The Gilded Age season 2: Release date, trailer and latest news
The Gilded Age is officially returning for season 2 – but when?
It's time to return to the Gilded Age.
The second season of Julian Fellowes’s period drama was announced just weeks into its debut run back in February 2022, and now we're just days away from returning to the streets of 1800s New York.
The early series renewal hardly came as a surprise to viewers; the drama was a huge success when it was released, with the debut episode of the series, which aired in January 2022, reported to be the network’s best Monday night debut in the ratings since the Emmy-winning Chernobyl.
"The first season of The Gilded Age is the beginning of an epic story that introduced a fascinating world full of intriguing characters," Universal Television president Erin Underhill said in a statement.
"The scope of Julian’s vision is ambitious, and we’re thrilled to continue to explore the depths of this fascinating era with HBO."
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This new season will kick off "on Easter morning 1883, with the news that Bertha Russell's bid for a box at the Academy of Music has been rejected", according to the synopsis.
While the first season followed Marian Brook's (Louisa Jacobson) journey within the titular American Gilded Age of the late-1800s, this new season is set to continue exploring the other characters' intriguing storylines also.
With a star-studded cast including Carrie Coon, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector and some fresh faces, the new season is going to be a fittingly dramatic next instalment in the series from the Downton Abbey creator.
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Read on for everything you need to know about the Gilded Age season 2.
The Gilded Age season 2 release date
It's not long to wait now for the second season of The Gilded Age, as in the UK, viewers will be watch the new series on Monday 30th October 2023 on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW.
The series will be available to watch on HBO and Max (HBO's streaming platform) in the US on Sunday 29th October 2023.
There will be eight episodes in the season, with episodes being released weekly.
Which cast members from the Gilded Age could return for season 2?
With such a star-studded cast, fans were left wondering just who could be returning for season 2 on account of how difficult it could be to find a time that would work for the entire cast's schedule.
But we have good news – a lot of the season 1 familiar faces will be making a return for season 2, with some brand new faces joining the cast as well. In fact, 11 out of the 12 season 1 regulars will be reprising their roles, with the only series regular not returning being Thomas Cocquerel who played Tom Raikes, Marian's love interest.
In fact, Deadline announced back in April 2022 that the series has expanded its cast in a big way, going from 12 to 24 series regulars.
The full cast list for The Gilded Age season 2 is as follows.
- Louisa Jacobson as Marian Brook
- Christine Baranski as Agnes van Rhijn
- Cynthia Nixon as Ada Brook
- Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell
- Morgan Spector as George Russell
- Denée Benton as Peggy Scott
- Taissa Farmiga as Gladys Russell
- Blake Ritson as Oscar van Rhijn
- Simon Jones as Bannister
- Harry Richardson as Larry Russell
- Thomas Cocquerel as Tom Raikes
- Jack Gilpin as Church
- Kelli O’Hara as Aurora Fane
- Donna Murphy as Mrs Astor
- Debra Monk as Armstrong
- Kristine Nielsen as Mrs Bauer
- Taylor Richardson as Bridget
- Ben Ahlers as Jack Trotter
- Kelley Curran as Turner
- Douglas Sills as Baudin aka Borden
- Celia Keenan-Bolger as Mrs Bruce
- Michael Cerveris as Watson
- Erin Wilhelmi as Adelheid Weber
- Patrick Page as Richard Clay
- Sullivan Jones as T Thomas Fortune
- Audra McDonald as Dorothy Scott
- Nathan Lane as Ward McAllister
- John Douglas Thompson as Arthur Scott
- Ashlie Atkinson as Mamie Fish
- Claybourne Elder as John Adams
- Ward Horton as Charles Fane
- Robert Sean Leonard as Rev Matthew Forte
- Laura Benanti as Susan Bane
- Christopher Denham as Robert McNeil
- David Furr as Dashiell Montgomery
- Ben Lamb as The Duke of Buckingham
- Matilda Lawler as Frances Montgomery
- Dakin Matthews as Mr Winterton
- Michael Braugher as Booker T Washington
- Nicole Brydon Bloom as Caroline Stuyvesant
- Rebecca Haden as Flora McNeil
What will The Gilded Age season 2 be about?
The team behind The Gilded Age started thinking about what could come next for the show’s characters before season 2 was even officially renewed.
"The truth is, we're always getting the second season ready long before we know whether it goes ahead or not," executive producer Gareth Neame told Radio Times.
"Because, you know, the moment we know we're going ahead, we have to start – the cameras have to start rolling. So you sort of have to prepare.
"So we're already underway with ideas for the second season."
Director Salli Richardson-Whitfield added that "there are all sorts of ideas and dreams" for new storylines.
Well, it looks as though there are plenty of new characters and stories to be explored in the new season, with many fans left wondering after the season 1 finale whether Marian and Mr Raikes (Thomas Cocquerel) would elope.
Seeing as Cocquerel is one of the only previous series regulars not making a return, we can expect that storyline to be resolved pretty soon into the new episodes.
According to the synopsis: "Season two of The Gilded Age begins on Easter morning 1883, with the news that Bertha Russell's bid for a box at the Academy of Music has been rejected. Through the eight episodes of the season, we watch as Bertha challenges Mrs Astor and the old system and works to not only gain a foothold in society, but to potentially take a leading role in it.
"George Russell takes on his own battle with a growing union at his steel plant in Pittsburgh. In the Brook House, Marian continues her journey to find her way in the world secretly teaching at a girls school, while, much to everyone’s surprise, Ada begins a new courtship.
Of course, Agnes approves of none of it. In Brooklyn, the Scott family begins to heal from a shocking discovery, and Peggy taps into her activist spirit through her work with T Thomas Fortune at the NY Globe."
Is there a trailer for The Gilded Age season 2?
There most certainly is! Released just a couple of weeks before the anticipated release date, the new trailer teases even more drama, steamy romance, courting, as well as class and social issues.
Watch it for yourself below.
A couple of months prior, fans were also treated to a teaser trailer which, in just one minute, gave us a taste of some of the scandals and storylines that await us in season 2, with a focus on Carrie Coon's Bertha Russell.
Watch the teaser below.
The Gilded Age season 2 is exclusively available from Monday 30th October on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW. Sign up for Sky TV here. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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