Patrick J. Adams has stepped into Taylor Sheridan’s brand new neo-Western series The Madison as Russell McIntosh, the central Clyburn family’s fixer and their daughter Paige’s (Elle Chapman) husband. The rugged terrain of the Madison River valley of southwest Montana is unfamiliar to Adams, who is best known for playing the witty college dropout with a photographic memory, Mike Ross, in the highly successful legal series Suits. Naturally, the actor was thrilled to join the series, drawn by Taylor Sheridan’s sharp writing that brings its characters and storylines vividly to life on screen.
In a recent interview with ScreenRant, The Madison actor shared the thrill and joy of reading a Taylor Sheridan script, who hooks his audiences from the start and writes from the heart. The actor said:
”His [Sheridan] scripts aren’t like, “Oh, this one scene has to lead to that one scene.” It’s more emotional and from the heart, so it grabs you, and it keeps you turning the page. It makes you very upset that you don’t have the next script in hand to figure out where it’s going. But he, more than anything, writes from the heart.
More on this in our story.
The Madison star Patrick J. Adams unpacks Sheridan’s writing style
The Madison is Taylor Sheridan’s latest six-episode drama series that follows the Clyburn family’s move from New York to southwest Montana for ”emotional recovery following a major life-changing tragedy that both shocks and permanently changes the family”. In addition to Adams and Chapman, the series stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell in leading roles, along with an ensemble cast that includes Beau Garrett, Amiah Miller, Alaina Pollack, Ben Schnetzer, Kevin Zegers, Rebecca Spence and Matthew Fox.
Sheridan’s writing style stands out for its sharp sense of place, morally conflicted characters and narratives that unfold with quiet intensity before erupting into powerful turning points. As seen in his highly acclaimed Yellowstone and its many spin-offs, Sheridan doesn’t rely solely on spectacle but gives weight to silence, tension and character-driven conflict. For an experienced actor like Patrick J. Adams, that kind of material offers plenty to explore.
Praising Sheridan’s writing style in The Madison, the Suits actor said:
“Taylor’s an incredible writer, and he’s a very singular writer, so reading the script for the first time was great. He doesn’t write with plot in mind, and he’d be the first person to admit that. It’s not what he’s interested in.”
While The Madison was initially positioned as a contemporary spin-off of Yellowstone (given its shared Montana setting), Paramount+ has announced that Sheridan’s latest project is not set in the Kevin Costner-led franchise. Debunking these rumors once and for all, Adams confirmed that the series ia brand new venture and not related to Yellowstone in any form:
“He’s done a really good job of creating something brand new, and I think everyone’s interested in having it be completely separate. “My superiors over at Paramount+ would argue that this is not a spinoff, nor is it set in the same universe as Yellowstone. This is an entirely new world with a new group of people, and I don’t know that the Duttons exist anywhere in this particular universe.”
The Madison debuted with a three-episode premiere on Paramount+ on March 14. The remaining three entries of the series will arrive on March 21.
As for Taylor Sheridan’s beloved Yellowstone franchise, the neo-Western world expanded with CBS’ latest spin-off series, Marshals, starring Luke Grimes as John’s youngest son, Kayce Dutton. Another spin-off, titled Dutton Ranch (based on Beth and Kip), is scheduled to arrive in 2027, with Kelly Reilly & Cole Hauser set to reprise their respective Yellowstone characters.
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Edited by Aashna