'The Madison' was first developed as a sequel to the Kevin Costner drama, but that's no longer the case
Credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount+
NEED TO KNOW
- The Madison is from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, and it stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell
- The series was first announced in 2023 as a spinoff of the Kevin Costner-led drama
- Like Yellowstone, The Madison is set in Montana, but the director says they are “different” stories
Don't expect to see any Duttons in The Madison.
Like Yellowstone and Landman, the new Paramount+ series, which premiered on March 14, is another Western epic from Taylor Sheridan.
The Madison follows a family, led by Stacy Clyburn (Michelle Pfeiffer), who after a tragedy moves from New York to Montana. The series also stars Kurt Russell, Patrick J. Adams, Elle Chapman, Beau Garrett and Matthew Fox, among others.
The series that would become The Madison was first announced in 2023 as another spinoff in the Yellowstone universe, but things have changed in the years since.
Here's what to know about how Yellowstone and The Madison were connected in the first place, and why the shows are distinct now.
Is The Madison a Taylor Sheridan show?
Credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Yes, The Madison is a show created by Sheridan.
Like Yellowstone, Sheridan is the creator of The Madison. While he is a prolific TV producer, Sheridan is "really proud" of The Madison, as he told the crowd at the show's New York City premiere on March 9.
"I can't stand these things," he joked during his speech at the preview event. "So for me to be at one means I'm really proud of the project, which I am."
Making The Madison "demanded a lot of everyone," he added, as he shouted-out members of the show's creative and production teams.
"I don't make anything. I write things down and then I bring together a cast and a crew and I ask them to go make it," Sheridan continued. "So I have a chance here to do what I don't get to do often, which is call them out and thank them personally for their sacrifice and their commitment."
Is The Madison connected to Yellowstone?
Credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount+
The Madison and Yellowstone are both set in Montana, but the characters and plots of the two shows are not directly connected. Instead, The Madison is a standalone story.
As Yellowstone was set to come to an end in 2024, multiple spinoffs of the flagship drama were announced. The series that would become The Madison was first revealed in November 2023, per Variety. The project was initially developed as a Yellowstone spinoff, but that is no longer the case.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, it was originally titled 2024, and was going to be a direct sequel to Yellowstone. While Matthew McConaughey was rumored to be in talks to star, the collaboration never materialized. The series was retitled from 2024 to The Madison, and is now a separate story from the Costner-led drama.
The Madison isn't a Yellowstone spinoff, but one is coming, featuring members of the Dutton family. Dutton Ranch will premiere later this year, featuring Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, who will reprise their roles from the flagship series.
Another spinoff, Marshals, premiered in March 2026 and it's currently airing its season 1 on CBS.
When was The Madison split from Yellowstone?
Credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount +
It is unclear when exactly The Madison moved from being a Yellowstone spinoff to a standalone series, but it is no longer connected to the Duttons.
Christina Alexandra Voros, who was a director on Yellowstone and helmed all six episodes of The Madison's first season, said the upcoming series is "such a different story."
"The common ground is the landscape," she told Variety in November 2024. "We are in Montana, but it is seen through a completely different lens, so it feels like another facet of this cut stone that has been polished."
Voros added, "There are parallels in the scope of landscape and a human being’s place in that space, but it’s coming at it from a completely different point of view."
What is The Madison about?
Credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount+
According to Paramount, The Madison is Sheridan's "most intimate work to date" and "is a heartfelt study of grief and human connection."
The series follows a family who moves from New York City's Manhattan borough to Montana's Madison River valley following a devastating tragedy. The drama stars Pfeiffer as Stacy Clyburn, and Russell as her husband, Preston Clyburn.
In a January 2026 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Russell praised The Madison, saying, "It's a smart show."
"He's a really good writer — Taylor's excellent, and Michelle's great, and she's really great in this show," he continued. "Talking about awards — I think they're going to be looking Michelle's way."
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