The Gilded Age has captured the hearts of viewers with its grandeur and delicious drama. Over the course of season 2, the HBO series blessed us with plenty of gasps, betrayals, and backstabbing — over opera, nonetheless! Now that season 2 has concluded, inquiring minds want to know about season 3. Just days after the season 2 finale, we now have an answer.
Is there going to be a season 3 of The Gilded Age? Will Marian and Larry finally get together? Will Bertha reign supreme against her old money enemies? Hollywood Life has gathered up all the latest updates about the fate of the HBO show.
Will There Be a Third Season of ‘The Gilded Age?’
The Gilded Age has been renewed for season 3. HBO announced that the show would be returning for a third season on December 21 just 5 days after the season 2 finale aired on December 17.
Morgan Spector shared the exciting renewal video on his Instagram and wrote, “We love making this show, so happy we get to do it again. Thank you all for watching.”
“We’re so proud of what Julian Fellowes and The Gilded Age family have achieved. 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,” Francesca Orsi, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, said in a statement.
Erin Underhill, President of Universal Television, added: “There is much more story to tell with The Gilded Age. We’re delighted that HBO is giving fans another season of Julian Fellowes’ incredible storytelling. The cast and crew put so much of their heart and soul into the last two seasons, and we’re so proud that all this hard work is paying off with another season… you won’t want to miss what’s next!”
The first season premiered in January 2022, and HBO renewed The Gilded Age for season 2 a month later in February. Season 2 didn’t premiere until October 2023.
The Gilded Age writer Sonja Warfield was hopeful ahead of the renewal that the show would return for a third season. “We discovered gems for season 2 that play into our characters’ journeys, and there are so many more things we could play out if we’re lucky enough to get a third season,” she told Town & Country. “In season 1, we had Thomas Edison’s lights, in season two we have the Tuskegee Institute, and we’ll discover what that is in season 3.”
‘The Gilded Age’ Season 3 Premiere Date
Even though The Gilded Age has been renewed for season 3, there’s not a third season premiere date just yet. There was a 19-month gap between the end of season 1 and the beginning of season 2. The season 1 finale aired in March 2022, and season 2 didn’t premiere until October 2023. It’s likely that the series won’t return until 2025.
‘The Gilded Age’ Season 3 Cast
The main cast of The Gilded Age is expected to return for season 3. This includes Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell, Morgan Spector as George Russell, Louisa Jacobson as Marian Brook, Harry Richardson as Larry Russell, Denée Benton as Peggy Scott, Taissa Farmiga as Gladys Russell, Blake Ritson as Oscar van Rhijn, Cynthia Nixon as Ada Forte, Christine Baranski as Agnes van Rhijn, Ben Ahlers as Jack Trotter, Donna Murphy as Caroline Astor, Debra Monk as Mrs. Armstrong, Kelli O’Hara as Aurora Fane, Jack Gilpin as Mr. Church, and more.
The series has featured incredible recurring stars like Audra McDonald, Nathan Lane, Laura Benanti, and Robert Sean Leonard. The Gilded Age will definitely bring in more notable names in the third season.
When Is ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 2 Finale?
The Gilded Age season 2 finale aired on December 17, 2023. The finale was titled “In Terms of Winning and Losing.” The second season consisted of 8 episodes.
Ahead of the finale, Morgan shared behind-the-scenes videos and photos from when the cast filmed season 2. “We worked on this for so long and then it didn’t come out forever. I can’t believe this is already the season finale. Thank you for watching, I hope you had as much as we did,” he wrote on Instagram.
What Happened at the End of ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 2?
The Gilded Age season 2 finale was full of jaw-dropping moments. Bertha finally got her big win in the opera war with Mrs. Astor after the Duke of Buckingham ultimately chose the Met over The Academy.
However, Bertha crossed a line by promising her own daughter Gladys to Duke of Buckingham to get this win. Morgan responded to the twist and hinted at a season 3. “I just find it very disturbing, because I think in the next season, we’re going to go to war basically over this. I guess I’m hoping that Gladys [Taissa Farmiga] actually likes the duke,” he told Variety.
Meanwhile, Marian broke off her engagement with Dashiell. After a marvelous night at the Met, Marian and Larry shared a sweet kiss. “Back then everything was very chaste. You didn’t really kiss somebody; you shook hands or something like that. So, I really did want Marian and Larry to kiss and asked Julian [Fellowes] if they could please kiss at the end of the season. He granted me my wish,” Sonja told EW.
Louisa revealed to Variety why Marian and Larry are drawn to one another. “She sees a similarity. Larry is also artistically minded and has this interest in architecture,” she said. “He wants to pave his own path. He doesn’t just want to follow in a family business. He’s sort of a free spirit. There’s an equality of interests there that’s really attractive to Marian.”
The final twist came in the episode’s final moments. Ada revealed to Agnes, Marian, and Oscar that Luke left behind a letter for her in his will. She was named the sole heir of his estate. His grandfather made a fortune in textiles, so she’s now come into a great deal of money. After Oscar lost the family fortune, the Van Rhijns were preparing to sell their home. Now, nothing will change — but the power dynamics in the Van Rhijn household certainly have.