Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell know the secret to a good love story.

The actors have both starred in a string of romantic dramas and comedies during their illustrious careers, and nearly forty years after they first starred together in the Oscar-nominated movie Tequila Sunrise, they have reunited on screen in Taylor Sheridan's sweeping new drama The Madison.

In the new six-part series from the creator of the Yellowstone universe, Pfeiffer and Russell star as Stacy and Preston Clyburn, a married couple of more than 40 years whose epic and enduring love story affects the lives of everyone around them.

Watch: The Madison official trailer. Post continues after video.

As a self-described 'city mouse,' Stacy is content with their ritzy life in New York City, alongside their eldest daughter, Abigail (Beau Garrett), a single mother of two who feels like her own life and marriage never lived up to her parents' untouchable fairy tale, and their youngest daughter, Paige (Elle Chapman). She is attempting to forge her own career (while still being dependent on her parents' wealth) and is married to the sweet but often out of his depth Russell (Patrick J. Adams).

While a successful businessman, Preston longs to leave the chaotic and crime-filled streets of New York for the wild beauty of the Madison River Valley in Montana, where his brother Paul (Mathew Fox) lives and where he regularly retreats for fishing trips and peace.

Michelle Pfeiffer in The Madison. Source: Paramount+.

When an unexpected tragedy strikes the Clyburns, the entire family heads to the Madison River. What happens next is a city meets country 'fish out of water' tale filled with grief, love, acceptance, and adventure.

Speaking with Mamamia, Pfeiffer and Russell explained that a compelling on-screen love story comes from showing the messy, real-life moments, rather than relying on plot twists or Hollywood-style finales.

"I think what's great about it is that it's so real," Pfeiffer said of Stacy and Preston's love story. "It's so contemporary, honest, and unsentimental. That's what makes it really interesting to watch, because you feel like you're watching real people."

Listen: What to watch this weekend, and what really happened when Laura met Kurt and Michelle. Post continues below.

In the modern television world, The Madison feels like somewhat of an outlier. The central story thread in this series is one of an enduring marriage, and yet as the plot moves along, it never veers into the familiar TV territories of double lives, cheating scandals, secret families, drained bank accounts, or dramatic lies.

Instead, the plot twists are smaller, more emotional, and more true to life, resulting in an on-screen marriage that beats with realism.

"It has to be the writing," Russell said when explaining what he looks for in a good love story on screen. "A lot of times, we as actors get credit for things we don't deserve. A lot of times, you go to work, and if you don't have great writing, then it's on you to fix it with your performance, but that was not the case here."

Kurt Russell and Mathew Fox in The Madison. Source: Paramount+.

While Pfeiffer and Russell's new on-screen romance is one for the ages, there is one catch when it comes to how they brought the story of this love-filled marriage to life.

"We didn't do our scenes together," Pfeiffer explained about how they actually filmed the show. "I did all of my side of the scenes with someone else off camera because they hadn't cast Kurt yet.

"I knew they were working on it," she continued. "It was a scheduling issue with Kurt, so I was hoping and praying, and Taylor kept saying, 'It's going to work out,' and Taylor Sheridan usually gets what he wants.

"Also, we had worked together before all those years ago," she continued. "I had such a great time working with him back then, so I always had Kurt in my mind when filming, and that's what I was playing with."

Russell acknowledged that he was working with an advantage.

"I had the benefit of knowing that it would be Michelle when I started filming," he said. " I always thought it was going to work out and I would be in this show, but it wasn't an easy scheduling thing.

"But having worked together before, you know, sometimes you work with somebody like Michelle and you just flat out remember them.

"So when you start working together again, it feels like you're going to battle together. Every picture you work on is a bit like a little war, and you just have this little circle of love that comes around.

"Then every once in a while, there's something that happens with somebody as an actor and actress, where you just remember it all," he continued.

"And that was the case for me working with Mitchell. When you're working with a person who likes to have fun on the set, especially the way Michelle does, I looked forward very much to when we could actually be together.

"That's what makes all the difference."

All episodes of The Madison are now streaming exclusively on Paramount+.

Feature Image: Paramount+.