We finally have first looks at ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 2, plus a trailer — here’s what you can expect from the new season
After what feels like an eternity of waiting, a glimpse into “The Gilded Age” Season 2 is finally here. Vanity Fair dropped exclusive first looks and information into the newest season.
The series — created and written by “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes — follows the elite society of New York’s Gilded Age, both old money and new. It follows the new monied Russells (likely based on the Vanderbilts) as they attempt to get in the good graces of very old money families of New York, like the Astor family.
Here’s everything we know about “The Gilded Age” Season 2 — plus a trailer and a premiere date.
When does ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 2 come out?
According to Vanity Fair, “The Gilded Age” Season 2 — which will be “operatic” and “will amp up the stakes” — premieres on Oct. 29.
What will ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 2 be about?
According to executive producer David Crockett, much of “The Gilded Age” Season 2 drama will be wrapped around two famous and real-life opera houses: the Academy of Music and the newest Metropolitan Opera.
“The whole thread of (Season 2) is wrapped around this story of dueling opera houses,” Crockett told Vanity Fair. “The opening nights of the 1883 season—and the first ever opening night of the Met — fell on the same night. So you have this very clear choice for all of New York society: Are you going to go the old money route, or the new money route? It’s a great engine for a classic clash.”
While it looks like Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) is finally being accepted by New York society, she’s still got a bone to pick with the wealthy, old-money families. Unsurprisingly, she’s one of the main players at the center of it all.
Related
In an earlier episode of “The Gilded Age” Season 2, Bertha says, according to Vanity Fair, “The opera is where society puts itself on display, where the elite meet each other and their children court each other and where the wheels of society turn.”
Premiering October 29 on @HBO, Cynthia Nixon, Christine Baranski, and Denée Benton return for a new season of #TheGildedAge that amps up the stakes, along with lavish production design.
??: https://t.co/6IIK7uJbGw pic.twitter.com/bs84xV13yQ— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) August 23, 2023
According to executive producer Michael Engler, Season 2 will lean into the moral ambiguity of the rich and elite of New York society. As Vanity Fair puts it, “should we really be fawning over such blithe plutocrats?”
“They have moral choices,” Engler said, speaking of the show’s wealthy characters. “As you watch them make (those choices), that’s how you determine their moral character and value. It’s not, We love the rich and we love watching them, so we don’t really care how they act. You see what it takes and what it costs people to behave a certain way.”
According to Vanity Fair, “The Gilded Age” Season 2 will also expand more on Black society — specifically, Peggy’s home of Brooklyn. We’ll see her navigate the politics and social climate around her, as she continues to work for the wealthy Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski).
Fans might be disappointed to hear no news on Marian Brook’s (Louisa Jacobson) love life — which was a pillar of “The Gilded Age” Season 1 — but we might see Ada (Cynthia Nixon) getting a love interest, according to Vanity Fair. Fans will have to wait to see if romance between Marian and Larry Russell will blossom, as was very subtly hinted at the end of Season 1.
“The Gilded Age” Season 2 is expected to show some new faces, too. “House” actor Robert Sean Leonard will be joining the cast as Rev. Matthew Forte, “a jovial, congenial man” from Boston, according to Deadline. Tony-award winning actress Laura Benanti also joins this season’s cast, among many others.
Related
According to Vanity Fair, “With its intricate environments — careful mixes of practical sets, real locations, and digital effects — and a sprawling cast of ornately costumed characters, ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 2 promises to deliver on the period grandeur so beloved by fans.”
Where can I watch ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 2?
You can watch all nine episodes of “The Gilded Age” Season 1 — plus Season 2, when it comes out on Oct. 29 — on Max.
