The Madison

Its debut run takes full advantage of everyone's chemistry with each other, not just by focusing on them individually, but by mixing and matching players depending on what the story needs. At the end of season 1, everyone has had a meaningful or fun exchange with everyone, which makes the Clyburns feel more fleshed out as a unit.

It’s rock-solid, gripping television with multi-generational appeal.

We were happy to take in the contemplative pace of The Madison as well as watching Pfeiffer’s performance. But we’re also concerned that Sheridan’s penchant for leaden dialogue and sketchy portrayals of female characters are going to ultimately drag this show down.

Michelle Pfeiffer enters the Taylor Sheridan universe in stellar form even when he sinks her in a Montana vs Manhattan grudge match that’ll bore you breathless.

In most respects, the TV mogul’s latest is the same as his prior New West offerings, full of two-dimensional types, clunky dilemmas, and absurd and old-hat urban vs. rural dynamics that were out of date 50 years ago.

The Madison should be coursing with emotion, almost overwhelming in its strength and impact. Instead, the writing is just stagnant, awkward and predictable as it tries to wring out more emotion.

Her [Michelle Pfeiffer as Stacy Clyburn] incandescent rage provides the only source of illumination in this tired parade of anti-elitist tropes straight out of a Fox News opinion show. The performance is good enough to make one wish Sheridan had any idea how to write material worthy of the actress.

Great acting. Great direction. 10/10 Love that you feel the surroundings and the beauty. It's not rushed. Pulls you in for more. Loving it.

I was so excited for this show but was more than a little disappointed. It seemed written by 2 different people. One scene was magnificent and the next scene with the younger daughter and husband was so stupid. The way those characters were portrayed ruined what could have been GREATNESS. Acting was very good. Enjoyable show if you can look past the ridiculousness of those two characters.

This latest series from Taylor Sheridan stars Michelle Pfeiffer as a rich wife who loses her husband (Kurt Russell). She determines to leave her fancy New York life to discover the place in Montana where he loved to fish. Speaking of, this is a classic fish out of water story in Sheridan’s undeniable style: intense dramatic emotions, sometimes sassy dialogue, respect for hardworking ranchers, and gorgeous cinematography that makes the most of the stunning scenery. Pfeiffer handles the grief and pluck with equal ability and the rest of the cast is fine. Being that it’s Sheridan, most of the characters are two-dimensional and their interactions are often drenched in drama, making an attempt to wring tears from the tragedy. There are also lighthearted moments and the inevitable friendly, unassuming locals. It’s pretty obvious where this is going from the beginning, so it’s about watching the expected urban/rural debate couched with lots of contemplative beauty and interactions on the way there. This series doesn’t showcase the best of Sheridan’s oeuvre, but at least Pfeiffer and the countryside are lovely.

Russell, Pfeiffer & 4K nature are the only reasons to watch this. I wanted to turn it off after the first 10 minutes.

Absolutely ridiculous that two big stars one of course being Kurt Russell get killed off in the first 30 minutes of the first episode. It's obvious that they were cast only to draw an audience to the program. I stopped watching this estrogen engorged show after episode 2.