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Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Tulsa King season 3, episode 8!Taylor Sheridan’s hit crime series ***Tulsa King ***included a surprising Easter egg from The Sopranos, which was unpacked by series star Robert Patrick. Patrick portrays Dunmire opposite Stallone’s Dwight Manfredi in Tulsa King season 3, the pair going head-to-head as criminal business rivals. At one point, Dunmire says “How’s your balls, Manfredi?” referencing Patrick’s time on The Sopranos.

In an interview with ScreenRant’s Grant Hermanns for the return of his charitable Love Ride event, Patrick explained he’d ad-libbed the “how’s your balls” line while filming *Tulsa King *season 3. The line is exactly what James Gandolfini said to Patrick’s character in *The Sopranos *season 2 following a behind-the-scenes discussion between the actors. Check out what Patrick said below:

How did you like that episode where I said, “How’s your balls, Manfredi?” When I rushed the big distillery, they’re promoting their new product, and they’re rolling out the barrels. I interrupted, I just say, “F–k it, I’m gonna go down there. It should be my night. I’m starting to fight back a little bit.” And as I got out of the car, Sly’s coming up to me, and as I’m walking up, I just went, “How’s your balls, Manfredi?” I just ad-libbed it. After the take, I said, “What do you think of that?” He goes, “‘How’s your balls?’ Where the f–k did you get that?” “That’s Jimmy Gandolfini.” And I told him the whole story about when I was shooting The Sopranos, I was trying to get under Jimmy’s skin a little bit, and goad him into really beating the shit out of me. The next day, he had to slap me around as David Scatino. I said something like, “Hey, Jimmy, tomorrow, make sure you show up bringing your A-game.” And he looked at me like, “Bring my A-game?” And he flicked a cigarette at me, and he said, “All right, I’ll bring my A-game.” The next day, he walks in, the first thing he says to me is, “How’s your balls?” [Laughs] I was thinking about it, having The Sopranos experience, how to tie that in. I really wanted to do that, and I wanted to do it for The Sopranos fans, because I imagine there’s a lot of Sopranos fans that are watching Tulsa King and enjoying it. I thought Michael Gandolfini would get a kick out of that too. I know Sly thought it was funny. He actually said, “Well, we have to give him a writing credit.” [Chuckles]

Patrick’s ad-libbed moment with Stallone perfectly fits the mob crime atmosphere of Sheridan’s drama. The characters in Tulsa King* *reflect some of the expected tropes of mobsters, albeit with plenty of originality to make the series stand out. The reference to Patrick’s time on *The Sopranos *honors a key point of inspiration for the series and its development.

Brian Douglas/Paramount+

While Patrick only appeared in three episodes of The Sopranos, he acts as the main villain in *Tulsa King *season 3. His character, Dunmire, first begins to clash with Dwight when the latter buys a distillery from the Montague family. Since then, Patrick’s character has used everything from underhanded criminal tactics to killing those in his way to keep Dwight from expanding.

His latest and most ruthless scheme transpired in Tulsa King season 3, episode 8, when he planted a bomb at the Grand Hotel, where Cal Thresher (Neal McDonough) was holding an event for his campaign as governor of Oklahoma. Luckily, Dwight and his crew were able to evacuate everyone before it went off. But the consequences will likely be tumultuous.

By including a nod to The Sopranos, Patrick was able to weave the importance of the show’s influence on television into his own experience in both crime dramas. The series leaving the line in also emphasizes how it’s willing to honor the series, especially given Stallone’s reaction to the ad-libbed line. It also added some humor to the scene.

As of writing, ***Tulsa King ***has big plans for the future, with season 4 and a spinoff titled NOLA King, starring Samuel L. Jackson, now in development. Given the very clear inspiration the show takes from mob series like The Sopranos, there may be more references — ad-libbed or intentional — as Dwight’s operations in the titular city continue to expand.

Release Date November 13, 2022

Network Paramount+

Showrunner Dave Erickson, Terence Winter

Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi

Martin Starr

Lawrence ‘Bodhi’ Geigerman

Directors Allen Coulter, Benjamin Semanoff, David Semel, Guy Ferland, Joshua Marston, Kevin Dowling, Lodge Kerrigan, Jim McKay

Writers Joseph Riccobene, David Flebotte, William Schmidt, Taylor Elmore, Tom Sierchio, Regina Corrado, Stephen Scaia, Terence Winter

Creator(s) Taylor Sheridan