“We’re so proud of what Julian Fellowes and The Gilded Age family have achieved, said Francesca Orsi, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films. “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.”
With a strong performance and a Production Design Emmy winning season one, The Gilded Age passed a tough test to earn a renewal.
In May Orsi revealed that the network was “having conversations regarding viewership relative to budget” while “assessing” several series, including sophomores Perry Mason, Winning Time, and The Gilded Age. “Each show has a job to do, given the price tag that we give to it, and there’s a viewership. component, and there’s a critical response element to it and, of course, the buzz nature of a show,” she said at the time. “It’s those elements that we are always keeping in mind and discussing relative to whether or not a show will continue.”
Perry Mason (2020) and Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty were each subsequently canceled after two seasons. The Gilded Age significantly surpassed both in ratings and is among the most watched series for HBO.
Season two of The Gilded Age opens on Easter morning 1883, with the news that Bertha Russell's bid for a box at the Academy of Music has been rejected. In the eight episodes of the season we see how Bertha Mrs. Astor challenges the old system and tries to not only gain a foothold in society, but possibly play a leading role in it.
George Russell faces his own battle with a growing union at his Pittsburgh steel mill. At Brook House, Marian continues her journey to make her way in the world by secretly teaching at an all-girls school, while Ada, to everyone's surprise, begins a new courtship. Of course Agnes doesn't like all that. In Brooklyn, the Scott family begins to recover from a shocking discovery and Peggy taps into her activist spirit through her work with T. Thomas Fortune at the New York Globe.
The season two cast includes Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Ben Ahlers, Michael Cerveris, Kelley Curran, Taissa Farmiga, Jack Gilpin, Simon Jones, Sullivan Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger , Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Kelli O'Hara, Patrick Page, Harry Richardson, Taylor Richardson, Blake Ritson, Douglas Sills, Erin Wilhelmi, Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, John Douglas Thompson, Ashlie Atkinson, Laura Benanti, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Christopher Denham, David Furr, Ward Horton, Matilda Lawler and Robert Sean Leonard.
Fellowes is the creator, writer and executive producer. Gareth Neame produces alongside David Crockett, who directs. Michael Engler, Bob Greenblatt and Salli Richardson-Whitfield exec produce. Sonja Warfield is writer/executive producer. The Gilded Age is a co-production of HBO and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
“There is much more story to tell with The Gilded Age. We’re delighted that HBO is giving fans another season of Julian Fellowes’ incredible storytelling,” said Erin Underhill, President, Universal Television. “The cast and crew put so much of their heart and soul into the last two seasons, and we’re so proud that all this hard work is paying off with another season…you won’t want to miss what’s next!”
