'The Gilded Age' Season 2 Finally Gets a Release Date
The Gilded Age, Max’s period drama set in late 19th-century New York, will return for a second season of opulence and overindulgence this fall.
The first season focused on tensions between socially established “old money” families—represented by matriarch Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and her sister Ada (Cynthia Nixon)—and “new money” entrepreneurs, represented by George Russell (Morgan Spencer) and his socially ambitious wife, Bertha (Carrie Coon). Their conflicting ideologies are viewed primarily through the eyes of Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson), a young and naive woman who comes to live with her aunts, Agnes and Ada, after the death of her father).
Another thoroughly riveting storyline concerns Peggy Scott (Denée Benton) forging a career in journalism as a Black woman and navigating the obstacles placed in her path due to race and sex.
What's in store for Season 2? Here is everything we know about the next installment so far.
Related: Is 'The Gilded Age' a True Story? All Your FAQs, Answered
What is The Gilded Age Season 2 release date?
The second season of The Gilded Age will premiere Oct. 29 at 9 p.m. ET.
Is The Gilded Age going to be based on a true story in Season 2?
While The Gilded Age is a fictional story, it's historically grounded in the year 1882, and the first season included several real-life figures, including Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross, and T. Thomas Fortune, the founder of African-American newspaper New York Age (renamed The Globe for the show, where Peggy gets her big break as a writer). Season 1's storyline also featured some events that actually happened, such as the climactic social event in episode 7, when Thomas Edison presented a fully illuminated New York Times building.
For now, Season 2's possible plot points haven't been revealed, but we have one prediction: In season 1, Bertha was thwarted in her attempt to buy a seat at the Academy of Music, the traditional opera venue where no more than a dozen private boxes are held by old money families. Social historian Carl Raymond tells The New York Times that attending the opera “was a social battlefield… it was about where you sat, what you were wearing—and most importantly, who saw you do it.” New money families pooled their resources to fund the construction for a bigger venue, and the Metropolitan Opera House opened at Broadway and 39th Street in 1883. Might we see Marian Brook and/or the Russells attending its premiere performance of Faust in Season 2?
Will there be a Downton Abbey/Gilded Age crossover?
Since Fellowes is at the heart of both Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age, and both series take place in the 19th century, it’s not unreasonable to ask if we might see a character or two from Downton Abbey cameo on The Gilded Age. The answer, however, is that a crossover is unlikely. As Fellowes told The Hollywood Reporter, “I never saw the series as connected because The Gilded Age starts 30 years before Downton Abbey… I’m not saying I would never have a character from Downton Abbey at some point, but these are two completely separate shows.”
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Who is in The Gilded Age Season 2 cast?
Christine Baranski as Agnes van Rhijn
Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell
Louisa Jacobson as Marian Brook
Morgan Spector as George Russell
Cynthia Nixon as Ada Brook
Denée Benton as Peggy Scott
Harry Richardson as Larry Russell
Thomas Cocquerel as Tom Raikes
Where can I watch The Gilded Age?
The first season of The Gilded Age is available to stream exclusively on Max. The second season will also air on Max.
Is there a trailer for The Gilded Age Season 2?
There isn't a full-length trailer just yet, but HBO has released an official teaser for Season 2.
