- The first three episodes of ‘The Madison’ are streaming now on Paramount+.
- The first episode pays tribute to Robert Redford, who died in 2025.
- The legendary actor and director was once attached to Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe.
If you’re spending the weekend streaming The Madison, Taylor Sheridan’s new Paramount+ drama, you likely caught the tribute to Robert Redford. The first episode pays tribute to the legendary director and actor, who died at age 89 on September 16, 2025.
The first episode of The Madison tells the story of two brothers bonding as they fly-fish in the stunning Montana wilderness. If that reminds you of A River Runs Through It, there’s a good reason.
The 1992 Oscar-winning film starring Brad Pitt and directed by Robert Redford shares a similar theme, as brothers Paul and Norman spend time fly-fishing for trout on the Blackfoot River. When the Clyburn family faces tragedy in The Madison, they seek comfort in the film.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Episode 1 of The Madison finds Stacy Clyburn (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her family grappling with the sudden death of Preston (Kurt Russell) and his brother Paul (Matthew Fox). The two brothers were on the fly-fishing trip of a lifetime when their small plane crashed in a storm.
When Stacy, her children, and grandchildren travel from Manhattan to Montana, they’re brought together in a hotel room to watch Preston’s favorite movie, A River Runs Through It.
Stacy tells her grandchildren that it was their grandpa’s favorite movie. “A river may run through it,” she says, “but I’ve never actually gotten through it.”
“Is it going to be sad?” granddaughter Macy (Alaina Pollack) asks. Stacy replies, “It’s about fishing. How sad could it be?”
Stacy and her daughter Abigail (Beau Garrett) finish the movie in tears, while the rest of the family has fallen asleep. Stacy says, “It made your father cry too. Like a big baby.”
The end of the show offers the message, “In loving memory of Robert Redford.”
Robert Redford was once connected to Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe. Taylor has gone on record saying that he initially pitched the series to HBO with Robert starring in the John Dutton role. HBO ultimately passed, and Taylor took Yellowstone to Paramount Network with Kevin Costner starring instead.
The tribute is a powerful way to honor a director who helped shape the Western films and movies we see today.
Katie Bowlby is Digital Director at Country Living, where she covers pop culture news including country music, Yellowstone, and all things HGTV, plus gift guides and product reviews. She has been with Country Living for more than 11 years. Before that, she worked for Southern Living. The Indiana University grad also stitches up the cross-stitch pattern for every issue of the magazine.
