'The Gilded Age' Season 3 Will Shine in Summer

It’s no secret that The Gilded Age on HBO has not come close to replicating the success of Downton Abbey (the series that inspired it) once was on PBS. It’s not the fault of series creator Julian Fellowes (the creative force behind both shows); the landscape of TV has altered radically since 2010, when the latter show first arrived on ITV and then was picked up by Masterpiece on PBS. In the decade it took to get The Gilded Age on the air, Netflix launched the streaming wars, and the series bounced from NBC to Peacock, to Warner and HBO Max, and then to Max and HBO. Expensive and lavish, the show is far from a favorite of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who would have canned it, save for the show’s fandom.

“The gays saved it,” lead actor Carrie Coon cheerfully announced when asked about it on her press tour for The White Lotus Season 3. “Thank you, right now, you saved it. We would not have a Season 3 without you.”

One reason the show is doing so well in the LGBTQ+ community is due to Fellowes leaning into the campier aspects of New York City’s wealthy elites, whether it’s staging a hat parade on Easter as all of New York walks to church, having two jumped-up working-class white ladies verbally battling over tea in sumptuous settings to protect their newfound status, or staging an season long Opera War, a battle waged by two women, neither of whom cares a fig for the art form. Meanwhile, the series tries to keep up with the times by including an entire extra TV show’s worth of characters portraying the Black Bourgeoisie of Brooklyn, in storylines that feel incongruously serious next to the fluff and frivolity of New York and Newport. 

In short, the show is trying way too hard, and doing THEE most, while simultaneously begging you to love it. It is also apparently an employment scheme for Broadway actors to make some TV money on their days off, with a cast list that would have a musical theater audience fainting in the aisles. Damn straight this show got saved. It might not make it to Season 4, but until then, let’s revel in its glory.

Here's the Season 3 synopsis:

The American Gilded Age was a period of immense economic and social change, when empires were built, but no victory came without sacrifice. Following the Opera War, the old guard is weakened and the Russells stand poised to take their place at the head of society. Bertha sets her sights on a prize that would elevate the family to unimaginable heights while George risks everything on a gambit that could revolutionize the railroad industry — if it doesn’t ruin him first. 

Across the street, the Brook household is thrown into chaos as Agnes refuses to accept Ada’s new position as lady of the house. Peggy meets a handsome doctor from Newport whose family is less than enthusiastic about her career. As all of New York hastens toward the future, their ambition may come at the cost of what they truly hold dear.

The Season 3 cast continues to be ridiculously overstuffed. The Russell family are played by Carrie Coon (Bertha), Morgan Spector (George), Harry Richardson (Larry), and Taissa Farmiga (Gladys). The Forte-van Rhijn Household across the street includes Cynthia Nixon (Ada Forte), Christine Baranski (Agnes van Rhijn), Blake Ritson (Oscar van Rhijn), and Louisa Jacobson (Marian Brook), plus Kelli O’Hara (Aurora Fane) and Ward Horton (Charles Fane). The Scott Family in Brooklyn features Denée Benton (Peggy), Audra McDonald (Dorothy), and John Douglas Thompson (Arthur).

The staff at the Russell Household includes Jack Gilpin (Mr. Church), Celia Keenan-Bolger (Mrs. Bruce), Douglas Sills (M. Baudin), Rachel Pickup (Miss Andre), Erin Wilhelmi (Adelheid the Maid), and Patrick Page (Richard Clay). Kelley Curran (former maid turned Mrs. Enid Winterton) also returns. The staff of the Forte-van Rhijns are played by Simon Jones (Mr. Bannister), Debra Monk (Mrs. Armstrong), Kristine Nielsen (Mrs. Bauer), Ben Ahlers (Jack the Footman), and Taylor Richardson (Bridget the Maid). 

In those playing actual historical figures, Season 3 will bring back Ashlie Atkinson (Mamie Fish), Nathan Lane (Ward McAllister), Donna Murphy (Ms. Astor), Amy Forsyth (Miss Carrie Astor), Claybourne Elder (John Adams IV), and Ben Lamb (The Duke of Buckingham). 

New historical figures for Season 3 include Bill Camp (12 Years a Slave) as J.P. Morgan, LisaGay Hamilton (House of Cards) as Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Michael Cumpsty (Severance) as Lord Mildmay, Kate Baldwin (Just Beyond) as Nancy Adams Bell, Bobby Steggert (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as John Singer Sargent, and Hannah Shealy (The Rose Tattoo) as Charlotte Astor.

Season 3 will also introduce a new crop of characters, including Merritt Weaver (The Bombing of Pan Am 103) as Monica O’Brien, Bertha's sister; Hattie Morahan (Fool Me Once) as Buckingham's sister, Lady Sarah Vere; John Ellison Conlee (Boardwalk Empire) as Mr. Weston; Dylan Baker (Inside Man) as Dr. Logan; Victoria Clark (Pose) as Mrs. Joan Carlton; Paul Alexander Nolan (Instinct) as Alfred Merrick; and Andrea Martin (Evil) as Madam Dashkova, 

We'll also be introduced to a new community, the Black Bourgeois of Newport. These include the Kirklands, played by Brian Stokes Mitchell (Elementary) as Pastor Fredrick, Phylicia Rashad (Diarra from Detroit) as wife Elizabeth, and Jordan Donica (Charmed) as son Dr. William. This community also includes Jessica Frances Dukes (The Regime) as Athena Trumbo and Leslie Uggams (Fallout) as Mrs. Ernestine Brown.

Julian Fellowes is the creator and writer of The Gilded Age, with Salli Richardson-Whitfield as co-writer. Directors David Crockett and Michael Engler split helming duties with Erica Dunbar as the historical consultant. All executive produce, along with Sonja Warfield, Gareth Neame, and Bob Greenblatt. 

The Gilded Age Season 3 will debut sometime in June 2025, most likely on a Sunday, at 9 p.m. ET.