The Madison Episode 1 Proves Taylor Sheridan Is Ready To Take Some Major Risks

This post contains major spoilers for episode 1 of "The Madison."

After a long wait, "The Madison" has finally arrived and it looks as though creator Taylor Sheridan is taking a big risk. By embracing a deeply somber and serious tone, the writer is going against a tried-and-true formula that has proved incredibly successful ever since "Yellowstone" arrived and took over TV.

Despite the fact he starred in the spin-off "1883," Sam Elliott once trashed "Yellowstone." The screen legend, who also happens to be one of the best Western actors of all time, took issue with one aspect of Sheridan's series in particular — namely, the way in which it reminded him of long-running CBS soap opera "Dallas." But what Elliott overlooked in his anti-"Yellowstone" comments was that the soapy aspects of the hugely popular series were part of what made it such a big hit.

In fact, soapy melodrama has been part of the Sheridan success formula with every single one of his many, many shows. From "Tulsa King" to "Landman," Sheridan has never shied away from elaborate and unlikely scenarios that heighten the drama to absurd levels. But the other part of that same formula is the exact opposite: pure realism.

This unlikely combination has been working for Sheridan since the very beginning, setting his shows apart from everything else on TV. But with "The Madison," the prolific creator looks to have made a bold move. If episode 1 of the new series is anything to go by, Sheridan has finally gone all-in on the realism and jettisoned the soapy nonsense in a move that he surely knows could backfire in a major way.

Taylor Sheridan's heady mix of melodrama and realism was evident from the very beginning of his quest to conquer TV. In the 2018 "Yellowstone" pilot, Luke Grimes' Kayce Dutton and his wife, Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille) envisioned a day when their son, Tate Dutton (Brecken Merrill) would leave home. "We can make another," says Monica to her husband as they lay in bed. "That way when he leaves it won't hurt so bad." It's a subtle but striking line in an intimate scene to which any parent can immediately relate. But the next minute, Kevin Costner's John Dutton is blowing up entire tracts of land just to stick it to real estate developer Dan Jenkins (Danny Huston). 

It was ridiculous, but it worked. Ever since, we've seen Sheridan consistently strike that precarious balance between absurdity and naturalistic drama, making him the king of the modern-day TV landscape in the process. Part of the fun of watching a Sheridan show now is that it keeps you guessing. As we're taken in by the realistic and often moving interactions between characters, we're also constantly wondering when the nonsense is going to start and how. It's part of what makes these Taylor Sheridan shows so watchable.

But "The Madison" is different. This latest offering from Sheridan has been touted as the creator's most "intimate" work yet, and that certainly seems to be the case. But Sheridan has done intimate many times before. Billy Bob Thornton's favorite scene in "Landman," for example, is one of the most intimate things Sheridan has ever penned. Episode 1 of "The Madison," on the other hand isn't just intimate, it's unrelentingly serious.

There's not a moment of real levity in the "Madison" series premiere, which sees Michelle Pfeiffer's Stacy Clyburn and her family relocate to Montana following the death of her husband, Preston Clyburn (Kurt Russell). For one thing, given that Paramount has been promoting Russell as co-star of the series alongside Pfeiffer, Preston's death is a major shock. Then, after he perishes in a plane crash, the "Madison" premiere stays firmly mired in grief.

In the "Yellowstone" pilot, Lee Dutton similarly suffered a violent fate, with Kevin Costner's John Dutton eventually breaking down in his stable after burying his son's body. But this same episode also features Dutton having a hilarious stand-off with Dan Jenkins, in which the latter threatens the Yellowstone owner. "Go ahead, say it," says Jenkins. "It'll make a lawsuit much simpler. Say, 'Stop building or else,'" to which Dutton replies, "I'm skipping straight to 'or else' with you, you c*** s*****, and from now on 'or else' is all you get." Like the "Yellowstone" series premiere, "The Madison" also revolves around the death of a family member, but there's nothing like this ridiculous Dutton-Jenkins standoff to break up the tension.

Even the happy moments in the "Madison" premiere — Preston and his brother, Paul Clyburn (Matthew Fox), fly-fishing, flashbacks to easy phone conversations between husband-and-wife — are all written and performed naturalistically. It's refreshing. But it could also be the thing that brings a halt to Taylor Sheridan's historic run as the TV king.