The Madison: what age is it for? 17 alone, 16 with a parent
17 alone, 16 with a parent.
Official US rating: TV-MA. In France, zinema would say 13.
Where to watch itWhere to watch
- Included withWith a subscriptionParamount Plus Premium · Paramount Plus Essential · Paramount Plus Apple TV channel · Paramount+ Amazon Channel · Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- BuyTo buyAmazon Video · Apple TV Store · Fandango At Home
Offers in the United States, collected automatically. Catalogues change often.
Alone, or with you
The official US rating is TV-MA, and we never go below it. Alone from 17; from 16, with an adult or by talking about it afterwards.
The sweet spot: around 17, when you can take in a story of grief that offers no quick comfort, and watch adults get things wrong while trying to hold together. Why a sweet spot?
The trailer
What it's about
The Clyburns uproot their comfortable New York City lives to the wild, untamed beauty of Montana's Madison River Valley on a search for connection.
Why 17
- The official rating, firstRated TV-MA in the US (mature audiences only). zinema never goes below the country's rating: it explains it.rule
- A series about griefIt all starts with a sudden death in the family: you see the funeral, the tears, the anger and the anxiety of those left behind. Nothing is spectacular, but sadness sits at the center of every episode.
- Strong languageSwearing is frequent and crude, with the strongest words used throughout.
- Wine and cigarettesThere is a lot of drinking, mostly wine, and several characters smoke: the daily life of adults under strain.
- A wound treated up closeEarly on, an injured face is treated in close-up, with shards pulled out with tweezers; hunting guns also appear. Violence stays very rare.
- Tenderness, no love scenesKisses and a few references in the dialogue, but no intimate scenes.
What the series brings
- A delicate story about how a family moves through grief.
- Adults who get things wrong, argue and repair, with no heroes or villains.
- The wide landscapes of Montana, filmed as a refuge.
Watching it together
You might mention that the series opens with a death and stays sad, and offer to talk if it brings up a loss of your own.
at 17 and up
What do you think helps this family hold on most: the place, or each other?
Season by season
the reading per season, episode by episode · expand
Season 1 · 6 episodes, 55 min on average · zinema reading 10, 9 with a parent · France 10
5 episodes out of 6 at the top of the series. What's in each episode, without telling the story:
| Episode | What's in it |
|---|---|
| 1 · Pilot | Deaths told; a lot of swearing; alcohol; and a lot of laughs, 17% of the episode. |
| 2 · Let the Land Hold Me | Deaths told; scary music; a lot of swearing; alcohol; and a lot of laughs, 18% of the episode. |
| 3 · Watch Her Fall | Many dark scenes; deaths told; frightening images; a lot of swearing; drugs mentioned. |
| 4 · Tomorrow Is Goodbye | Deaths told; scary music and jump scares; some swearing; alcohol; and a lot of laughs, 19% of the episode. |
| 5 · No Name and a New Dream | Deaths shown; scary music and jump scares; a lot of swearing; drugs mentioned; alcohol. |
| 6 · I Give Me Permission | Deaths told; scary music and jump scares; a lot of swearing; drugs mentioned; alcohol; and a lot of laughs, 24% of the episode. |
See the facts
For the same age, on zinema
- Borgen 17
- Suits 14
- The Good Wife 14
- Runner 13
The latest guides
- Un ours dans le Jura 13, 12 with a parent
- Lady Bird 17
- Vivre 13, 12 with a parent
- About Time 17
A zinema reading from September 30, 2026 · the 6 episodes of season 1, watched one by one · the age by zinema's rules for the US and France, and a human reading · report an error · how this guide is made