The Gilded Age
The Gilded Age
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The Gilded Age

"What's your family worth?"

7.7
Yr 2022
Status Returning Series
Drama
Your Verdict

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Series Brief

Overview

It’s 1882 and the Gilded Age is in full swing when Marian Brook, a young orphaned daughter of a Southern general, moves in with her rigidly conventional aunts in New York City. With the help of Peggy Scott, an African-American woman masquerading as her maid, Marian gets caught up in the dazzling lives of her rich neighbors as she struggles to decide between adhering to the rules or forging her own path.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 74 /100

Julian Fellowes' period drama The Gilded Age received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised its lush visual scale, exquisite costumes, and rich ensemble cast. Reviewers highlighted the show's engaging portrayal of social mobility, wealth, and high-society rivalries in 1880s New York, with many noting that the series becomes surer on its feet as it progresses and provides satisfying, fun entertainment.

However, the show drew frequent comparisons to Fellowes' earlier hit Downton Abbey, with several critics finding it a less impactful echo. Unfavorable reviews pointed to predictable plot beats, clichéd dialogue, and lower dramatic stakes, though standout performances from actors like Carrie Coon helped elevate the material into a pleasant guilty pleasure.

“Exceptional production values with stunning period costumes and sets that transport you to the Gilded Age”

“The Gilded Age has now become a series that is much surer on its feet and somehow it hits all of the (very predictable) beats that one expects while managing to keep you on the edge of your seat.”

“'The Gilded Age': HBO's take on 'Downton Abbey' is sharp and well-cast”

“Dime-Store 'Downton'”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

Crave
CA
Now TV
UK
HBO Max
US
Show 4 more
HBO Max Amazon Channel
US
Crave Amazon Channel
CA
Sky Go
UK
Spectrum On Demand
US
Why fans love it

The Gilded Age examines the volatile friction between established 19th century society and the aggressive rise of new money in New York City. The series explores the rigidity of the American class system through the lens of industrial development and evolving social standards. Each episode leans into the visual extravagance of the era, where costume design and period architecture act as primary tools for establishing status and ambition.

Carrie Coon commands the screen as a central figure navigating the complex social geography of the period. By centering both old money spinsters and modern-minded financiers, the show captures the era as a literal battlefield for power. It treats the domestic sphere as an extension of the broader financial expansions occurring outside those ornate parlor doors, keeping the focus squarely on the strategic maneuvers of a society reinventing itself.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 28
Longest run 25 eps
Carrie Coon
Carrie Coon
as Bertha Russell
25 episodes
Morgan Spector
Morgan Spector
as George Russell
25 episodes
Louisa Jacobson
Louisa Jacobson
as Marian Brook
25 episodes
Denée Benton
Denée Benton
as Peggy Scott
25 episodes
Taissa Farmiga
Taissa Farmiga
as Gladys Russell
25 episodes
Harry Richardson
Harry Richardson
as Larry Russell
25 episodes
Blake Ritson
Blake Ritson
as Oscar van Rhijn
25 episodes
Simon Jones
Simon Jones
as Alfred Bannister
25 episodes
Show 67 more
Jack Gilpin as Church 25 episodes Ben Ahlers as Jack Treacher 25 episodes Kelley Curran as Enid Turner 23 episodes Thomas Cocquerel as Tom Raikes 9 episodes Celia Keenan-Bolger as Bruce 25 episodes Michael Cerveris as Watson 15 episodes Ben Lamb as Hector Vere 12 episodes Debra Monk as Armstrong 25 episodes Kristine Nielsen as Bauer 24 episodes Kelli O'Hara as Aurora Fane 25 episodes Patrick Page as Richard Clay 24 episodes Sullivan Jones as Thomas Fortune 11 episodes Taylor Richardson as Bridget 25 episodes Douglas Sills as Monsieur Baudin 24 episodes Donna Murphy as Lina Astor 19 episodes John Douglas Thompson as Arthur Scott 19 episodes Erin Wilhelmi as Adelheid Weber 21 episodes Cynthia Nixon as Ada Brook 25 episodes Christine Baranski as Agnes van Rhijn 25 episodes Audra McDonald as Dorothy Scott 17 episodes Ashlie Atkinson as Mamie Fish 14 episodes Claybourne Elder as John Adams 12 episodes John Sanders as Stanford White 3 episodes Zuzanna Szadkowski as Mabel Ainsley 5 episodes Jeanne Tripplehorn as Sylvia Chamberlain 6 episodes Katie Finneran as Anne Morris 6 episodes Amy Forsyth as Carrie Astor 11 episodes Craig Geraghty as Griffin 3 episodes Michel Gill as Patrick Morris 2 episodes Brooke Bloom as Miss Grant 2 episodes Linda Emond as Clara Barton 3 episodes Ward Horton as Charles Fane 16 episodes Rebecca Haden as Flora McNeil 5 episodes Sandra Caldwell as Ellen 3 episodes Nick Ziobro as McNeil Footman 2 episodes Nathan Lane as Ward McAllister 13 episodes Brian Keane as Brand 2 episodes Katherine Romans as Cissie Bingham 2 episodes Henry Stram as Lewis 2 episodes James Clow as Chamberlain House Butler 2 episodes Kylie Victoria Edwards as Angela Schermerhorn 2 episodes Melanie Moore as Sally Drexel 2 episodes William Ryall as Mr. Hefty 8 episodes Robert Sean Leonard as Matthew Forte 7 episodes Christopher Denham as Robert McNeil 4 episodes David Furr as Dashiell Montgomery 8 episodes Matilda Lawler as Frances Montgomery 6 episodes Jeremy Shamos as Mr. Gilbert 5 episodes Laura Benanti as Susan Blane 3 episodes Nicole Brydon Bloom as Maud Beaton 7 episodes Dakin Matthews as Joshua Winterton 4 episodes Darren Goldstein as Henderson 3 episodes Ben Van Bergen as Mrs. Fish 's Newport Butler 3 episodes Melanie Nicholls-King as Sarah J. Garnet 3 episodes Matt Walker as Billy Carlton 3 episodes Bill Camp as JP Morgan 4 episodes Jessica Frances Dukes as Athena Trumbo 3 episodes LisaGay Hamilton as Frances Ellen Watkins Harper 3 episodes Andrea Martin as Madame Dashkova 4 episodes Brian Stokes Mitchell as Frederick Kirkland 3 episodes Paul Alexander Nolan as Alfred Merrick 4 episodes Phylicia Rashād as Elizabeth Kirkland 5 episodes Jordan Donica as William Kirkland 7 episodes Rachel Pickup as Miss André 8 episodes Hattie Morahan as Sarah Vere 5 episodes Hannah Shealy as Charlotte Astor 4 episodes Danny Wolohan as Brinkley 3 episodes
Production Board

Crew

Editor
William Henry Colleen Sharp
Director
Michael Engler Crystle Roberson Dorsey
Executive Producer
Michael Engler David Crockett Sonja Warfield Julian Fellowes
Property Master
Michael Jortner Julia Dent
Unit Production Manager
Michael Pitt Holly S. Rymon
Supervising Art Director
Laura Ballinger
Consulting Producer
Elaine Aronson
Compositing Supervisor
Victor Rivas Alvarez
Set Decoration
Lisa Scoppa Regina Graves
Producer
Claire Shanley Luke Harlan
Casting
Bernard Telsey Adam Caldwell
Production Design
Bob Shaw
Casting Associate
Kristian Charbonier
Co-Executive Producer
Erica Armstrong Dunbar
First Assistant Director
Amy Lauritsen
Original Music Composer
Rupert Gregson-Williams
Director of Photography
Vanja Černjul
Stunt Coordinator
Wadi Jones
Creator
Julian Fellowes
Writer
Julian Fellowes
Signal Match

Similarity

Where The Gilded Age overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

new york city period drama high society financier spinsters costume drama upstairs downstairs 19th century class system railroad builder social and industrial development new money awestruck old money new york city history american gilded age african american progress
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
January 24, 2022
Status
Returning Series
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
268