third, titled Caprice, hit Paramount+ on November 27, 2022. The next episode, Visitation Place, will air on December 4, 2022.

"Always wanted to play a gangster," Sylvester Stallone on role

As he spoke to the The Hollywood Reporter in November, Sylvester Stallone expressed that he always wanted to play a gangster. However, he added that he wanted to play a "unique gangster, who was not like a gangster."

The thrice Academy Award-nominated star emphasized:

“He’s actually a guy who likes to cooperate. I thought about Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Like, what if you woke up and you were now in a different profession but you had the same personality? That way, you don’t assume the automatic cliché of a thug who stares at you dead-eyed.”

In another interview, he said that the show was initially set in Kansas City, but on his suggestion, Sheridan shifted it to Tulsa.

Stallone aside, Tulsa King also stars Andrea Savage, Max Casella, Vincent Piazza, Jay Will, Martin Starr, Domenik Lombardozzi, Garret Hedlund, Dana Delany, and A.C. Peterson.

Edited by Madhur Dave