Diksha Sundriyal
In Paramount+’s ‘The Madison,’ the Clyburn family suffers a devastating loss, which changes everything about their lives. Coming to terms with their grief brings them from the busy streets of Manhattan to the sweeping landscapes of Montana. However, this sudden shift in their lives means they have a lot of challenges ahead. Created by Taylor Sheridan, the family drama series spins a tale of loss and heartbreak, but also of hope and perseverance, as we see the Clyburns not only adapt to their new surroundings but also find the heart in it. The characters become the guiding light of the story, and it is the realism with which they pop on the screen that makes the show a compelling watch. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Fictional Clyburns Have a Touch of Realism
‘The Madison’ is an entirely fictional story written by Taylor Sheridan. Initially, he conceived it as a spin-off of his hit drama series, ‘Yellowstone.’ However, as the story evolved, it became clear that despite the similarity of Western settings and the complicated family dynamics, the show had evolved into something else. Before Sheridan started writing the scripts, he wanted to cast the main characters of the show, especially Stacy, who holds the whole family together. He had a kernel of the idea in his mind, which he shared with Michelle Pfieffer, who flew all the way to Texas to meet with him and discuss the future of the project.
While Pfieffer wanted to read the scripts first, Sheridan told her that he was intent on casting Stacy first, because then he would write the character and the story around the actor. Once the actress was on board, he expanded the character’s world on the page, creating something that is deemed one of the most intimate pieces of work produced by him so far. While the show remains an original piece of work, he did turn towards personal experiences to set some characteristics of this tale. He thought back to his time in New York, where he lived in his 20s. He described it as a somewhat turbulent time that led him to develop a love-hate relationship with the city.
He also noted that, sometimes, it takes leaving a place to realise its true value, and that’s something he embedded in the story of the Clyburns as they leave New York in the rear-view mirror, trading the high rises of Manhattan for a ranch by the river in Montana. Robert Redford’s ‘A River Runs Through It’ is also cited as one of the inspirations behind the story. Much like the 1992 film, ‘The Madison’ also follows the story of a family who tries to find their way through the trials of love and hate by a river in Montana. At its heart, however, it remains a love story of two people who have spent almost their entire lives with each other, and with the passing of one, the other must find a way to live and flourish.
The Actors Found Strong Common Ground With Their Characters
‘The Madison’ presents a different side of each member of the Clyburn family, and in the end, these differences play an important role in deciding what path their stories will take. With Stacy, Sheridan had a model in the form of Michelle Pfeiffer, around whom he created the base of the character. The Oscar-nominated actress revealed that there are some similarities between her and the character. For example, both can be categorised as “city mouse” with a deeply emotional core. Kurt Russell, too, resonated with his character. The actor revealed that he moved to Colorado in his mid-20s because he wanted to live a slower life.
He loves living in the mountains and shares an interest in fly fishing and hunting with his character. So, when the part of Preston Clyburn came to him, it was pretty easy for him to slip into that role. In the same vein, Matthew Fox, who plays Preston’s brother, Paul, also listed similar interests as his character, allowing him to tap into the emotional depth of the role. At the end of the day, all the actors credited Sheridan’s impeccable writing as the thing that gave them a clear sense of the characters they were meant to play.
Since the story doesn’t deal with any conflicts from external sources (as is often the case in a drama series created by Sheridan), the story leaned entirely in the direction of building a moving portrait of a family that is trying to wade its way through the deep waters of grief, acceptance, and rebuilding their lives in a place that is just as much a stranger to them as the version of their patriarch in that place. All of this adds a sense of realism to the story, making the audience feel for the characters and root for them, even if they are entirely fictional.
Read More: The Madison Episode 1, 2, and 3 Recap: Let the Land Hold Me and Watch Her Fall
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