Kurt Russell killed in pilot of Taylor Sheridan's The Madison

Taylor Sheridan’s new family drama The Madison opens by killing off Kurt Russell’s character, Preston, in the pilot. Though Russell appeared on the show’s posters and seemed positioned as a lead, the A-list actor’s role ends early, leaving Michelle Pfeiffer’s Stacy to grieve her husband.

Preston and his brother Paul, played by Matthew Fox, are rugged outdoorsmen who fly to a remote stretch of river to go fishing. On the return trip they encounter bad weather, Paul loses control of the small plane, and both brothers crash and die. Preston had long urged his family to visit his Montana cabin—he even lacked indoor plumbing and used an outhouse—which helps explain why his wife and daughters had not gone there before.

Russell and Fox continue to appear throughout the series in flashbacks as Stacy and her two adult daughters travel from Manhattan to Montana to retrieve Preston’s body, decide where to bury him, grieve, and determine what to do with his land.

taylor sheridan, the madison, kurt russell, michelle pfeiffer, matthew fox, pilot episode, plane crash, montana, family drama, flashbacks