Back to the 19th century we go! HBO has renewed prestige period drama The Gilded Age, from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, for a second season.
On February 14, 2022, HBO announced the renewal, which is currently in the midst of airing its nine-episode first season. The series stars veteran actors Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, and Carrie Coon, as well as breakout newcomers Louisa Jacobson and Denée Benton.
“Julian Fellowes and the entire Gilded Age family have captivated us with their tale of late 19th-century New York City extravagance,” executive vice president of HBO programming Francesca Orsi said in a statement. “Along with our partners at Universal Television, we couldn’t be prouder to embark on a season-two journey with this extraordinarily talented team.”
On May 16, HBO announced the series was back in production for the second season with this behind-the-scenes photo of Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector (who star as Bertha and George Russell) in all their regalia.
Here’s everything else we know, and we’ll continue to update this post as more information becomes available.
What is The Gilded Age about?
Per HBO, “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?”
