Goodbye Duttons? Taylor Sheridan’s ‘The Madison’ Is Actually NOT A ‘Yellowstone’ Spinoff Series

A rather important update to The Madison and the “Taylor Sheridan Universe” as a whole.

Yesterday, Paramount+ released a first look at the latest Taylor Sheridan project, The Madison. We happily shared that The Madison – a Taylor Sheridan show that has been teased and talked about for years – finally set a premiere date in 2026. The series has already shot and wrapped on two separate seasons, and that had been public knowledge for quite some time.

And finally, after a long wait and a lot of speculation, The Madison is set to premiere on March 14 on Paramount+.

The series is described to be some of Sheridan’s most intimate work, and will tell a story that explores grief and human connection. As far as plot is concerned, the series revolves around the titular character of Stacy Clyburn (played by Pfeiffer), a wealthy matriarch who upends her life in New York City to move her and her family to Montana following a plane crash that kills her husband and brother-in-law. It will also star Kurt Russell, among others.

And there’s a good chance that you’ve seen The Madison described as a “Yellowstone spinoff.” We here at Whiskey Riff, as well as some of the biggest entertainment publications in the world (Variety, The Hollywood Reporter), have all referred to the Taylor Sheridan show as a spinoff – in some form or fashion – of Yellowstone.

That is apparently not the case.

Representatives on behalf of Paramount+ reached out to us after sharing a recent story about the series saying that the show is, in fact, “not a Yellowstone spinoff.” We were asked to “remove that language” from the article. We then asked for clarification on if The Madison will have any relation to Yellowstone whatsoever, and have yet to hear back. Stay tuned for any clarification on that.

For quite some time, fans and entertainment publications alike have tried to figure out how The Madison would fit into the larger Yellowstone story. As it turns out… it might not at all.

Many assumed that there would be some sort of tie in because The Madison is set to take place in the Madison River Valley (hence the name of the show) in Montana in the present day. If you are in need of a reminder, the events of Yellowstone took place in the Paradise Valley area of the same state… and those two areas are very close to one another.

And theoretically, Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) are holding a ranch down somewhere in the state of Montana, and we should find out more about that in their Yellowstone spinoff titled Dutton Ranch.

As for The Madison, Paramount+ shared some new photos from the upcoming series this week. In doing so, they confirmed that Kurt Russell will be featured in the show’s first season. There was some speculation that he’d only be joining for Season 2, but first look photos confirm that he’ll be included in multiple episodes of Season 1.

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Deadline also reports that the first season of the show will only be six episodes long. Though that’s by far the shortest season of a Taylor Sheridan-lead series (most seasons are 8 or 10 episodes), there is a bit of a twist. Remember that second season of The Madison that’s already wrapped on filming? There’s apparently an outside chance that it could be released as a “Part 2” of Season 1, though the plan as of right now is to hold it and release it as a second season.

Pretty exciting, right? Just a couple of days ago, we had no idea when we’d even get to see the highly anticipated show. Now? There’s a chance we basically get two seasons of it in 2026. Though to be clear… there evidently won’t be any sort of tie in or connection to Yellowstone. So don’t expect a Rip Wheeler cameo when you tune into The Madison.

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The post Goodbye Duttons? Taylor Sheridan’s ‘The Madison’ Is Actually NOT A ‘Yellowstone’ Spinoff Series first appeared on Whiskey Riff.