If you’ve ever thought that Patrick J. Adams was napping on his laurels

since his days as Mike Ross in Suits, you’d be barking up the wrong

tree. Here’s where things take a turn: the actor, 43, is diving back into

the TV world with Yellowstone’s spinoff, The Madison. And let’s be honest, nobody, not even Mike, could have seen this coming.

“Is this real life or just a cleverly written investment in our TV schedules?” you might ask. With Michelle Pfeiffer leading the charge and an expectation that Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western world will finally feature female characters who aren’t either wholly reviled or purely

tantalizing, there’s a fresh wind blowing through this expansive universe. Despite the cloak-and-dagger secrecy surrounding the plot details, fans are already chomping at the bit.

As the old saying goes, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,” and Patrick J. Adams is making sure he gets a good look at that greener side in Montana. The ex-Suits star is galloping into the wild world of The Madison, the latest spinoff in the ever-expanding Yellowstone universe (via THR).

It looks like his new character will be a young investment banker, Russell McIntosh, who, unlike his previous role, isn’t quite a self-made man but rather someone who’s followed the path set out for him. Per THR, it’s a character described as someone who “has followed the life path set before him from the start.”

Moreover, Michelle Pfeiffer isn’t just stepping into the spotlight—she’s also calling the shots behind the scenes. With her role as both star and executive producer in The Madison, her involvement isn’t just a footnote; it’s the headline.

And Adams’ words have also everyone hoping that The Madison might finally give Sheridan’s universe a bit of a makeover.

If you dig deep into the world of social media, you might uncover a few folks who are often singing Taylor Sheridan’s praises. His films like Hell or High Water, Wind River, Sicario, and its sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, have been likened to classic Westerns. But therein lies the rub—much like the Westerns of yore, Sheridan’s female characters often end up in one of two categories: either as seductive sirens or nagging shrews, often sidelined in favor of their male counterparts.

Take Hell or High Water, for example. This film, with its gritty portrayal of bank-robbing brothers Chris Pine and Ben Foster, is a modern-day Western where women are as scarce as a needle in a haystack. The story is so focused on its male leads that even the shadow of a strong female presence seems to have taken a hike.

While Sheridan’s works feature women who wield a certain degree of power, they often come across as about as fleshed out as a pancake. Take Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton from Yellowstone, for example. Despite her sharp edges and take-no-prisoners attitude, she sometimes seems more like a caricature than a fully realized person, leaving audiences craving a bit more substance beneath the sizzle.

In Wind River, Elizabeth Olsen plays FBI Agent Jane Banner, who is brought in to investigate a murder on a Native American reservation. While Jane is portrayed as intelligent and capable, her character development is limited. Much of her role is focused on her interactions with Jeremy Renner’s character, rather than delving deeply into her own personal journey or backstory.

Overall, in Sheridan’s work, it’s as if women are handed a seat at the table only to be left on the sidelines. These characters often come across more as plot accessories than as richly developed characters with their own storylines and motivations.