Yellowstone’s Upcoming Spinoff Challenges Major Taylor Sheridan Criticism

2026’s upcoming Yellowstone spinoff will challenge one of Taylor Sheridan’s most common critiques. Spawning during the Golden Age of Television, Yellowstone’s all-star cast, led by Kevin Costner, placed the series among the premier titles on cable TV. Yet, unlike other family dramas like Succession and Game of Thrones, Yellowstone never had much Emmy luck.

Yellowstone, created by TV mega-producer Taylor Sheridan, has always been a divisive series. Despite the exceptional cast and entertainment value, the show’s often bizarre melodrama, among other factors, prevented it from reaching its full potential as a prestige drama, comparable to The Sopranos or Mad Men. The next Yellowstone sequel, The Madison, will challenge one of the show’s biggest flaws.

Taylor Sheridan Is Commonly Critiqued For His Writing Of Female Characters

When you think of melodrama and Yellowstone, Beth Dutton is likely the first name that comes to mind. Kelly Reilly is a fantastic actress who made Beth a massively entertaining fan-favorite, but by the later seasons, the writing transformed her into a caricature of herself.

Other examples include the female cast of Landman, with characters Ainsley, Angela, and Rebecca all receiving consistent criticism from viewers. Ainsley, in particular, drew more controversy than any other character in Sheridan’s TV worlds. Whether you agree or not, these criticisms are plentiful online.

Yellowstone’s The Madison Spinoff Will Feature A Female Lead Played By Michelle Pfeiffer

There’s a lot riding on The Madison, as it’s going to be the first Yellowstone spinoff without the Dutton family involved. This show will signify whether this franchise has legs without any of the main characters or their ancestors, and much of that rides on the shoulders of legendary actress Michelle Pfeiffer.

Michelle Pfeiffer is one of the most famous movie stars to ever grace our screens, but she needs strong writing to lead a show. The Madison will almost certainly be under scrutiny from the get-go, with the show’s success contingent on Sheridan’s ability to write her character.

Taylor Sheridan Has Had Strong Female Leads Before

While I generally enjoy Taylor Sheridan’s shows, I’ll admit there have been some female characters I found to be poorly written. That said, there are other examples where he did a fantastic job. I’ll use 1923 season 1 as an example, which I believe is Taylor Sheridan’s best TV writing so far.

Helen Mirren’s Cara Dutton and Julia Schlaepfer’s Alexandra Dutton are two of the most fantastic characters Taylor Sheridan has written. The former, in particular, is one of the strongest characters in the Yellowstone franchise, and I can imagine Michelle Pfeiffer’s character will have some similarities.