If you want better world-building
Choose It’s Not Like That, Chapter 1. It scores 4.8 vs 1.0 for world-building, with a 4.5 overall score.
The Madison, Season 1 Review
Bottom Line
Choose it for Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell, and luminous Montana visuals if you want a slow, grief-centered family drama. Skip it if thin plotting, uneven pacing, or heavy-handed city-versus-country commentary will wear you down.
Best for
Best for viewers who want a slow, performance-led family drama about grief, marriage, and starting over, especially if sweeping Montana scenery matters more than action or plot density.
Not for
Skip it if you want a fast neo-Western, tightly engineered plotting, or subtle social commentary; several critics found the season preachy, repetitive, and structurally loose.
Verdict
The Madison works best as an intimate study of grief rather than as another hard-edged Sheridan Western. Michelle Pfeiffer is the clear centerpiece, with Kurt Russell’s warmth, strong chemistry, and Christina Alexandra Voros’ Montana imagery giving the season real emotional and visual pull. Several reviewers also appreciate the patient pace, humor, and quieter reflections on love, loss, family, and nature. The tradeoff is a story many critics find too thin for six episodes, with uneven late-season structure, clunky dialogue, and supporting characters that can feel underwritten. The most divisive element is Sheridan’s city-versus-country framing: some accept or even enjoy the commentary, while many see it as repetitive, caricatured, and distracting from the more humane grief story.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
52 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.012 (23%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.415 (29%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.412 (23%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.410 (19%)
-
Very negative below 1.53 (6%)
Pros highlights
-
Pfeiffer and Russell’s lived-in bond is widely praised, and several family pairings also work well. The rushed Abby-Van romance drew some skepticism, though other reviewers found their chemistry convincing.
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The lighter material often provides welcome relief from the grief, especially through Russell McIntosh and the fish-out-of-water situations. Some critics found the jokes awkwardly placed or too broad.
-
The grief material lands powerfully for many reviewers, with several describing the season as cathartic, heartbreaking, or deeply affecting. A smaller group felt the wealth and melodrama created emotional distance.
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Grief, love, identity, family, and the restorative pull of nature give the show meaningful thematic ambitions. Reviewers disagree on whether those ideas feel profound or overly obvious.
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Montana is one of the clearest strengths: reviewers repeatedly praised the sweeping landscapes, rich color, and serene natural imagery. Even skeptical critics often called the series gorgeous.
-
Overall enjoyment varies widely, but the best-liked elements—Pfeiffer, the scenery, and the family drama—kept many reviewers engaged. Others felt the lecturing tone and thin story undercut the experience.
Cons highlights
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The grief-centered family story is the season’s biggest divide: some critics found it moving, grounded, and unusually compelling for Sheridan, while others saw a thin, meandering setup with too little narrative drive.
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One early-episode review praised the script for handling sudden loss, family dynamics, and the city-to-Montana transition effectively.
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Some reviewers liked watching the Clyburns gradually mature and adapt, especially Stacy’s transformation. Others found several supporting characters repetitive, underwritten, or stuck as caricatures.
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This is the most persistent critical complaint. Many reviewers found the culture-war jabs and anti-New York framing abrasive or heavy-handed, though a few viewers appreciated the social commentary or agreed with parts of it.
-
The slow-burn rhythm works for reviewers who value contemplation, but pacing is a recurring concern. Some found the back half cramped or uneven, while one strongly positive review thought the pace stayed perfectly balanced.
-
The portrayal of grief is frequently praised as vulnerable and recognizable, but the show’s social world is another matter. Critics often found the New York-versus-Montana binary, stereotypes, and certain comic situations hard to believe.
Cast & Creators
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Stacy KlyurnPfeiffer is the clearest consensus standout, repeatedly praised for making Stacy’s grief vulnerable, layered, and emotionally convincing. Even the harshest reviews often treat her performance as the reason to keep watching.
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DirectorVoros is one of the production’s most consistently praised contributors. Critics credit her direction and cinematography with the show’s atmosphere, momentum, emotional texture, and striking Montana imagery.
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Preston ClyburnRussell brings warmth, steadiness, and easy chemistry opposite Pfeiffer. Reviewers repeatedly describe him as a strong match for the material, even though the season uses him more selectively than its leading lady.
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PaulFox receives strong notices in a limited role, especially for his believable brotherly bond with Russell and the emotional history he brings to Paul.
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Phil YornArnett’s therapist material is mostly well received for adding humor and an unusual energy late in the season, though one critic found his presence distracting.
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Van DavisSchnetzer is praised for charm and chemistry as Van, with reviewers responding well to his romantic pairing with Abigail even when they question how quickly the relationship develops.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other TV Shows, this product is above average in visual style, cinematography, directing quality, near average in story quality, humor, below average in world-building, cultural representation, editing quality.
Comparison summary
51 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher12 (24%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts17 (33%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower22 (43%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| world-building | 1.0 | 4.2 | -3.2 |
| cultural representation | 1.4 | 3.7 | -2.3 |
| editing quality | 1.5 | 3.5 | -2.0 |
| modern political framing | 1.9 | 3.5 | -1.6 |
| cliffhanger effectiveness | 2.1 | 4.0 | -1.8 |
| episode structure | 2.0 | 3.7 | -1.7 |
| supporting cast performance | 2.8 | 4.3 | -1.6 |
| sexual content level | 1.5 | 3.1 | -1.6 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better modern political framing
Choose The Night Manager, Season 2. It scores 4.8 vs 1.9 for modern political framing, with a 3.9 overall score.
If you want better cliffhanger effectiveness
Choose Young Sherlock, Season 1. It scores 5.0 vs 2.1 for cliffhanger effectiveness, with a 4.0 overall score.
If you want better episode structure
Choose A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Season 1. It scores 5.0 vs 2.0 for episode structure, with a 4.5 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
Yellowstone
- Similar: creative identity The headline dismisses The Madison as a Yellowstone imitation tied to culture-war material.
- Similar: overall formula The reviewer describes The Madison as a softer, more personal variation on Yellowstone.
1923
- Similar: pacing and score The reviewer compares The Madison to 1923 for a very slow pace and closely similar music.
Jeremiah Johnson
- Similar: visual and musical style The reviewer says The Madison evokes the nature-centered style of Jeremiah Johnson.
FAQ
Is The Madison a Yellowstone spinoff?
Most reviewers treat it as a standalone story rather than a direct Yellowstone spinoff. They still note familiar Montana imagery and Sheridan DNA, and one source speculates a future link.
Is Season 1 fast-paced?
No. The season is deliberately slow and reflective; some critics find that soothing and appropriate for grief, while others call the pacing uneven or too meandering.
What is the strongest part of the show?
Michelle Pfeiffer’s performance is the clearest consensus strength, closely followed by the Montana cinematography and visual style.
How is the writing?
It is highly divisive. Reviewers praise some quiet grief writing and relationship scenes, but many criticize thin plotting, clunky speeches, repetition, and broad stereotypes.
Is it family-friendly?
Not especially for viewers seeking clean family viewing. One content-focused review flags heavy crude language, sexual banter, and brief nudity.
Does the finale provide closure?
Only partly. Some reviewers find the ending abrupt or transitional, while others praise Stacy’s final turn and the open threads as a strong setup for what comes next.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - TV Insider
- Review score
- 4.7
YouTube - The Review Realm
- Review score
- 3.8
YouTube - DiscussingMovies
- Review score
- 4.7
Article Reviews
macthemovieguy.com
Taylor Sheridan has always had an interesting relationship with critics. He seems to delight in thumbing his nose at the people who insist...
- Review score
- 3.9
butwhytho.net
The emotion that we see along the way makes The Madison the most relatable of Sheridan's ever-growing list of Paramount+ series.
- Review score
- 4.3
manofmany.com
Our verdict on The Madison: a family drama with mixed reviews. Is Michelle Pfeiffer's performance enough to make it worth watching?
- Review score
- 2.6
npr.org
Yellowstone's creator is back with two new shows set in the American West. Marshals struggles, but The Madison offers a thoughtful portrait...
- Review score
- 4.0
themovieblog.com
The first season of The Madison, created by Taylor Sheridan for Paramount+, is a contemplative yet frustrating addition to the ever-expanding...
- Review score
- 3.4
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