HBO is booking another trip to 19th century New York.
The premium outlet has renewed The Gilded Age, from creator Julian Fellowes, for a fourth season. The pickup comes with two episodes left in the show’s current third season and after solid ratings growth that has seen The Gilded Age set viewership highs multiple times this season.
“We couldn’t be prouder of the undeniable viewership heights The Gilded Age has achieved this season,” said Francesca Orsi, executive vp HBO programming and head of HBO drama series and films. “Transporting us to 1880s New York City, Julian Fellowes and the enormously talented cast and crew have created a can’t-miss-it entertainment experience from week to week, and we’re delighted to continue exploring these characters’ grand ambitions for what we promise will be a thrilling fourth season.”
Among other storylines this season, The Gilded Age has shown the changing power dynamic between sisters Ada (Cynthia Nixon) and Agnes (Christine Baranski), brought on by Ada’s unexpected inheritance of a sizable estate from her late husband.
“I’m always rather fascinated by people who pretend that the loss of money, the loss of position, doesn’t affect them at all, that everything can just go on as it did before. So, of course, it can’t,” Fellowes said before the start of the season. “And even today, we know that. But here we have Agnes, whose belief in the essentially European concept of greatness by birth can’t be shifted. She starts out pseudo-confident that everything will be as normal. But of course, we know it won’t.”
Along with Baranski and Nixon, The Gilded Age’s sprawling cast includes Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Taissa Farmiga, Harry Richardson, Blake Ritson and many more. The series is a co-production of HBO and Universal Television.
“Thanks to Julian and the phenomenally talented cast and crew, each season of The Gilded Age delivers stories rich in drama and history, stellar performances and stunning production value,” said Universal TV president Erin Underhill. “Every moment spent in this world and with these characters only deepens our love for the show, and we’re so happy that our partners at HBO and audiences around the world are clamoring for more.”
The series has seen its ratings grow this season, starting with its best premiere to date. The July 20 episode drew a series-high 4 million cross-platform viewers in its first three days, beating the previous record of 3.8 million for the previous week. The show’s viewer figures are running 20 percent ahead of season two.
Fellowes is the creator, writer and executive producer of The Gilded Age. Also executive producing are Gareth Neame, David Crockett, directors Michael Engler and Salli Richardson-Whitfield, writer Sonja Warfield and Bob Greenblatt. Erica Armstrong Dunbar is co-exec producer.
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