Watch latest trailer for ‘The Gilded Age,’ the new show from ‘Downton Abbey’ creator
“Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes is transporting viewers back in time again for his latest series, “The Gilded Age.”
HBO released a new trailer for the 19th-century drama featuring an ensemble cast that includes Christine Baranski, Audra McDonald, Cynthia Nixon, Denée Benton and Louisa Jacobson.
“New York is a collection of villages,” Agnes van Rhijn, played by Baranski, tells her niece Marian Brook, played by Jacobson, as the trailer begins. “The old have been in charge since before the revolution… ’til the new people invaded.”
Baranski's Agnes stresses the difference between old money and new money to Jacobson's Marian, who has recently moved from Pennsylvania to New York City to live with Agnes and her other aunt Ada Brook, played by "And Just Like That" star, Nixon.
“Ada is kind but not clever, and Agnes is clever but not kind,” Marian says after getting to know her aunts.
Meanwhile, Benton’s character, Peggy Scott, has been taken in by the family, but Dorothy Scott, portrayed by McDonald, is wary of their intentions.
The epic period piece, which premieres on HBO at 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 24, also stars Taissa Farmiga, Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Blake Ritson, Simon Jones, Harry Richarardson, Thomas Cocquerel, and Jack Gilpin.
Episodes of “The Gilded Age” will also be available to stream on HBO Max.
According to a press release, “The Gilded Age,” takes place in 1882 and follows Marian’s life after her father dies. She arrives in New York City with Peggy, who is an aspiring writer, and quickly “becomes enmeshed in a social war between one of her aunts, a scion of the old money set, and her stupendously rich neighbors, a ruthless railroad tycoon and his ambitious wife, George (Spector) and Bertha Russell (Coon).”
Fellowes, whose sequel “Downton Abbey: A New Era” hits theaters next year, serves as creator, writer and executive producer. Based on the trailer, fans of his British series can expect more extravagant gowns, forbidden relationships and plenty of drama in his new series.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Fellowes spoke about the time period in which the show occurs and how it was “all about the surface. It was all about the look of things, making the right appearance, creating the right image.”
Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar, a co-executive producer and historical consultant on “The Gilded Age” told the publication that the series also examines social and racial inequalities.
“While it was a period of expansive wealth and great opulence for a small segment of Americans, it was also a time when social inequities were glaring,” Dunbar said. “Viewers will see these different worlds and be able to connect the past to the present.”
