HBO drama series The Gilded Age has been renewed for a second season, it was announced today from the Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour. From creator Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey), HBO’s The Gilded Age debuted on January 24, with episodes currently streaming on HBO Max.
The nine-episode drama series stars an ensemble cast of Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Taissa Farmiga, Blake Ritson, Simon Jones, Harry Richardson, Thomas Cocquerel, Jack Gilpin, with Cynthia Nixon and Christine Baranski. The season one finale will air on March 21.
The American Gilded Age was a period of immense economic change, of great conflict between the old ways and brand-new systems, and of huge fortunes made and lost.
Against the backdrop of this transformation, HBO’s The Gilded Age begins in 1882 with young Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) moving from rural Pennsylvania to New York City after the death of her father to live with her thoroughly old money aunts Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon).
Accompanied by Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), an aspiring writer seeking a fresh start, Marian inadvertently becomes enmeshed in a social war between one of her aunts, a scion of the old money set, and her stupendously rich neighbors, a ruthless railroad tycoon and his ambitious wife, George (Morgan Spector) and Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon).
Exposed to a world on the brink of the modern age, will Marian follow the established rules of society or forge her own path?
The series cast includes Ben Ahlers, Michael Cerveris, Kelley Curran, Claybourne Elder, Linda Emond, Katie Finneran, Amy Forsyth, Michel Gill, Ward Horton, Bill Irwin, Sullivan Jones, and Celia Keenan-Bolger.
Also on board are Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Kelli O’Hara, Patrick Page, Taylor Richardson, Douglas Sills, John Douglas Thompson, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Erin Wilhelmi.
The first episode of The Gilded Age premiered as HBO’s best Monday night debut since Chernobyl.
“Julian Fellowes and the entire Gilded Age family have thoroughly captivated us with their tale of late 19th century New York City extravagance,” said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President of HBO Programming.
She added: “Along with our partners at Universal Television, we couldn’t be prouder to embark on a season two journey with this extraordinarily talented team.”
“The first season of The Gilded Age is the beginning of an epic story that introduced a fascinating world full of intriguing characters,” added Erin Underhill, President of Universal Television.
“The scope of Julian’s vision is ambitious, and we’re thrilled to continue to explore the depths of this fascinating era with HBO.”
The series is a co-production between HBO and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills in 2018 to cover the latest news on streaming, movies, TV, and video games.