What We Know So Far About ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 3

The Gilded Age Season 2 ended with a crescendo of opera, romance, and triumph. Larry Russell (Harry Richardson) finally kissed Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson)! Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) got her opera box! Ada Forte (Cynthia Nixon) discovered that her nice dead husband was secretly loaded! Incredible! So what comes next? Is HBO making The Gilded Age Season 3? When will the third season of The Gilded Age come out on HBO and Max? Which real life historic figures will rub elbows with the cast of The Gilded Age next? Will Grover Cleveland make an appearance? Will Julian Fellowes tackle the Earthquake of 1884?

The strange truth of it is we actually know quite a bit about The Gilded Age Season 3. Besides the fact that the series has gone out of its way to tease that Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga) is going to marry the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb), the show’s co-writers and co-executive producers Julian Fellowes and Sonja Warfield have spoken at length about stories and topics they want to cover.

Even better? We now have official confirmation that Julian Fellowes and company will be allowed to bring these plans to fruition! Here’s everything we know about The Gilded Age Season 3…

Is The Gilded Age Renewed for Season 3? Will There be a The Gilded Age Season 3 on HBO and Max?

Yes! Yes, there will be a The Gilded Age Season 3! Late on December 21, 2023, HBO announced that there will indeed be a third season of The Gilded Age. Hallelujah! Let the trumpets sound!

When Will The Gilded Age Season 3 Premiere on HBO and Max?

Probably not for a while! We likely won’t see The Gilded Age Season 3 until at least 2025. In the past, it’s taken about two years for Fellowes and company to turn around a full season of the show. Furthermore, HBO has already teased its 2024 slate and The Gilded Age isn’t on it.

What Will The Gilded Age Season 3 Be About?

The good news is we already have some idea of what The Gilded Age Season 3 will be about. The Gilded Age co-writer and co-executive producer Sonja Warfield told Decider that if they get a Season 3, there will be drama in the van Rhijn/Brook house now that Ada is the one with all the money and power. “The servants are going to be looking to Miss Ada for order. It is not Agnes (Christine Baranski). That’s going to set off a whole new set of fireworks.”

The Gilded Age Season 2 also ends with the implication that Bertha Russell promised the Duke of Buckingham that he could marry Gladys and get her massive dowry. Morgan Spector confirmed to Decider that if that happens, it could be messy for the Russells since George Russell has already promised Gladys a love match.

“I don’t think it’s going to blow up in his face. I think it’s going to blow up in Bertha’s face. She’s the one who’s gone behind his back and done exactly the opposite of what he wanted. Yeah, it’s going to be a problem. No question.”

Decider also knows that there are plans to explore the Black elite in Newport in a potential Season 3. Julian Fellowes said during a press conference earlier this year, “Actually, the racial divide and everything was much milder in Newport than it was in other parts of America….You would have public events and speeches and this, that, and the other. Concerts and things with mixed audiences, which was quite rare in a in a lot of America but not there.”

That’s what we know from the cast and showrunners, but what else could The Gilded Age Season 3 potentially cover…

What Historic Events Could The Gilded Age Season 3 Cover?

Considering that the first and second seasons of The Gilded Age take place in 1882 and 1883, respectively, we should presume that The Gilded Age Season 3 would be set in 1884 New York. Knowing that, there are a few historic events that could be covered…

First of all, 1884 was a presidential election year. New York governor Grover Cleveland would eventually triumph in the General Election, but he came close to losing his own state. That’s because Tammany Hall, the corrupt New York City-based political machine of the day, was vehemently against Cleveland. Cleveland is famously the only United States President to date to win a Presidential election, then lose one, and then win one again. Because Cleveland would be a New York-based politician, it’s entirely possible we could meet him on the campaign trail…and learn, gasp, what all the obscenely wealthy characters’ political leanings are.

However, that’s not the only major event to hit New York in 1884. New York City was literally hit by an earthquake on August 10, 1884. 

One major Gilded Age event of 1883 that we didn’t see in The Gilded Age Season 2 that could be pushed to Season 3? Alva Vanderbilt’s infamous costume ball. The over-the-top event rocked high society and could be featured as one of Bertha Russell’s next fights in Season 3.