The Gilded Age was a truly magnificent time in America's history and signified the amount of growth and change that expansion had brought to the country. The new TV show by the same name attempts to capture this era as it also tells a story about the amount of strictness that high society maintained that was unachievable for most.
With all this being said, there are many things for fans of historical dramas to know about this series before Julian Fellowes' new splendid show, The Gilded Age, kicks off with its pilot episode.
When And Where Can You Watch The Gilded Age?
The Gilded Age is a Universal Television production that will be available on HBO Max to stream as it is one of the many HBO shows to look forward to in 2022. Episodes will arrive on a weekly basis starting on the 24th of January.
In this way, audiences will be able to appreciate the art and history that goes into each week's episode. While there is still a little bit of a wait for the series, there are plenty of other wonderful things to watch on HBO before this series arrives on the streaming platform.
When Was The Gilded Age?
The Gilded Age started in the 1870s and continued until the late 1890s. It is representative of a time when there was a ton of new and old money in the US from Oil and Steel Tycoons like Rockefeller that profited greatly as the country expanded.
This money afforded these few New York elites the luxuries of all the fine art, furniture, and clothing that they desired, but lacked depth in feeling and emotion at times. The beauty of the age is unquestionable, but the rules of society that came with it were restrictive.
Who Is In The Series?
This series is filled with great actors such as the well-known Nathan Lane, Christine Baranski, who many know from her role in Mama Mia, as well as AHS's Taissa Farmiga. However, the main character of this show, Marian Brook, is played by Louisa Jacobson, the daughter of the iconic Meryl Streep, queen of uplifting movies.
Although this is Jacobson's first major role in a TV show, she is sure to give a show-stopping performance under Fellowes' directing. All this being said, there are many more noteworthy actors in this cast that are sure to shine in their roles.
What Does Gilded Mean?
This period of time is named the "Gilded Age" because it was a time of great wealth and privilege, but the word "gilt" also has another meaning that relates to this time.
Gilt means something is thinly covered with gold leaf or paint. In a similar way, this era is only beautiful from the surface level because there are many other issues that are hidden beneath its stunning façade of decadence.
Where Was It Filmed?
The Gilded Age was shot in a series of locations in New York including at the Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers and in Central Park, which is one of the most iconic New York filming locations, but the majority of the filming was done in the Troy's Historic District.
With all this being said, the show made sure to only film in New York to give the full effect of this specific time in history. In Troy, the production crew worked tirelessly to recreate the feeling of a Victorian Era setting, which is around the same time as the Gilded Age.
How Many Episodes Will The First Season Be?
Season 1 of The Gilded Age will be nine episodes long, which is two episodes longer than season 1 of Downton Abbey and one longer than most Netflix mini-series.
While there is generally a lot of variability from season to season with the number of episodes in historical dramas like this one, it's exciting to see that there will be more content than generally expected from a show of this quality and this genre.
How Does It Tie Into Downton Abbey?
With Fellowes having a part in both these projects, it's not a surprise that they are loosely linked by their stories. Although The Gilded Age takes place before Downton Abbey and fans theorize that the show would detail the courtship of Downton's Robert Crawley and Cora Levinson, that is certainly not the case.
However, though there are not many familiar names, the Astors and the Russells, both of which were mentioned in the cast list, were mentioned in Downton Abbey. This being said, the connection is not confirmed as of yet.
What Is The Show About?
The Gilded Age follows Marian Brook, a young woman who moves from rural Pennsylvania to New York City to live with her aunts. As she becomes enmeshed in a whole new world, she also becomes part of a long-standing social feud between her family and some of her extremely wealthy neighbors.
This show is sure to have an ensemble-type cast that features more than a couple of main storylines each episode, but at the moment it appears that the core struggle of this show will be Marian deciding whether to give in to what everyone wants or if she will stay true to herself and forge her own destiny.
What Else Has Julian Fellowes Directed?
Julian Fellowes, a member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom, is well versed in the period piece genre as he has written and worked on several prominent projects including Downton Abbey, Belgravia, and Young Victoria.
With all these shows, and many others, coming from his brilliant mind for realizing a different time, The Gilded Age is sure to impress audiences with its accuracy and drama.
How Should Audiences Prepare For The Series?
Audiences can prepare for this show in a number of ways, but the best thing to do is to listen to The Gilded Age podcast that HBO is producing or to look at the Gilded Age informational on their website page about the series.
Additionally, Age of Innocence is a great film that takes place in this same period of time that is based on the classic novel by Edith Wharton. It not only accurately represents the era, but it also deals with the restrictiveness that is perpetuated by the expectations of society.