Taylor Sheridan’s first new show after ”Yellowstone” is here — and it’s a doozy.
Called “The Madison” (premiering March 14 on Paramount+), it’s a family drama starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell.
The show has some moments of bizarre writing, but overall, it boasts strong performances, gorgeous visuals, and packs an emotional punch. It’s a powerhouse showcase for Pfeiffer, who hasn’t had a chance to shine like this in a while.
Season 1 is six episodes, and it’s already been renewed for Season 2.
“The Madison” was originally billed as a spinoff of Sheridan’s most famous series, “Yellowstone,” but he later made it a standalone. It shares similar sensibilities – only, with less violence, Kurt Russell instead of Kevin Costner, and it’s more of a tearjerker.
The story follows the wealthy Clyburn family, including Stacy (Pfeiffer), her husband Preston (Russell) and their two adult daughters: Abigail (Beau Garrett), a divorced mom of two kids (played by Amiah Miller and Alaina Pollack), and Paige (Elle Chapman), who is married to Russell (Patrick J. Adams). Preston also has a brother, Paul (“Lost” star Matthew Fox).
The family lives in Manhattan, but circumstances send them on a trip to Montana. The story has strong plot elements of grief and loss.
It’s got all the hallmarks of a Sheridan show, seen in the prolific creator’s other series like “Yellowstone,” “Landman,” and “Mayor of Kingstown.”
There are sweeping shots of nature, noble cowboys with words of wisdom, and plenty of monologues about a love for the land. There are brassy women, written in varying degrees of stereotype (Pfeiffer makes a meal of it, at least).
The show leans into the caricature that Manhattan is the big bad city, and Montana is where life can be more pure. And sure, there’s something to be said for that, but at times, “The Madison” demonizes NYC to an extent that’s almost comical.
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One character immediately gets mugged. Another character bemoans how kids growing up here can’t build snowmen. False! As every New Yorker could tell you, during our 2026 blizzards, the city’s numerous parks were full of winter merriment, and snowmen lined the streets. Another character incorrectly says that New York is “too dangerous” for people to ride bikes for exercise. A barista asks Stacy if she wants “oat, almond, or soy milk” in her coffee, as if only Montana has cow’s milk and it’s never offered in the Big Apple.
The show is peppered with moments that make you wonder, “Who wrote this, Ballerina Farm?” (When a New York woman tells her friend about a romance with a Montana man, her friend quips, “Why are you not naked and chaining yourself to his stove right now?”)
If you’re able to roll past that stuff, there’s still a lot of drama to enjoy in “The Madison.”
Like Sheridan’s other shows, it can lean into soapy territory – his philosophy seems to be, “why go for subtlety when you can instead have characters shriek or slap each other?”
But, it does make it a lively watch.
Russell is a natural fit for a Sheridan show. The “Escape From New York” icon looks at home, framed by sprawling nature vistas, and he’s convincing as a rugged outdoorsman. His chemistry with Pfeiffer sparkles (the duo last worked together in 1988’s “Tequila Sunrise”).
Together, he and Pfeiffer elevate the hit-or-miss writing.
Largely thanks to the stellar cast and some tragedy in the plot, “The Madison” is emotionally effective. It’s a family drama that’s pretty to look at, with some writing oddities.
In other words, it’s typical Sheridan fare – only, more ruminative and less explosive than his usual material.
