Why Taylor Sheridan Dedicated 'The Madison' to Robert Redford

"Much like Redford's film, The Madison stars two brothers-played by Kurt Russell and Matthew Fox-who spend their days fly-fishing for tuna in Montana's Madison River Valley. Where the two projects differ, however, is that Russell and Fox's characters die in a horrible plane crash. The incident leaves the surviving members of the Clyburn family to pick up the pieces, including the widowed matriarch Stacy (Michelle Pfeiffer)."

"She reveals later that A River Runs Through It was her late husband's favorite movie, so the family watch it together for the first time at the end of episode 1. "A river may run through it, but I've never actually gotten through it." Stacy tells her grandchildren. "It's about fishing. How sad could it be?" Naturally, they all bawl their eyes out."

"Ironically, Sheridan first pitched Yellowstone to HBO with Robert Redford attached to play John Dutton. As the story goes, an executive at HBO allegedly told him the show would only work if he had someone like Redford on board to star. But when Sheridan hustled and convinced Redford to come out of retirement for Yellowstone, the HBO executive changed their tune."

Taylor Sheridan's new Paramount drama series The Madison pays homage to Robert Redford, who passed away at age 89 in September 2025. The series, set in Montana's Madison River Valley, follows two brothers who fly-fish before dying in a plane crash, leaving their family to cope with the tragedy. The show deliberately echoes Redford's 1992 film A River Runs Through It, with a character revealing it was her late husband's favorite movie. The family watches the film together in the first episode, and the episode concludes with a tribute message to Redford. Sheridan previously pitched Yellowstone to HBO with Redford attached to star, though the executive initially rejected the concept.

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