The Madison's Cade Harris Starred In One Of The Best Kids Movie Franchises Of The 90s

This post contains spoilers for the first three episodes of "The Madison."

Episode 2 of "The Madison" introduces a kind cowboy by the name of Cade Harris. This helpful stranger is played by Kevin Zegers, who's best-known for starring in the first four "Air Bud" movies in the 1990s. While beloved family sports comedies might seem unrelated to Taylor Sheridan's protracted exploration of grief, the original "Air Bud" actually shared quite a lot in common with "The Madison."

"Yellowstone" might have been full of wild moments, but creator Taylor Sheridan has dialed down the outlandishness for his latest series. "The Madison" sees the wealthy Clyburn family relocate to the Madison River valley in Montana following the death of Kurt Russell's Preston Clyburn. With his widow Stacy Clyburn (Michelle Pfeiffer) leading the charge, Preston's daughters, two nieces, son-in-law, and Stacy herself decide to embrace the bucolic charm of rural Montana in an attempt to feel closer to their dearly departed and rediscover themselves. It certainly makes for some drama, but the whole thing is much more grounded and naturalistic than most Taylor Sheridan TV shows.

"The Madison" also has more heart than your typical Sheridan offering. It turns out the people of Montana are actually pretty sensitive, caring, and hospitable. And so far, no character has embodied the warmth of native Montanans more than Cade, who arrives at the Clyburns' rustic retreat in episode 2 bearing gifts and a generally affable energy that Stacy almost immediately embraces. Many viewers were likely similarly taken in by Cade's charm only to miss the fact that he is, indeed, the same actor who portrayed Josh Framm in the "Air Bud" film series.

"The Madison" isn't connected to "Yellowstone," but this is still cowboy country. Episode 2 sees Cade Harris arrive at Paul Clyburn's (Matthew Fox) cabin compound where Stacy and the Clyburn family are staying following the death of both Paul and Preston Clyburn. He's initially treated with suspicion but soon explains that he works for the neighboring ranch and is merely welcoming the family with homemade food from the local community. As episode 2 and the following chapter play out, we come to see how Cade is a living embodiment of Montana's calm and healing energy. Not only does he take the Clyburns' bickering in stride, he also helps Stacy retrieve her husband's truck and even becomes a quiet hero when he talks down the newly-bereaved widow from a situation that could have made things even more tragic.

Throughout it all, Canadian actor Kevin Zegers does a remarkable job of portraying a convincing cowboy. His calm and easy manner emanates from a man who's effortlessly at ease on the vast plains of Montana, to the extent that some viewers surely didn't even recognize Cade as the same kid who played basketball with a dog.

Yes, back in 1997, Zegers starred in "Air Bud." The film was directed by Charles Martin Smith, who had previously worked as an actor, most famously portraying Terry "The Toad" Fields in "American Graffiti" and its sequel. "Air Bud" was his fourth directorial effort and starred Zegers as Josh Framm, a young boy who moves to a new town following the death of his father. Doesn't sound all that dissimilar to "The Madison," does it? What Taylor Sheridan's mournful series certainly doesn't have, however, is a golden retriever who's also a basketball phenom.

In "Air Bud," Kevin Zegers' Josh Framm befriends a Golden Retriever named Buddy, who's surprisingly good at basketball. After Josh earns a spot on his school's basketball team, Buddy becomes the team mascot and even leads them to victory in the championship game. "Air Bud" grossed $23.1 million in theaters on a $3 million budget. Several sequels followed and Zegers appeared in the next three: "Air Bud: Golden Receiver," "Air Bud: World Pup," and "Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch." He departed the franchise before 2003's "Air Bud: Spikes Back."

Since then, Disney has produced multiple "Air Buddies" spin-off movies based on the original five films. Zegers wasn't involved in any of them, but he did star in a similar family comedy offering with "MVP: Most Valuable Primate," appearing opposite a hockey-playing chimp. Then, in 2005, he switched things up when he co-starred in the Oscar-nominated independent film "Transamerica," winning praise for his portrayal of the bisexual son of a trans woman.

A year later, Zegers played a supervillain in the critically derided Courteney Cox and Tim Allen-led "Zoom." That was just a blip, fortunately, as Zegers went on to appear in 2013's "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" before landing a recurring role on "Fear the Walking Dead" season 4. Eventually, in 2025, he secured another recurring role on ABC's "The Rookie," and now he's working alongside Michelle Pfeiffer in "The Madison." Indeed, almost 30 years after he proved a preternaturally-gifted canine could help ease the pain of grief, Zegers is now telling a similar story. This time, however, it's a much more serious and touching version, with Zegers embodying the kind of compassionate spirit that Stacy Clyburn and her family need more than ever.

"The Madison" is streaming on Paramount+.