Wait, is Talia Shire in Tulsa King season 2?

Is Karen, who was recently introduced on Tulsa Kingplayed by Talia Shire from Rocky fame?

from Paramount+ Tulsa King explores the criminal side of Tulsa, Oklahoma, as Sylvester Stallone’s Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a former mobster, settles in the Sooner State after being banished by the mob.

The series was a success for its streaming platform Paramount+ and saw its audience grow when CBS Tulsa King‘s first season last summer.

Does Talia Shire play Karen in Tulsa King?

The second episode of season 2 of Tulsa King saw the arrival of a bank manager named Karen Kriscoe to the Sylvester Stallone-led series. Due to the character’s appearance, many viewers were curious to know if Karen was played by Talia Shire.

Shire played Adrian, the love interest and eventual wife of Rocky Balboa, perhaps Stallone’s most iconic character. Adrian Pennino-Balboa appeared in the first five installments of the Rocky canon, always played by Talia Shire.

Below is a still of Shire as Teddie in the Netflix comedy Grace and Frankie:

So of course part of Tulsa King Fans have wondered if Karen Kriscoe, with her slight build and dark hair, is Talia Shire. After all, there is a slight resemblance between the two. However, the actress behind Karen is actually Joanna Walchuk.

Walchuk is an actor and director who recently appeared in series such as DC’s Naomi and the 2021 movie Crime story.

Is There Still Room for Talia Shire in Tulsa King?

While Talia Shire’s rumored guest role on Tulsa King turned out to be a flop, we have to wonder if the actress could still appear on the series.

It seems that this is, at the very least, within the realm of possibility. Shire has a healthy amount of television credits to her name, mostly guest starring and TV movies, which she has amassed over a career spanning more than 50 years.

Not to mention her relationship with her former Rocky co-star Sylvester Stallone seems pretty friendly. In fact, the pair are good friends.

Stallone celebrated Shire’s birthday in 2023 with a thoughtful Instagram post mentioning her “my best leading actress ever”And in 2016, Shire labeled Stallone as “brilliant” after his performance in Religious belief (via Page Six).

It makes sense that Stallone and Shire’s close relationship, coupled with the fact that Shire has frequently guest-starred on TV shows, could mean there’s a possibility she could pop up in Tulsa Kingbut nothing has been confirmed yet.

But reuniting the duo on screen would be a fine piece of stunt casting and would undoubtedly draw many more eyes to the film. Tulsa King.

The next episode of Tulsa King Season 2, titled “Oklahoma v. Manfredi,” will be available on Paramount+ starting Sunday, September 29.