British period dramas just haven’t been the same since Downton Abbey ended in 2015, but the real heads know that the drama never stopped—it just moved to America. After wrapping up his time with the Crawley family, Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes turned his eye to the world of wealthy New Yorkers in the 1880s with The Gilded Age, which premiered on HBO in January 2022 and just received a Season 3 renewal, much to the delight of fans.
“I’m very interested in American history, which I think is very rich, and I think the Gilded Age period in many ways was a precursor of 20th century America, that the very high-gloss, high-glamour, high-consumerist America that would flower with Hollywood and all these various other aspects was really being laid and rooted in the Gilded Age, in those super-prosperous years after end of the Civil War,”
Fellowes explained to The Hollywood Reporter after the Season 1 finale in March 2022. “These [Gilded Age] people were very confident and they believed in themselves, they believed in their preeminence. You only have to go to some of the Gilded Age buildings in New York to see what these people thought of themselves, that they were giants, that they were the people of now. And all of that really led into a century that they would dominate.”
The lush series follows a mix of fictional characters (Carrie Coon’s striving Mrs. Russell) and real ones (Donna Murphy’s Mrs. Astor) as they jockey for position in New York City’s high society. While the show isn’t quite the cultural phenomenon that Downton Abbey was, it’s garnered plenty of interest on social media thanks to its dramatic plot twists, detailed costumes, and star-studded cast (which includes a shocking number of Broadway veterans).
“There is so much in history [that would work for the show],” writer Sonja Warfield told Town & Countryin November 2023, ahead of the show's Season 3 renewal. "We discovered gems for Season 2 that play into our characters' journeys, and there are so many more things we could play out if we’re lucky enough to get a third season. In season 1, we had Thomas Edison’s lights, in Season 2 we have the Tuskegee Institute, and we’ll discover what that is in Season 3.”
Is there a Season 3 of The Gilded Age?
Yes! HBO renewed the show for a third season on Dec. 21, 2023. “We’re so proud of what Julian Fellowes and The Gilded Age family have achieved," Francesca Orsi, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, said in a statement. "From the costumes to the production design and performances, the show has captivated so many week after week. Along with our partners at Universal Television, we are thrilled to continue this grand tale for a third season.”
Who is cast in Season 3 of The Gilded Age?
No casting announcements have been made for Season 3 of The Gilded Age, but it seems likely that the show’s major players would all reprise their roles.
The Gilded Age would be nothing with Carrie Coon’s Bertha Russell, the new money matron determined to break into the world of New York City high society. Before joining The Gilded Age, Coon starred in Gone Girl, The Post, Widows, Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Avengers: Infinity War. On TV, she played Nora Durst on The Leftovers from 2014 to 2017 and starred in Season 3 of Fargo. In 2024, she’s set to appear in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
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