Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Frisco King’ Starring Samuel L. Jackson Sets December 18 Premiere Date on Paramount+

Taylor Sheridan is building an empire, and he’s not done yet. The man who turned Yellowstone into a franchise juggernaut — spawning prequels like 1883 and 1923 — is now expanding his modern-day crime universe with Frisco King, a spinoff of Tulsa King that puts Samuel L. Jackson front and center. The series officially has a premiere date: December 18, 2026, exclusively on Paramount+.

If you’ve been keeping up with Sheridan’s output, you know the guy doesn’t slow down. What started as a single show about a Montana ranching family has become a multi-billion-dollar television universe with overlapping characters, shared locations, and a tone that blends Western mythology with organized crime. Frisco King is the next logical step — and arguably the most ambitious swing yet.

What Is Frisco King?

Frisco King follows Russell Lee Washington Jr., a New York mob hitman who refuses an order to kill Dwight “The General” Manfredi — played by Sylvester Stallone in Tulsa King — and relocates to the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Frisco, Texas, to build his own criminal enterprise. Samuel L. Jackson reprises the role he originated in Tulsa King, and the series is positioned as a crime comedy-drama with the kind of sharp dialogue and slow-burn tension Sheridan has made his signature.

The show was initially developed under the working title NOLA King, with early plans to set the story in New Orleans. But the concept was reworked and retitled to reflect its relocation to North Texas, aligning with Sheridan’s broader practice of setting series in and around the Lone Star State. The series filmed in the Frisco area, giving it an authentic local flavor that studio-bound productions often lack.

The Cast: Jackson Leads a Young Ensemble

Jackson is the marquee name, but Frisco King isn’t a one-man show. The series regulars include Asa Germann as Teddy, a “sharp, savvy, entrepreneurial” college dropout who becomes entwined in Washington’s schemes; Kai Caster as Keith, a polite valet at the Sandman Hotel who gets pulled into the crew; Lilah Pate as London, a locally famous cheerleader who uses her status when recruited; and Savanna Gann as Avery, London’s friend and fellow recruit.

Recurring roles include Tom Pecinka as Ryland, a seasoned businessman who’s secretly a party animal, and Arturo Del Puerto as Hector, an ambitious landscaper working on an upscale Frisco property. And yes — Sylvester Stallone appears as a special guest, reprising his role as Dwight Manfredi, the old friend and capo whose fate is now intertwined with Washington’s.

Sheridan Writes Every Episode

Here’s where it gets interesting for fans of Sheridan’s work: he’s writing all eight episodes of the first season himself. That’s the same hands-on approach he took on Yellowstone, 1883, and Tulsa King. Dave Erickson was originally tapped as writer and showrunner but exited due to scheduling conflicts, leaving Sheridan as the sole credited writer across the entire season.

This level of creative control is rare in television, especially for a writer managing multiple simultaneous series. But Sheridan has proven he can deliver — Yellowstone became the most-watched cable series in history, and Tulsa King broke records for Paramount+ original series. The expectation is that Frisco King will continue that streak.

The Tulsa King Connection

For those who haven’t seen Tulsa King, here’s the setup: Sylvester Stallone plays Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a New York mob capo who, after serving 25 years in prison, is exiled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he builds a new criminal organization from scratch. The show premiered in 2022 and was an instant hit, earning a second season and now this spinoff.

Russell Lee Washington Jr. was introduced in Tulsa King as a hitman with a shared prison history with Manfredi. Frisco King picks up that thread, exploring what happens when Washington decides to go his own way rather than follow orders. The dynamic between Jackson’s character and Stallone’s — even in limited screen time — is the kind of star power that draws viewers in.

Release Strategy: Two-Episode Premiere, Weekly Rollout

Paramount+ is going with a two-episode premiere on December 18, followed by new episodes every Friday through January 29, 2027. That eight-episode first season is designed to keep viewers engaged through the holiday season and into the new year — a smart scheduling move that capitalizes on the traditional streaming bump that happens when people have time off work.

The weekly release model also builds anticipation in a way that dropping all episodes at once doesn’t. For a show with this much star power and franchise momentum, the slow burn could work in its favor, giving audiences time to speculate, discuss, and theorize between episodes.

Why This Matters for the Sheridan Universe

Taylor Sheridan’s television universe is becoming something we haven’t really seen before — a modern-day crime saga that spans generations and geographies, connected by characters and themes rather than a single linear narrative. Yellowstone covers the Dutton family’s ranching empire. 1883 and 1923 explore the family’s origins. Tulsa King and now Frisco King shift the focus to organized crime, with Texas as the common thread.

What makes this expansion work is that each series stands on its own. You don’t need to have watched Yellowstone to enjoy Tulsa King, and you don’t need to have seen Tulsa King to follow Frisco King — though knowing the backstory certainly enriches the experience. That accessibility is key to building a broad audience across multiple shows.

With Frisco King, Sheridan is betting that Samuel L. Jackson’s star power, combined with the proven appeal of his crime-drama formula, can launch another hit. Given his track record, it’s a safe bet. The king is dead — long live the new king.

Production: Filmed on Location in North Texas

One of the things that sets Frisco King apart from many streaming originals is its commitment to location filming. The series was shot in and around Frisco, Texas — a real suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex that’s experienced explosive growth over the past two decades. That authenticity matters. Rather than relying on soundstages and green screens, the production uses actual streets, businesses, and neighborhoods, giving the show a grounded quality that audiences respond to.

The series is produced by Paramount Television Studios and 101 Studios, with Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch Productions also involved. Bosque Ranch — Sheridan’s own ranch in Wyoming — has served as a production hub for Yellowstone and its spinoffs, providing both filming locations and a creative home base for the extended universe. For Frisco King, the production shifted south to Texas, but the same philosophy applies: real places, real textures, real stakes.

Christina Alexandra Voros and Michael Friedman each directed four episodes, with Voros helming the pilot. Both have worked extensively within the Sheridan universe, which helps maintain visual and tonal consistency across the franchise. The cinematography is expected to reflect the same sweeping, cinematic look that made Yellowstone a visual benchmark for modern television.

The Bigger Picture: Sheridan’s Paramount+ Empire

Frisco King isn’t just another spinoff — it’s a key piece of a larger strategy. Taylor Sheridan has become Paramount+’s most valuable creator, the kind of name that can launch a franchise the way Dick Wolf built his Dick Wolf Entertainment empire or how Shonda Rhimes transformed ABC’s lineup. His overall deal with Paramount is reportedly worth over $100 million, and every new series he launches increases the value of that relationship.

The Sheridan universe on Paramount+ now includes Yellowstone, 1883, 1923, Tulsa King, Land Man, Mayor of Kingstown, Lioness, and now Frisco King. That’s an extraordinary output for a single creator, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Each series feeds into the others, creating a web of interconnected stories that keeps subscribers engaged across multiple shows.

For Paramount+, this is a competitive advantage. In a streaming landscape dominated by Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon, having a creator with Sheridan’s track record and brand recognition is a differentiator. He doesn’t just make shows — he builds worlds. And Frisco King is the newest corner of that world.

Frisco King premieres December 18, 2026, on Paramount+.