The Madison, Season 1 Feature Scores
Explore all 53 feature scores for The Madison, Season 1, organized into pros and cons.
Scores by Feature
Summary
53 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.013 (25%)
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Positive 3.5-4.415 (28%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.412 (23%)
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Negative 1.5-2.410 (19%)
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Very negative below 1.53 (6%)
Pros
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Montana is one of the clearest strengths: reviewers repeatedly praised the sweeping landscapes, rich color, and serene natural imagery. Even skeptical critics often called the series gorgeous.
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The cinematography is one of the most consistently celebrated elements, especially the golden Montana landscapes, river imagery, and sense of scale. Several critics rank it among Sheridan’s best-looking productions.
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Performance quality is a major strength across the season, especially at the top of the cast. Even mixed reviews commonly credit the actors with elevating inconsistent material.
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The grief material lands powerfully for many reviewers, with several describing the season as cathartic, heartbreaking, or deeply affecting. A smaller group felt the wealth and melodrama created emotional distance.
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Pfeiffer and Russell’s lived-in bond is widely praised, and several family pairings also work well. The rushed Abby-Van romance drew some skepticism, though other reviewers found their chemistry convincing.
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Christina Alexandra Voros earns consistent praise for making the drama feel immersive and visually controlled. Her direction is credited with adding momentum, atmosphere, and emotional force beyond the script.
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The leads are repeatedly described as the engine of the show, with Michelle Pfeiffer receiving the strongest acclaim and Kurt Russell frequently praised alongside her.
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The intimate grief drama often works best when it stays focused on family, marriage, and mourning. Critics who liked it found those scenes moving and well crafted, even when other parts of the season faltered.
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Grief, love, identity, family, and the restorative pull of nature give the show meaningful thematic ambitions. Reviewers disagree on whether those ideas feel profound or overly obvious.
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Overall enjoyment varies widely, but the best-liked elements—Pfeiffer, the scenery, and the family drama—kept many reviewers engaged. Others felt the lecturing tone and thin story undercut the experience.
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Despite mixed first-season reactions, several reviewers want to see what the already-planned continuation can do with the characters. The finale’s open threads and Stacy’s new direction create real curiosity.
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The universal themes and multigenerational family focus broaden the show beyond traditional Western fans, but its slow pace and strong stylistic viewpoint make it unlikely to work for everyone.
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Viewers open to a slow, intimate family melodrama often appreciated the departure from Sheridan’s action-heavy Western formula. Those expecting a faster neo-Western may find the softer, soapier approach less satisfying.
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The sweeping score generally strengthens the emotional and pastoral mood, and some reviewers found it beautifully effective. One critic thought it sounded too similar to 1923.
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The lighter material often provides welcome relief from the grief, especially through Russell McIntosh and the fish-out-of-water situations. Some critics found the jokes awkwardly placed or too broad.
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The finale earns stronger praise than many earlier episodes from some reviewers, especially for Stacy’s character-driven resolution. Others see it as an abrupt transition into season two rather than a fully complete ending.
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The shift toward grief, family, and a female-centered perspective feels fresh to several critics, while harsher reviews call the city-versus-country setup derivative or reductive.
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The audio description was singled out as meeting a reviewer’s high expectations, adding a well-executed accessibility layer to the presentation.
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One enthusiastic reviewer was hooked by the six episodes and explicitly recommended bingeing the season, suggesting the compact run can work well for viewers who connect with its style.
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The finale creates a rare burst of strong suspense around Stacy’s disappearance and apparent danger, with the sequence described as tense and unsettling.
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The premiere divides opinion but makes a strong impression. One critic worried about its writing and structure, while another found the tonal pivot and early tragedy undeniably compelling.
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One early-episode review praised the script for handling sudden loss, family dynamics, and the city-to-Montana transition effectively.
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One review singled out the contrast between invasive New York noise and Montana’s natural ambience as an effective way to distinguish the show’s two worlds.
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Fishing is used more as character texture than competitive sport, and one critic singled out a fourth-episode fishing lesson as a lovely, revealing scene between the brothers.
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The production value contributes to a poetic, classic-Western atmosphere, with one reviewer specifically linking its landscapes, music, and overall presentation to Robert Redford-style filmmaking.
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The season has no conventional antagonist, but one reviewer considered that absence a strength rather than a flaw because the conflict comes from grief and family tension.
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Purposefully slow episodes can deepen the grieving process and atmosphere, but some critics felt individual installments lingered too long or moved unevenly.
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Physical violence is generally restrained and some critics like how that keeps the focus on emotional pain. One reviewer still objected to the occasional spontaneous burst of fighting as a familiar Sheridan excess.
Cons
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The show’s depiction of coastal, urban, and politically progressive characters drew repeated criticism for caricature and lack of nuance. A minority of reviewers were more receptive to the rural-versus-city contrast.
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This is the most persistent critical complaint. Many reviewers found the culture-war jabs and anti-New York framing abrasive or heavy-handed, though a few viewers appreciated the social commentary or agreed with parts of it.
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Several critics found the season structurally loose, with long scenes, abrupt subplot movement, and episodes that sometimes end without a strong hook. Others accepted the looser structure as part of the character-driven approach.
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Several critics struggled to identify a clear story engine or concrete goals beyond grief and relocation. The deliberately loose plot can feel atmospheric to fans but directionless to detractors.
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The late-season New York material drew complaints of repetitive, unnecessary scenes, with critics saying parts felt unedited or in need of tighter trimming.
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Midseason episode endings often lack strong hooks, with some critics saying there is little pressure to immediately continue. The finale does better, leaving several threads open in a way one reviewer found enticing.
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The six-episode season often feels too short for the amount of setup and emotional development it attempts. Critics specifically wished for more room to let later plots and revelations breathe.
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Heavy crude language is flagged as the most common content concern, making the dialogue less suitable for viewers sensitive to profanity.
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The show’s two-world construction is visually clear but ideologically lopsided for one harsh critic, who felt Montana gets nuance while New York is reduced to a straw-man setting.
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The portrayal of grief is frequently praised as vulnerable and recognizable, but the show’s social world is another matter. Critics often found the New York-versus-Montana binary, stereotypes, and certain comic situations hard to believe.
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Repeated complaining and moral lectures make some family members feel stuck in cycles, and one reviewer specifically called Stacy hypocritical. Those issues weaken consistency even when individual scenes work.
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The grief themes may resonate across generations, but heavy profanity, sexual banter, and nudity make the season a poor fit for viewers seeking clean family viewing.
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Sexual banter and brief nudity are called out as content concerns, including comedy built around a hornet-sting incident in an outhouse.
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Sheridan’s writing drew polarized reactions. Quiet observations about grief and nature can feel empathetic and profound, but many critics objected to clunky speeches, broad stereotypes, repetition, and rough-draft plotting.
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One reviewer felt dropping the brief season in two large batches moved too quickly and denied the show the week-to-week discussion its emotional story could have supported.
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The dialogue is uneven: quieter conversations and relationship scenes can feel natural and insightful, while long speeches and blunt philosophical statements are often criticized as clunky or leaden.
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The ensemble receives mixed marks. Some supporting players add charm and depth, but multiple critics felt the cast outside Pfeiffer and Russell was uneven or constrained by weaker material.
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One mixed review felt the season’s shifting grief framework becomes disjointed enough to weaken its emotional continuity, especially when thematic structures are introduced and then abandoned.
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The slow-burn rhythm works for reviewers who value contemplation, but pacing is a recurring concern. Some found the back half cramped or uneven, while one strongly positive review thought the pace stayed perfectly balanced.
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Critical reaction is plainly divided: praise centers on Pfeiffer and the visuals, while writing, pacing, and political framing keep the overall response from becoming a consensus hit.
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The inciting tragedy surprised some reviewers and gave the pilot real unpredictability, while others saw major turns coming well in advance. The season’s twists are therefore more effective for some audiences than others.
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Some reviewers liked watching the Clyburns gradually mature and adapt, especially Stacy’s transformation. Others found several supporting characters repetitive, underwritten, or stuck as caricatures.
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The ending ranges from merely transitional to highly satisfying depending on the reviewer. Its abruptness bothered some, but others thought Stacy’s final move and the river-side resolution landed beautifully.
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Most reviewers emphasize that this is not a direct Yellowstone spinoff, and several liked the creative freedom that gives it. A few found the familiar music, Montana setting, or early marketing confusing.
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The grief-centered family story is the season’s biggest divide: some critics found it moving, grounded, and unusually compelling for Sheridan, while others saw a thin, meandering setup with too little narrative drive.
Cast & Creators
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Stacy KlyurnPfeiffer is the clearest consensus standout, repeatedly praised for making Stacy’s grief vulnerable, layered, and emotionally convincing. Even the harshest reviews often treat her performance as the reason to keep watching.
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DirectorVoros is one of the production’s most consistently praised contributors. Critics credit her direction and cinematography with the show’s atmosphere, momentum, emotional texture, and striking Montana imagery.
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Preston ClyburnRussell brings warmth, steadiness, and easy chemistry opposite Pfeiffer. Reviewers repeatedly describe him as a strong match for the material, even though the season uses him more selectively than its leading lady.
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PaulFox receives strong notices in a limited role, especially for his believable brotherly bond with Russell and the emotional history he brings to Paul.
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Phil YornArnett’s therapist material is mostly well received for adding humor and an unusual energy late in the season, though one critic found his presence distracting.
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Van DavisSchnetzer is praised for charm and chemistry as Van, with reviewers responding well to his romantic pairing with Abigail even when they question how quickly the relationship develops.
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AbigailGarrett generally earns solid notices as Abigail, especially for holding her own opposite Pfeiffer and selling the romantic material. Some broader cast critiques still place the daughters below the leads.
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Russell McIntoshAdams gets mixed but often warm notices as Russell: some reviewers enjoy his dry comic relief, sincerity, and oddball charm, while others think the role sidelines or underuses him.
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ComposerVivian’s score is praised for quietly supporting the season’s emotional beats rather than overpowering them.
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Cade HarrisZegers is specifically praised for giving Cade a warm, down-home charm that fits the Montana side of the story.
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MacyPollack is warmly received as Macy, with one review calling the young character adorable and helping round out the multigenerational family.
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BridgetMiller gets a positive mention for playing teenage Bridget well, adding credibility to the younger generation of the Clyburn family.
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WriterReaction to Sheridan’s contribution is sharply split. Admirers praise his empathy, intimacy, and willingness to try something different, while detractors attack the rough plotting, blunt speeches, gender commentary, and culture-war framing.
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PaigeChapman’s Paige is frequently written as abrasive or spoiled, but the reviews that assess Chapman herself appreciate the bite and physical-comedy energy she brings to the role.