'The Gilded Age' Dramtically Unveils The Season 3 Trailer

As everyone has probably heard by now, the slow pivot by Warner Bros. Discovery back to where everything was before CEO David Zaslav started going full DOGE on it culminated in May 2025 with the announcement that the streaming service that was once called HBO Max before dropping "the prestige branding" would restore the premium channel's name to the app. It was the final embarrassment for Zaslav, who had attempted to cancel anything and everything perceived as diverse since taking over the company in 2022, foreshadowing the government's attempt to do the same in 2025. However, one show has managed to escape his hammer so far: The Gilded Age, which debuts its third season in June.

If The Gilded Age turning up as a summer show feels a bit odd, it should. The series has had a winter debut for its first two outings, and the images from the premiere suggest that the producers expected the same again, with pictures of a snow-covered 1880s New York City. However, the reason for the move is a savvy one. Most June premieres are series that networks assume haven't a prayer of an awards play, hence placing them after the eligibility window closes for the previous one. However, recently, there has been a trend to drop the new season of whatever hit show is up for nominations from the prior year to put it top of mind with critics. 

That seems to be the hope for The Gilded Age. HBO executive Casey Bloys barely managed to renew the series by the skin of his teeth, and it looks as if he's hoping hardware (even if it's just for the hats) will help make Season 4 a reality. Will Zaslav have been humiliated enough to butt out of the process? Fans can only hope.

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.

One reason why the trailer feels like it's bursting at the seams is that the show is bursting at the seams trying to contain all of the characters therein, with 50 characters. (Please feel free to count, I did!) 

Carrie Coon (Bertha), Morgan Spector (George), Harry Richardson (Larry), and Taissa Farmiga (Gladys) make up the upstairs family of the Russell household. Their staff 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 (Bertha's former maid, now Mrs. Enid Winterton) also returns. 

The Scott Family, usually in Brooklyn but transferring to Newport this season, features Denée Benton (Peggy), Audra McDonald (Dorothy), and John Douglas Thompson (Arthur). Their staff continues to be mainly comprised of their housekeeper, played by Sandra Caldwell (Ms Ellen).

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 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 premieres Sunday, June 22, 2025, on HBO and Max, and will stream one episode a week on Sundays through mid-August.