The Madison is the latest Montana-set series from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, but it takes a more romantic and emotional tone that sets it apart from his other series, and feels a lot more personal.

Stacy (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Preston Clyburn (Kurt Russell) have been together for over 45 years, and married for almost 40 years, and in that time have pretty much never had a fight. The couple has two daughters who grew up spoiled and privileged. Paige (Elle Chapman, A Man Called Otto) is 26, and has been married to husband Russell McIntosh (Patrick J. Adams, Suits) for two years. Her older sister Abigail (Beau Garrett, Firefly Lane) is recently divorced and has two girls, teenager Bridgett (Amiah Miller, War for the Planet of the Apes) and her younger sister Macy (Alaina Pollack, The Surrender).

The Clyburns are a wealthy New York socialite family who are fond of the city life, but Preston also enjoys a simpler country life, and spends several weeks each year at his brother Paul’s (Matthew Fox, Lost) ranch in Montana, fly fishing in the Madison River valley. He loves the beauty of nature, even if Stacy has never expressed any interest. Over the past 30 years, he has even built cabins on the ranch for the whole family, should they ever change their minds about visiting.

One evening, as Preston and Paul are flying back from a secluded fishing site in a small plane, disaster strikes. Stacy is left in shock when she receives the call from the US Department of Forestry and is requested to come to Idaho to identify the bodies. She can’t image life without Preston. The whole family travels to the ranch for the first time to grieve and get closure. While her daughters find it difficult to rough it (especially with no indoor plumbing and a outhouse as the only restroom), Stacy begins to feel oddly close to her husband in this place that he loved, particularly as she starts to read the journal he has kept over the past 25 years of visits to the ranch. And she starts to wonder if she would be better off in Montana rather than New York City.

Assisting the Stacy and her family as they try to get used to living off the grid are ranch neighbors Cade (Kevin Zegers, Power) and Kestrel Harris (Danielle Vasinova, 1923), and local Sheriff Van Davis (Ben Schnetzer, 3 Body Problem)—who immediately has a spark with Abigail. And helping Stacy process her feelings are NYC bestie Liliana Weeks (Rebecca Spence, Lady in the Lake) and therapist Phil Yorn (Will Arnett, Is This Thing On?).

The first season of The Madison is only 6 episodes, and it makes for an excellent binge, playing out like one long movie. Each episode usually ends with some sort of reveal or statement that immediately leads into the next episode. While other Taylor Sheridan shows are often fueled by action-packed sequences, The Madison relies more on emotion and character drama. Michelle Pfeiffer is excellent in this role and this emotionally distraught woman trying to accept the fact that she’s lost the longtime love of her life. As she discovers more about her husband and why he loved this beautiful idyllic natural setting, she regrets avoiding being a part of that part of his life. Instead, choosing the busier city life of parties and fundraisers. She also faces the reality of how she allowed her children to become so spoiled, and is determined to turn that around as well. Through flashbacks we get to see more of the couple’s life together in New York City, as well as more of Preston’s adventures with his brother in Montana.

While the series can be quite heavy and emotional at times, there is also quite a bit of humor, especially as Stacy’s two daughters have trouble roughing it. Paige and Russell are pretty much newlyweds who are still discovering each other, and there is this fun dynamic between them as Paige often bosses Russell around, and he’s worried about upsetting her, and can’t seem to do anything right. And then there’s more of this rom-com meet-cute going on between Abigail and the local cop.

The six episodes of the first season tell a solid arc, but things are left open as to where the characters will ultimately end up—if some or all will head back to their lives in NYC, or if they will explore a new life at Mason Ranch. The series has already been picked up for a second season, and I look forward to spending more time with these characters.

Paramount/Alliance Hoe Entertainment has released the first season of The Madison on Blu-ray & DVD, and the series is also available for purchase digitally in 4K via Fandango. We were sent the Blu-ray release for review, and were quite pleased by the presentation. The picture quality is excellent, with a strong level of detail throughout. Things look clean and clear and showcases the beautiful Montana setting. The audio track provides clear dialogue and makes excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to provide a fully-immersive experience. The season’s 6 episodes are evenly split across 2 discs, which are placed on either side of a standard HD keepcase, which is placed inside a carboard slipcover. Unfortunately, there is no bonus material included on the discs.

What’s Included:

Episodes: (5:27:20)

• All 6 episodes of the first season :
  Disc 1 (2:44:07): “Pilot”, “Let The Land Hold Me”, “Watch Her Fall”
  Disc 2 (2:43:13): “Tomorrow Is Goodbye”, “No Name And A New Dream”, “I Give Me Permission”
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.00:1
• Audio: English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, German 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish (Spain) 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Italian 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English SDH, Danish, German, Spanish (Spain), French, Italian, Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish

Extras:

There is no bnus material included on this release.

Final Thoughts:

The Madison is a captivating and emotional drama that captures the beautiful setting and interesting characters of a Taylor Sheridan series, but focuses more on emotion and character drama rather than danger, violence and action. The six episodes of the first season make an excellent weekend binge. Paramount’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, but unfortunately does not include any bonus material. That said, the release is still worth checking out for the series itself.