After some teasing, 'The Gilded Age' will be back for a Season 3.
Looks like "The Gilded Age" will return for a third season after all.
The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported Dec. 21 that the period drama from "Downton Abbey" creator Julian Fellowes has been picked up for a third season by HBO. Local fans of the show know that locations throughout Newport figure prominently in the "The Gilded Age," from the International Tennis Hall of Fame to Chateau-sur-Mer to Marble House.
Fate of 'The Gilded Age' was left up in the air after finale
Fans were left hanging after the Dec. 17 season finale. An email was sent to subscribers of its streaming service, Max, hyping the TV show's "Grand Finale."
That wording raised some eyebrows. The second season of "The Gilded Age" had been announced while Season 1 was still airing new episodes. And ratings for Season 2 dropped from Season 1's hit heights, while also noting that it was one of HBO's most-watched shows this fall.
"The Gilded Age" was filmed in part in Newport. The show doesn't just put a spotlight on Newport's beautiful backdrops, but it comes together with the help of hundreds of locals, from extras to electricians, carpenters to caterers. The show helped create 1,200 local jobs and worked with 500 local businesses.
Rhode Island reacts to renewal
In a Facebook post, the Preservation Society of Newport County, thanked all "who advocated for another season!!"
The announcement was also welcomed with excitement in a post from Steven Feinberg, executive director of the Rhode Television and Film Office, who declared "Rhode Island Film works!"
More: How an army of Rhode Islanders helps bring HBO's 'The Gilded Age' to life
What should 'The Gilded Age' fans expect for Season 3?
Showrunners had said they were ready to go ahead with more tales of New York and Newport intrigue.
The Season 2 finale included a hint at a new romance, between Larry (Harry Richardson), son of railroad magnate George Russell and his social-climbing wife, Bertha, and Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson), who had just ended her engagement to Dashiell Montgomery (David Furr).
The relationship between sisters Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and Ada Brook Forte (Cynthia Nixon) does a flip-flop, as Ada inherits the considerable fortune of her late husband, and Agnes discovers that her son was conned out of most of the van Rhijn money.
No word yet on when Season 3 will air.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: The Gilded Age renewed for Season 3 on HBO. Here's what to know.
