'Madison' director talks Taylor Sheridan show with emotional 'fireworks'

Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY Thu, February 26, 2026 at 6:54 PM UTC

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There's a crisis in the first trailer for Taylor Sheridan's "The Madison," which dropped on Tuesday. But the disaster doesn't detonate as in Sheridan's past projects, like "Yellowstone," or really anything from "Lioness" to "Landman."

Indeed, there are no explosions or action in the drama centered around modern-day Western sojourner Stacy Clyburn (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Montana-loving husband Preston (Kurt Russell).

But Stacy is clearly dealing with devastating loss in what is billed, in the trailer, as the "unexpected series" from Paramount hitmaker Sheridan, who writes and executive produces (coming to Paramount+ March 14).

"The action is coming from an emotional place. The fireworks are more internal than external," Sheridan-veteran director Christina Alexandra Voros ("Yellowstone," "1883," "Lawmen: Bass Reeves") tells USA TODAY. "The fireworks are not coming from exploding a meth house. They're coming from people having to come to terms and feelings of love and loss in an explosive way."

"The Madison" marks a TV departure for Sheridan, who is also executive producing the "Yellowstone" spin-off "Marshals", with Luke Grimes as Dutton-clan member Kacey in a primetime CBS procedural (starting March 1).

With the Paramount+ series, Sheridan looks to expand his male-skewing TV reach around a strong, woman's presence — Stacy, the strong-willed Montana-transplant matriarch played by Pfeiffer, 67, the inimitable movie icon.

Sheridan has featured strong women heroes; look no further than Zoe Saldana leading "Lioness" with Nicole Kidman. But "Madison" differs in both complete casting and emotional tone.

"Kurt Russell has said that he feels this is the most feminine lens through which Taylor has written," says Voros. "I agree. There is definitely a strong female presence. This is a story filled with strong women."

The extended New York City family making the challenging transition to Montana includes two further Clyburn generations. That includes Stacy's divorced daughter, Abigail Reese (Beau Garrett) and her two daughters, Brigitte and Macy (Amiah Miller and Alaina Pollack) — along with Stacy's other daughter, Paige McIntosh (Elle Chapman) and her husband, Russell ("Suits" star Patrick J. Adams), two posh New Yorkers.

Voros has commonality with Stacy, the East Coaster who moves to Montana. The cinematographer/director was raised in Cambridge, Mass., before heading West to work on Sheridan projects, earning an Emmy nomination for directing on "1883." Voros has been "married to a cowboy," film wrangler Jason Owen, since 2015, living in Texas.

"I'm someone who, firsthand, came from an urban world to discover what Montana means as a geographical place, and what being in nature forces one to reckon with in themselves," says Voros. "So when the scripts first came to me, I felt like I had won the lottery."

Director Christina Voros and Michelle Pfeiffer as Stacy Clyburn on the set of "The Madison."Where is 'The Madison' filmed?

The series is set between NYC and Montana life with Preston's stunning retreat built at the edge of a flowing river, too close for an indoor toilet. The rural set outside of Three Forks, Montana, was "raw land" before production designer Charisse Cardenas, built the homestead featuring the much-discussed separate outdoor toilet.

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"It is truly one of the most magical places I've ever been in my life, and I shot in Montana for every season of 'Yellowstone,'" says Voros.

Kurt Russell as Preston Clyburn and Matthew Fox as Paul Clyburn are gone fishing in "The Madison."

The location provides for stunning cinematography, with camera teams pouncing on nature moments as cinematic as Robert Redford's 1992 fly-fishing classic, "A River Runs Through It," also shot in Montana. The first episode is even dedicated to Redford, who died last year.

"I'm very proud as a cinematographer. So much of the beauty comes from capturing things at exactly the right moment when the light is a certain way," says Voros. "We captured the most divine light."

"The Madison" score by Breton Vivian is similarly ambitious, even distinct in the trailer.

"It's an artistic interpretation of what the environmental sounds are," says Voros. "You can hear the river and the sunlight on the water in the music."

1 / 0'The Madison' photos – See Taylor Sheridan's new modern-day drama

Michelle Pfeiffer stars as Stacy Clyburn in "The Madison," which comes to Paramount+ on March 14. Here's all the first look of the new modern-day drama from Taylor Sheridan.

Is 'The Madison' related to 'Yellowstone'?

There is no connection to "Yellowstone" or the famed Dutton family in "The Madison." It's not a spin-off. But Voros does see common ground with the land being a main character and forcing people to "ask questions about what is important to them in their lives."

"It's not the same genre, but it's the same landscape," says Voros.

The multi-million-dollar question is whether "The Madison" project can still draw "Yellowstone" universe viewers without the overt action or Dutton lineage. The first trailer amassed more than 4.5 million views in two days, and Voros is feeling confident.

"I think it will bring in a new audience," says Voros. "People who have followed the Duttons on TV for centuries will find familiarity. And people who have never watched 'Yellowstone' will be drawn to the show."

"unexpected new series"

The Madison director on Taylor Sheridan's new series.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Taylor Sheridan series 'The Madison' differs from 'Yellowstone'

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