Taylor Sheridan may be considering leaving Paramount for the greener pastures of NBCUniversalbut that doesn’t mean its “Yellowstone” franchise is going to slow down any time soon. The TV guru built his empire on the power of the western, first through Kevin Costner’s popular original series and then expanding through a number of spin-offs starring some of the biggest names in the world. That trend continues with the newest of these, a show known as “The Madison,” which also serves as a great reunion for those who saw the 1988 Robert Towne film “Tequila Sunrise” (itself, admittedly, one of the best movies named after songs that you are probably don’t have seen).
Welcome to a “Yellowstone” expansion like you’ve never seen before. Paramount has released a new trailer announcing the premiere of “The Madison,” starring Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer as the story’s new all-American power couple. However, in an intriguing change of pace from “Yellowstone,” the series appears to be hitting a a lot different tone from the cowboy-focused fierce struggles of the Dutton clan. You don’t believe us? This upcoming emotional adventure has been officially described as a “profound love story channeled through a deeply personal family drama about resilience and transformation” (with the relationship between Russell and Pfeiffer’s characters at the heart of it all), and it will see its central family unit, the Clyburns, divided between Montana and Manhattan.
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The Madison feels like a dramatic tonal shift from Yellowstone
What if “Yellowstone” was more like a vast family drama revolving around the love story between two cursed elders, rather than highlighting more violent confrontations between rival clans? This seems to be the main ground behind “The Madison”, which appears to mark the most radical departure yet from the original series. The modern setting isn’t entirely new, as CBS’s “Marshals” (starring Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton) and the upcoming spinoff starring Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton and Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler (tentatively titled “Dutton Ranch”) take a similar approach. Instead, the idea of playing up the epic romance of it all seems like a deliberate choice to set it apart from the rest of the franchise.
Time will tell if this new tone will bear fruit, but “The Madison” has plenty of star power. In addition to Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer, the series stars Matthew Fox, Beau Garrett, Elle Chapman, Patrick J. Adams, Amiah Miller, Alaina Pollack, Ben Schnetzer, Kevin Zegers, Rebecca Spence and Danielle Vasinova as various characters in and around the Clyburn family orbit. Described as a “heartfelt study in grief and human connection,” this film seems intended to appeal to a more diverse segment of the property’s core target audience. “The Madison” will span six episodes in total and is scheduled to premiere on Paramount+ on March 14, 2026.
