The Gilded Age season 2 spoilers follow.
With its star-studded cast and the overflowing pot of drama continuously stirred up by old and new foes, the Carrie Coon-led period drama The Gilded Age will definitely be back for a season three.
So get ready for more of the shrewd yet politely cunning way her character Bertha manipulates high society, and also for another dose of Christine Baranski's 'tact'. The old-money-versus-new chess play never gets old.
Here's everything you need to know about The Gilded Age's upcoming third season, including some exciting new cast additions for more drama-fuelled chaos.
When is The Gilded Age season 3 on?
The Gilded Age renewal came just a few days after the period drama wrapped up its second season.
"We're so proud of what Julian Fellowes and The Gilded Age family have achieved," Francesca Orsi, HBO's Programming EVP and head of HBO Drama Series and Films, said in a statement to Variety.
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"From the costumes to the production design and performances, the show has captivated so many week after week. Along with our partners at Universal Television, we are thrilled to continue this grand tale for a third season."
The Gilded Age season one aired in late January 2022, then fans were treated to a second instalment over a year later in October 2023.
If the show follows the same production schedule, fans could be in for quite a wait for season three: summer 2025 to be more precise.
We now know that the third season is in production and show creator Julian Fellowes has even answered questions about what fans of the show can expect, albeit in oblique terms.
He described the Gilded Age — as a period, not the show itself — as "very mixed", during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
"There were all these tremendous businesses and banks — all before there were rules governing them. It was a complete free-for-all. What I like to emphasise is that behind the ballrooms and the clothes and the carriages, these giant men with these enormous egos were doing things," Fellowes said.
"They didn’t share our generation’s sentimental view. We like to spend about half of our day in tears for everyone having a terrible time. There is something about their braggadocio that I find rather appealing. It doesn’t mean I’m like them." So he's definitely not lifting the lid on specific plot details just yet.
The Gilded Age season 3 cast: Who will be coming back?
The Gilded Age wouldn't be the same without Carrie Coon's Bertha and the rest of the Russell clan, which means we'll almost certainly see her return along with the following members of her family:
• Morgan Spector as George Russell
• Taissa Farmiga as Miss Gladys Russell
• Harry Richardson as Larry Russell
Bertha's Duke of Buckingham (or should we say Gladys' *wink*) is predicted to return, so we imagine Ben Lamb would reprise the role.
We'll also likely see the return of Bertha's high-society foe and former maid Enid Winterton (neé Turner), played by Kelley Curran and her husband Joshua Winterton (Dakin Matthews).
We also expect the following stars to reprise their roles:
• Denée Benton as Peggy Scott
• Cynthia Nixon as Mrs Ada Brook
• Blake Ritson as Oscar van Rhijn
• Ben Ahlers as Jack Treacher
• Taylor Richardson as Bridget
• Kelli O'Hara as Aurora Fane
We're unlikely to see David Furr or Matilda Lawler reprise the roles of Dashiell and Frances Montgomery respectively, given that Marian called off her engagement with Dashiell.
Beyond that, there's a new high-society family in town: the Kirklands. Phylicia Rashad (The Beekeeper) is joining as Elizabeth Kirkland, who has been described as a woman with "high standards" and a "sharp tongue", according to Vulture.
She will be joined by William Kirkland, played by Charmed’s Jordan Donica as well as Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell as his father Frederick Kirkland. The new cast additions are rounded out with another musical theatre star in Victoria Clark, who will play Joan Carlton, a woman coming from old money who finds "herself in a complicated and insulting situation". Intriguing.
The Gilded Age season 3 plot: What will happen?
Things will undoubtedly become heated once Gladys discovers that her mother has brokered a marriage deal for her with the Duke – allegedly. Bertha hasn't officially confirmed this, but all signs are pointing that way.
The building friction between mother and daughter could form the basis of the Russells' season three arc extending into Bertha's control over son Larry's life, too.
It's no secret that Bertha has a lot of sway in how they live their lives, who they date and what social activities and jobs they partake in. But the Duke may turn out to be the straw that broke the camel's back.
The Van Rhijns are also in for a bit of a shake-up now that Ada is in control of the family finances — albeit under her married name of Forte.
The proud Agnes will definitely struggle in the submissive role, and having to answer to Ada is likely to cause more resentment towards her son Oscar, who lost their own fortune.
We can envisage a world where Oscar employs desperate measures to recoup or rebuild the Van Rhijn estate.
Speaking of desperate, we're desperately hoping the show stops fumbling the ball with Peggy's narrative.
The trauma in season one of thinking her son was dead, then later on finding out that he was alive only to very quickly discover he had died more recently at the start of season two was painfully frustrating to watch, and honestly just needless.
As if that weren't bad enough she was thrown into a futureless near-romance with a married man, which resulted in her quitting her job in the end. It's enough – justice for Peggy. Season three, please do better.
Still, if writer and executive producer Sonja Warfield is to be believed (and there's absolutely no reason she shouldn't be), there is hope for a brighter future for Peggy (via Entertainment Weekly).
"In that time period, a lot of women were writing serialized stories for newspapers, so Peggy's done some of that too. There's versatility in her writing and in her work. Listen, Fortune is great, but he's a bad influence. He drinks a little bit; he's married. Peggy has a whole future ahead of her anywhere she wants to be. So I'm excited for her."
But will she be able to keep away from Fortune? "We shall see. He is pretty cute."
Following her break-up with Dashiell, Marian and Larry Russell finally kissed. But how far will this romance go when their respective families have been at odds since the very beginning?
Circling back round to the Russells again, their former lady's maid turned aristocrat, Enid Winterton, will no doubt still be livid about the Russells tricking her out of the centre box at the Metropolitan opera house.
Imagine her ire when it's confirmed that Mrs Russell was the one who'd informed Mrs Astor of her humble beginnings, thus losing her a box at the Academy of Music.
Mrs Winterton has been on the back foot compared to Mrs Russell for two seasons now. At some point, the tables are bound to turn and season three is ripe for this. With Mrs Russell now at the top, she has everything to lose. What better time to strike?
As for whether season three would cover the fight for the right to vote, which would diversify the cast, executive producer and writer Sonja Warfield has said probably not yet.
"The thing about women's suffrage was, at some of the protests or whatever, Black women weren't not allowed," Warfield told TV Insider. "In terms of the timeline, I don't think we're quite there yet. Our historians will let us know. I work really closely with Dr Erica Dunbar, and so she always informs me.
"Usually Julian [Fellowes, fellow executive producer and writer] and I have discussions about what we would like to do with the characters, and we talk to Erica, and then she will give us some of that background and history. And if it works out, it works out.
"So we shall see. Those are things that we hopefully will get to explore."
The Gilded Age season 3 trailer: When can I watch it?
Sadly not any time soon, but we'll keep you in the loop as soon as first-look photos and early trailers arrive.
The Gilded Age season 1 and 2 are available to stream now on NOW and Sky Atlantic in the UK and Max in the US.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
