After a massive Season 1 finale, the hype for The Gilded Age Season 2 is high, and here's everything fans should know about what's next.
Created by Julian Fellowes, the hit HBO series revolves around the titular time period, aka the boom years of the 1880s in New York City. The Gilded Age Season 1 premiered on January 24, 2022.
The Gilded Age received mostly positive reviews from fans and critics, with the show receiving a 79% critic rating and a 70% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
When Is The Gilded Age Season 2 Releasing?
In February 2022, HBO, via Deadline, renewed The Gilded Age for Season 2.
Alongside the Season 2 announcement, Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President of HBO Programming, shared the following statement that expresses the studio's excitement about the show's return:
“Julian Fellowes and the entire 'Gilded Age' family have thoroughly captivated us with their tale of late 19th century New York City extravagance. Along with our partners at Universal Television, we couldn’t be prouder to embark on a season two journey with this extraordinarily talented team.”
It is unknown when The Gilded Age Season 2 will premiere on HBO, but the network did include snippets of footage from the show in HBO Max's "Coming in 2023" trailer, indicating the series will return later this year.
Meanwhile, in an interview with The Today Show in February 2023, Nathan Lane, who plays Ward McAllister, confirmed that Season 2 "won't be coming on until September," giving fans an early glimpse of its release date:
"Season 2 won’t be coming on until September… But that’s sort of like being part of a great repertory company. A lot of old friends and people I’ve loved from afar.
Considering that there is no confirmed release date yet for the show, it's possible that The Gilded Age Season 2 could premiere in September or October this year.
Who's Cast in The Gilded Age Season 2?
The Gilded Age features an astounding cast that has been praised by critics due to their incredible performances in Season 1. It is expected that most of the cast will be returning in Season 2.
Here is a list of cast members who will come back in Season 2 alongside a plethora of new faces:
- Carrie Coon - Bertha Russell
- Morgan Spector - George Russell
- Louisa Jacobson - Marian Brook
- Denée Benton - Peggy Scot
- Cynthia Nixon - Ada Brook
- Christine Baranski - Agnes van Rhijn
- Harry Richardson - Larry Russell
- Taissa Farmiga - Gladys Russell
- Blake Ritson - Oscar van Rhijn
- Simon Jones - Mr. Bannister
- Nathan Lane - Ward McAllister
- Jack Gilpin - Mr. Church
- Robert Sean Leonard - Rev. Matthew Forte
- Laura Benanti - Susan Bane
- Nicole Brydon Bloom
- Michael Braugher - Booker T. Washington
- Christopher Denham
- David Furr
- Ben Lamb
- Matilda Lawler
- Dakin Matthews
- Rebecca Haden
Who Isn't Going to Be in The Gilded Age Season 2?
While most of The Gilded Age cast is confirmed to make a comeback in Season 2, a key member of the stellar ensemble will not return.
In April 2022, Deadline shared that Season 1 series regular Thomas Cocquerel, who portrayed Tom Raikes in the series, won't be returning after the Season 1 finale proved that he was unfit to become Marian's husband.
Cocquerel's Tom Raikes served as the opportunistic young lawyer and Marian's love interest during the show's debut season.
Speaking with Deadline in March 2022, The Gilded Age co-executive producer Sonja Warfield briefly mentioned Season 1's twist that Tom Raikes was planning to marry Cisse Bingham instead of Marian Brook:
"What I will say is: trust what men do not what they say. I hope that’s Marian’s takeaway. This guy talked a big game but he wasn’t worth it."
What Will Happen in The Gilded Age Season 2?
The Gilded Age Season 2 is poised to continue to explore the ramifications of Season 1's game-changing finale.
After Tom Raikes' departure in Season 1, Marian's quest for new love continues in the sophomore season. Peggy's newfound journey along with her mother to try and find her son is also expected to be pushed to the forefront in Season 2.
The Gilded Age Season 2's full synopsis, via Digital Spy, can be seen below:
"The Gilded Age was a period of immense economic change, of huge fortunes made and lost, and of fierce rivalry between old money and new. Nowhere is that rivalry more apparent than on East 61st Street, where Marian Brook and her thoroughly old money aunts, Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook, live opposite the stupendously rich George and Bertha Russell.
The Russells are both fiercely ambitious, he financially, she socially, and they are determined to reach the highest echelons of New York. Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, Marian’s friend and confidant Peggy Scott forges her own path in the world of the Black elite. In this glittering world on the brink of the modern age, will the established rules of society prevail, or will the game change entirely?"
The Gilded Age Season 1 is streaming on Max.
