One of the key players in Taylor Sheridan’s hot new Western, The Madison, has officially confirmed that he will not be returning when the series makes its eventual Season 2 premiere.
The Madison wrapped up its freshman season this past weekend with an emotional finale that saw Stacy Clyburn (Michelle Pfeiffer) lying at the graves of her husband, Preston (Kurt Russell), and his brother, Paul (Matthew Fox). Both were killed in a plane crash in the season opener, with their stories being told through flashbacks.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Fox confirmed that his time on The Madison is officially over. “I’m at a point in my life where I’d rather pop in and do something interesting, but I don’t want to dedicate six years of my life to something [again],” he said, referring to his lengthy stint on the hit series, Lost.
Fox’s appearance in The Madison brought an extra layer of heart to the already emotional drama, as the scenes with him and Russell were easily some of the show’s best. All the credit goes to Sheridan, however, as the star praised the prolific creator, calling him “an exceptional writer.”
“When I read the scripts, it really hit me where it hurts, and also made me laugh. He offers a lot as a storyteller, not just on a dialogue level, but there’s so much subtext. I don’t know how he does everything that he’s doing. It’s mind-boggling. I’ve worked on other series where there’s a creator and a writers room where a lot of people are involved, and he writes everything. It’s really kind of astounding.”
Filming on The Madison Season 2 has already wrapped, but it has yet to be revealed when the series will make its triumphant return to Paramount. Like Season 1, it will also be made up of six episodes that will most likely follow the same format, where they’re split into two parts that are released a week apart.
Thus far, The Madison has been a huge hit for Sheridan despite divisive reviews, as the series has commanded a spot on Paramount+’s Top 10 list ever since its debut. Following the Season 1 finale this past weekend, it skyrocketed to first position both globally and in the United States, taking up space with Sheridan’s other new series, Marshals, as well as old favorites like Landman, Tulsa King, and Yellowstone.
While The Madison does have a strong audience score of 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, critics haven’t been kind to the new series. It holds a rotten rating of just 59%, with many calling it “uneven,” “slow,” and Sheridan’s “weakest series to date.” By contrast, fans have deemed it everything from “incredible” and “worthwhile,” to “a gut-wrenchingly beautiful show with stellar performances across the board.”
Also starring Beau Garrett, Patrick J. Adams, Elle Chapman, Amiah Miller, Alaina Pollack, all six episodes of The Madison Season 1 are streaming now on Paramount +. We’ll have more news on the series, including a premiere date for Season 2, as it becomes available.
