Will there be a 2nd season of Gilded Age?

Spoiler Warning: The Gilded Age Season 1

Watching the first season of The Gilded Age feels like you’re watching a high-society battlefield, and rather than sharp swords, we see polite disdain, cutting looks, and social invitations held to ransom. As fans of this show, you’re aware that the climb to the top of society hasn’t been an easy battle for the Russells. They have been accused of manslaughter and endured multiple threats to their reputation. However, what has undoubtedly been the worst so far is that they have been snubbed all over town and at their doorstep.

The say-it-the-way-it-is husband-wife duo Bertha and George Russell (Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector, respectively) have cunningly and wittingly nestled their way to a position that the duo believes to be worthy of. But, the real question arises – will they be able to hold on to this throne?

Now, with season 2 officially in the works, the show has a lot to answer about the Russells and the poor Peggy Scott, played by Denée Benton, who we saw at the end of the first season searching for her abducted child. Furthermore, we also want to see whether will Marian, played by Louisa Jacobson, will be able to recover from Mr. Raikes’ rejection. More importantly, will we be seeing the scandalous Oscar van Rhijn, played by Blake Ritson, be able to succeed in hiding his homosexuality by tricking the young Gladys Russell, played by Taissa Farmiga, into marriage.

Season 2 of The Gilded Age has a lot to answer. Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming season.

Who We Will See in Season 2

HBO

Considering what a star-studded cast the first season had, we would have assumed getting so many actors on board and working on the same schedule would be a task. However, as reported by Deadline, practically all but one of the series regulars will be returning for the upcoming season. Those returning include Cynthia Nixon, Christine Baranski, Blake Ritson, Louisa Jacobson, Taissa Farmiga, Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Denée Benton, Jack Gilpin, Simon Jones, Harry Richardson, Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, Ashlie Atkinson, John Douglas Thompson, Ward Horton, and Claybourne Elder.

Christine Baranski, who plays the role of the grande dame Agnes van Rhijn on the show, was extremely interested in being part of the second season. In an interview with T&C before it was officially announced that the show was renewed for its second season, she said, "I could definitely, happily continue with this show and with these actors, and with this particular marvelous writer, Julian." At the time, since there was no clarity about the show’s renewal, she would have to film The Gilded Age and The Good Fight simultaneously, "Unfortunately, because of COVID and everything else, if The Gilded Age does start again, it's going to be parallel lines. I might be shooting two shows at once, but this is what you call a champagne problem."

The One Character Who Isn’t Coming Back

HBO

The series regular who will not be returning to reprise this role in the second season is Thomas Cocquerel. He plays lawyer Tom Raikes, who is Marian’s ex-fiancée. This Australian actor will not be returning in the second season due to his character’s storyline coming to a natural conclusion in season 1.

We saw Raikes falsely identifying as a member of the high society and pursuing Marian Brook romantically. Brook is a poor orphan who was forced to live with Ada Brook and Agnes van Rhijn, her estranged aunts. However, Agnes could see right through Raikes' disguise and had a suspicion that he was an imposter. This led her to warn Marian about him and that they would be poor if they were to marry. But, the young couple planned to elope.

However, in the first season's final episode, Raikes stood Marian up since he changed his mind, leaving Marian heartbroken. Since Tom Raikes’ secrets were all revealed in the first season and he wasn’t related to any other main character, there was no logical reason to have him continue in the second season.

Potential Release Date

HBO announced The Gilded Age’s renewal in February 2022. Francesca Orsi, the executive VP of programming at HBO, said in a statement via T&C, "Julian Fellowes and the entire Gilded Age family have thoroughly captivated us with their tale of late 19th-century New York City extravagance. Along with our partners at Universal Television, we couldn't be prouder to embark on a season two journey with this extraordinarily talented team."

Regarding when the second season will come to our screens, it’s too soon to tell since the first season premiered in January 2022. Since producing a show takes a year on average, we expect to see the second season sometime in the spring of 2023. On the upside, the show’s writers began working on the second season’s story even before the renewal was officially announced.