The wait for more corsets, brutal social snobbery, and massive hats has been long, but the answer to will there be a season 3 of Gilded Age is a resounding, official yes. HBO didn't leave us hanging for too long after that dramatic Season 2 finale where the Metropolitan Opera House finally opened its doors. Honestly, the relief was palpable. If the show had ended with Bertha Russell just barely clinching her victory over Mrs. Astor, fans would have rioted.
Production is well underway. In fact, cameras have been rolling across New York and Rhode Island for months now. You’ve probably seen the grainy paparazzi shots of Carrie Coon in some of the most ridiculous—and by ridiculous, I mean stunning—bustles ever put to film. It’s happening.
When to Expect the New Episodes
Predicting a release date for a Julian Fellowes production is a bit like predicting the stock market in 1883; it’s volatile. However, looking at the production cycle, we’re likely looking at a late 2025 or early 2026 premiere. High-end period drama takes forever to edit. Every single frame has to have modern streetlights digitally scrubbed out and horse manure digitally scrubbed in.
The scope of the show is expanding. While the first two seasons felt very contained within the "Old Money vs. New Money" war of 61st Street, the third season is reportedly leaning harder into the actual historical shifts of the era. This isn't just about who sits where at dinner anymore. It's about the literal foundation of American power shifting.
The Massive Cast Shakeups and New Faces
Most of the heavy hitters are coming back. You can't have the show without Christine Baranski’s Agnes van Rhijn looking like she just smelled something sour every time a "new" person enters the room. Cynthia Nixon is returning as Ada, who, thanks to a very convenient inheritance, is now the one holding the purse strings in the household. That dynamic shift alone is worth the price of an Max subscription.
But the new casting is where things get spicy. HBO recently announced a slew of new actors joining the fray.
- Phylicia Rashad is joining as Mrs. Elizabeth Kirkland, a woman from a prominent Black elite family in Newport.
- Brian Stokes Mitchell will play Frederick Kirkland, a powerful pastor.
- Jordan Donica and Victoria Clark are also stepping into the Gilded world.
The inclusion of the Kirklands suggests that the show is finally making good on its promise to explore the "Black 400"—the wealthy African American elite of the 19th century. This isn't just a side plot. It’s a necessary expansion of the show's universe. The show has often been criticized for being "Downton Abbey in Manhattan," but by diving into the specific complexities of Black wealth in the post-Reconstruction North, Fellowes is finding a lane that is entirely unique.
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What the Plot Actually Holds for Season 3
If you remember how Season 2 ended—and if you're asking will there be a season 3 of Gilded Age, you definitely do—the power balance has flipped. The Russells won the Opera War. The Met is the place to be, and the Academy of Music is essentially a ghost town.
Bertha Russell is at the height of her powers, but that high comes with a steep price. She basically sold her daughter, Gladys, to a Duke to secure that opening night victory. Season 3 is going to have to deal with the fallout of that "arrangement." George Russell, who is usually the ultimate "girl dad," didn't look too thrilled about his wife using their child as a social bargaining chip. Expect friction. Intense, well-dressed friction.
Marian Brook is also in a weird spot. She finally kissed Larry Russell. Fans have been screaming at their TVs for two years for this to happen. But Marian is still Agnes’s niece, and Larry is a Russell. The Romeo and Juliet vibes are heavy, but with more silk and fewer daggers. Agnes is now financially dependent on Ada, which means her ability to dictate Marian's love life has hit a major snag.
The Historical Accuracy Factor
One of the reasons this show works—and why people are so desperate for a third season—is the attention to detail. Every dress is a museum piece. The production design team, led by Bob Shaw, spends months researching the exact upholstery used in the 1880s.
They are moving into the mid-1880s now. This was a time of massive labor unrest. We saw a bit of that with George Russell’s strike plotline in Season 2, but the real-life history gets even grittier. The "Gilded" part of the Gilded Age was always a metaphor—gold on the outside, rot on the inside. Season 3 seems poised to look under the floorboards a bit more.
The show is filming on location in Troy, New York, which famously stands in for 19th-century Manhattan because its architecture hasn't changed much. They’ve also returned to the Newport Mansions. If you’ve ever toured The Breakers or Marble House, you know the scale we’re talking about. It’s opulent to the point of absurdity.
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Why People Are So Obsessed With This Show
It's comfort food. High-stakes, low-violence comfort food. In a TV landscape filled with gritty reboots and depressing dystopias, The Gilded Age offers a world where the worst thing that can happen is someone getting a "cut" in public or being seated at the wrong end of a table.
It’s escapism. We want to see the Russells spend the equivalent of $5 million on a single party just to spite a neighbor. We want to see Peggy Scott succeed as a writer in a world that wants her to fail. We want to see the Duke of Buckingham look confused by American manners.
There’s also the Julian Fellowes "formula." He knows how to weave together upstairs and downstairs narratives. While the servants’ plots in The Gilded Age haven't quite reached the heights of Downton Abbey yet, Season 3 is rumored to give the kitchen staff much more to do. Specifically, the mystery of Jack’s alarm clock patent and his budding business career. It’s a classic American Dream story buried within a show about old European-style aristocracy.
Dealing With the "Will They, Won't They"
The show lives on tension.
- Marian and Larry: The primary romantic engine.
- Bertha and Mrs. Astor: The primary social engine.
- George and the Unions: The primary political engine.
- Agnes and Ada: The primary emotional engine.
If Season 3 resolves all of these, the show is over. But Fellowes likes to simmer. Expect the Marian/Larry romance to face massive hurdles early on. Agnes will likely find a way to reclaim some sort of moral authority even if she doesn't have the bank account to back it up.
Also, keep an eye on Oscar van Rhijn. After being absolutely fleeced by a con artist in Season 2, he's at rock bottom. His journey to find a "suitable" (and wealthy) wife is going to be even more desperate now. It’s pathetic, sure, but Blake Ritson plays Oscar with such a specific brand of wounded pride that you can't help but watch.
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What You Should Do While Waiting
Since we are still a ways off from the actual premiere, the best thing to do is dive into the actual history. The show takes huge liberties, but the "Opera Wars" were 100% real. The opening of the Metropolitan Opera House on October 22, 1883, did actually happen exactly the way it was portrayed—right down to the Academy of Music being deserted.
Read up on Alva Vanderbilt. She is the real-life inspiration for Bertha Russell. If you think Bertha is aggressive, the real Alva was a force of nature who once threw a masquerade ball so expensive it forced the hand of the entire New York social register.
Also, re-watch Season 2 with a focus on the background. The show hides a lot of Easter eggs in the sets. The paintings on the walls, the specific flowers used in the arrangements—they all tell a story about who is winning the social war at any given moment.
How to Stay Updated
Follow the cast on Instagram. Louisa Jacobson (Marian) and Carrie Coon (Bertha) are surprisingly active and often post behind-the-scenes glimpses of the "honey wagons" and the sheer amount of hairspray required to keep those wigs in place.
The official HBO Max (or just Max now) social accounts will likely start dropping "first look" images about six months before the premiere. Based on the current timeline, expect those around mid-2025.
Summary of Actionable Insights for Fans:
- Keep the subscription active: Season 3 is confirmed and filming; there is no risk of it being "Batgirl-ed" or canceled mid-production.
- Watch the Newport news: If you live in the Northeast, keep an eye on Newport, RI tourism boards; they often announce when the mansions are closed for filming, which gives you a timeline of where the production is at.
- Brush up on 1884-1885 history: The next season will likely tackle the Panic of 1884 or the Cleveland vs. Blaine presidential election, which adds a lot of flavor to the dialogue if you know the context.
- Expect a winter release: HBO loves slotting their prestige dramas in the late fall or winter months to maximize "prestige" viewership during awards season.
The Russells aren't going anywhere. The battle for New York has only just moved into its second phase, and if the rumors about the Season 3 scripts are true, the gloves—silk-lined as they may be—are finally coming off.