The narrative here is pure awards-season gold: Hollywood royalty Michelle Pfeiffer anchoring a prestige drama while making her case for Emmy recognition, and Kurt Russell—whose last nomination came when Jimmy Carter was president—poised for an unprecedented comeback story. It's the kind of legacy-actor redemption arc that voting bodies eat up.
Insiders note Taylor Sheridan's strategic choice to submit the season finale rather than the pilot—a bold bet given most freshman series find nomination success leading with their opening episodes (see: Bad Sisters, last year's The Pitt). Also telling: Sheridan isn't entering Landman writing this cycle despite having the show in contention. Word is he's laser-focused on Madison.
Emmy submissions close May 7; nominations announced July 8. Pfeiffer previously earned supporting actress (limited/movie) nomination for The Wizard of Lies (2017). Russell's only prior Emmy bid came for lead actor in the 1979 TV movie Elvis—47 years ago, which would shatter Mary Kay Place's record 33-year gap between acting nominations.
Paramount+ is playing a high-stakes game with its Sheridan universe, and The Madison's aggressive 27-bid push signals the streamer expects this show to be a long-term awards fixture—not just another Yellowstone spinoff.
Paramount+ is making a serious statement with its first-year Emmy push for "The Madison." The Taylor Sheridan-created neo-Western will submit across 20 categories via 27 total bids as it targets recognition in television's highest tier, Variety has learned exclusively. The show, which centers on the Clyburn family relocating from New York City to Montana's Madison River valley following a life-altering tragedy, is already secured for Seasons 2 and 3—a vote of confidence from the streamer that speaks volumes about their ambitions for this property.
Michelle Pfeiffer anchors the campaign as lead actress submission, standing alone in that category for the series. The 67-year-old legend is having one of her most significant television years: beyond "The Madison," she's also pursuing supporting comedy actress bids for Apple TV+'s "Margo's Got Money Troubles" and will compete in the Prime Video movie "Oh. What.
Fun." Pfeiffer's previous Emmy recognition came as a supporting actress nominee for HBO's 2017 television movie "The Wizard of Lies." Her three Oscar nominations—for "Dangerous Liaisons" (1988), "The Fabulous Baker Boys" (1989), and "Love Field" (1992)—underscore the kind of career that makes her submission both expected and pressure-laden for voters. But the most historically significant storyline belongs to Kurt Russell. The actor plays Preston Clyburn, Stacy's husband who dies in a plane crash during the pilot yet appears across all six episodes.
If Russell earns supporting drama actor recognition, it would mark his second Emmy nomination 47 years after his first—a 1979 nod for lead actor (limited/movie) portraying Elvis Presley in the television movie "Elvis." That gap would shatter Mary Kay Place's record 33-year span between nominations and tie him with Henry Winkler and Michael Douglas for the fourth-longest gap between acting nominations ever. Ahead of Russell on that leaderboard: Carol Burnett (62 years), Betty White (60 years), and Diana Rigg (51 years).
The math alone makes this a voting story voters won't want to miss. Christina Alexandra Voros is pulling double duty in the campaign, submitting for both outstanding directing for a drama series and outstanding cinematography (one hour) for Episode 102, "Let the Land Hold Me." Last year, Jessica Lee Gagné became the first woman to earn nominations in both those categories—and took home the cinematography prize. Whether Voros can replicate that trajectory remains to be seen, but her submissions position "The Madison" as a serious contender in below-the-line categories where voter enthusiasm often translates to broader series recognition.
Taylor Sheridan's strategic choices reveal calculated thinking about what resonates with Emmy bodies. He's submitted Episode 106, "I Give Me Permission," for outstanding writing—a finale submission that breaks from the conventional wisdom favoring pilot episodes for freshman series. The last time a Season 1 finale won in this category was "Succession" in 2019; for nominations, it was "Squid Game" in 2022.
It's a gamble on storytelling sophistication over accessibility. Meanwhile, Sheridan has "Landman" season two also in contention but won't submit writing representation for that series this cycle—suggesting he's consolidating his narrative around "The Madison." With Emmy submissions due May 7 and nominations announced July 8, the clock is ticking on whether Paramount+'s bold bet pays off.
