Everything you need to know about The Gilded Age
The Gilded Age tells the story of Marian Brook, a young lady trying to find her feet in New York’s high society. But in 1882, money might earn you status, but to the ‘old money’ types, you’re still going to have to fight for your seat at the table.
On the Upper East Side of Manhattan, a social war arises with the ‘new money’ Russell family and their neighbours, the old money Van Rhijn-Brooks.
Marian’s life is forever changed as she moves in with her estranged aunt, showing her a life she’s never known - one where riches abound.
In a period of massive economic and social change, nothing is certain, with huge fortunes made and lost as Marian gets sucked into the world and needs to make a choice between following society’s rules or making up her own.
The series covers topics including class wars, hiding homosexuality in a world that bans it, African-American upper class, domestic workers and womens’ rights.
Season three launched in June 2025, and consists of eight episodes.
Watch the trailer
Who stars in The Gilded Age?
The cast is a star-studded ensemble, and consists of:
Carrie Coon (Gone Girl, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) as Bertha Russell
Morgan Spector (The Plot Against America, Homeland) as George Russell
Newcomer Louisa Jacobson as Marian Brook
Denée Benton (UnREAL, Our Friend) as Peggy Scott
Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story, The Bling Ring) as Gladys Russell
Harry Richardson (Poldark, Total Control) as Larry Russell
Blake Ritson (The Crown, The Sandman) as Oscar van Rhijn
Simon Jones (Brideshead Revisited, Oz) as Mr. Alfred Bannister
Jack Gilpin (Billions, Succession) as Mr. Church
Cynthia Nixon (Sex And The City, Ratched) as Ada Forte (née Brook)
Christine Baranski (Chicago, Mamma Mia!) as Agnes van Rhijn (née Brook)
Ben Ahlers (When The Lights Go On) as John "Jack" Trotter
Debra Monk (New Amsterdam, American Horror Story) as Mrs. Armstrong
Kelli O'Hara (13 Reasons Why, The Accidental Wolf) as Aurora Fane
Taylor Richardson (The Time Traveller’s Wife, American Horror Story) as Bridget
Celia Keenan-Bolger (The Visit, The Accidental Wolf) as Mrs. Bruce
Patrick Page (Schmigadoon!, Spirited) as Richard Clay
New additions for season three include:
Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show, The Beekeeper) as Mrs. Elizabeth Kirkland
Brian Stokes Mitchell (Trapper John M.D., Fam) as Black pastor Frederick Kirkland
Jordan Donica (Charmed, Blue Bloods) as Dr. William Kirkland
Victoria Clark (Almost Family, The Blacklist) as Joan Carlton
How many episodes of The Gilded Age are there?
There are currently three available seasons of The Gilded Age.
Season one consisted of nine episodes, while seasons two and three run for eight episodes apiece, totalling 25 episodes.
How successful was The Gilded Age and what awards did it win?
The Gilded Age has received wide viewer acclaim over the course of the first two seasons.
To date, the show has been nominated for 59 awards, winning five.
Widely, the period accurate costuming has been one of the largely praised aspects of the show, with cast members Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Cynthia Nixon, and Christine Baranski earning particular recognition.
Nominations include:
One Primetime Emmy (winning for production design)
Two Satellite Awards
One Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award for best ensemble in a drama series
What is the age rating of The Gilded Age?
The Gilded Age’s official rating in the UK, as certified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), is 15 for the complete run.
This means scenes may not be suitable for a younger audience.
Reasons for the rating include:
Occasional nudity
Implied sexual scenes
References that imply incest
Scenes depicting suicide
Occasional depictions of blood
Scenes of racism
How to watch The Gilded Age in the UK
The Gilded Age seasons 1-3 are available in full on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
Sky is the exclusive home of The Gilded Age in the United Kingdom, with HBO distributing the show in the United States.
Will I still be able to watch The Gilded Age on Sky with HBO Max launching?
Yes!
If you’re already a Sky subscriber, you will get complete continuity of the service at no extra cost via the Max app. The new deal means Sky and NOW customers benefit from more content through bundled access to the streaming service that will exclusively feature new HBO Original and Max Original shows and more.
And in the case of The Gilded Age and a range of other series, as part of Sky’s new deal with HBO, customers will continue to find shows such as House of the Dragon, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us, and any new series aired before the end of 2025, on Sky Atlantic and through Sky’s On Demand service.
Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios and chief content officer of Sky, said: “What’s really good about the deal that we struck is that if you’re a Sky subscriber, at no additional cost, you will have access to the Max app within your Sky platform. So if you’re already a Sky subscriber, you have complete continuity of service. Actually, you probably have more because Max will have more content than what we have today with the HBO shows and the Warner Bros. films.
“It’s going to be completely seamless for those customers, so you’ll have a really rich experience, and that’s at no additional cost.
“Any show that we’ve had historically on our channels you’ll continue to get on the channels, including future seasons of The Last of Us and The White Lotus.”
And what about NOW TV?
In addition, NOW UK and Ireland Entertainment members will also receive bundled access to the ad-supported version of Max, seamlessly integrated into the NOW experience alongside other premium content. They will also continue to get the existing series which were available on Sky as part of their subscription.