It’s about time for a new obsession—enter HBO’s new exciting period drama, The Gilded Age from the creators of Downton Abbey, you're going to want to give this one a watch.
From Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, The Gilded Age promises to transport audiences back to a time of old-world glamor and high society.
Here’s all you need to know about the new series and how to watch The Gilded Age…
What is The Gilded Age on HBO about?
The series, much like Downton Abbey, explores class and social circles, but this time, from the other side of the pond.
The title of the series hints at what the show will focus on. The Gilded Age was an era that occurred during the late 19th century, from the 1870s to around 1900.
It was defined as a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Western United States, seeing an influx in what is often dubbed “new money”, as workers and savvy businesspeople made vast amounts of money.
In a summary for the show, HBO explains, “against the backdrop of change, the story begins in 1882—introducing young Marian Brook, the orphaned daughter of a Union general, who moves into the New York City home of her thoroughly old money aunts Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook.
Accompanied by Peggy Scott, an accomplished African-American woman, Marian inadvertently 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 and Bertha Russell.”
How to watch The Gilded Age
The Gilded Age is available to watch on HBO and is currently streaming on Now TV in the UK & Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria & Switzerland.
If you are outside of these areas but still wish to watch the new series that everyone is talking about, there is a way around this.
To watch The Gilded Age you can simply download a piece of software called a VPN, which will help you get around geo-restrictions by changing the IP address of your device to make it look like you’re watching from a different territory.
Our sister site, TechRadar, has tested all of the major VPN services and they rate ExpressVPN as the absolute best. They say, “It’s compatible with all of your devices, supports most streaming services, and ranks among the fastest. You can even install it on devices like an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, and PlayStation. So for a one-stop-shop, you can’t go wrong with Express.”
Downton Abbey's link to The Gilded Age
The Gilded Age was created and written by Julian Fellowes, the writer and executive producer of Downton Abbey.
The Gilded Age first went into development in 2012, when Julian discussed the possibility of an American spin-off prequel of the beloved Downton Abbey series.
When discussing the potential for a Downton Abbey crossover with the Gilded Age, Julian told Deadline, “I’ve learned this much, never say never. I’ll stick with that as my answer.”
The writer also compared the two series and said, "[The Gilded Age] has very different energy [than Downton Abbey],"
"Things on Downton are on a decline, whereas they’re not at all in decline in The Gilded Age. This whole new gang is just hitting the town with all the money in the world and they want to have a great time. I think that creates a kind of upward energy that infuses the show but also, I think, at the time it infused society with a different energy."
Who is in the cast of The Gilded Age?
Plenty of familiar faces are taking part in the new series. Cynthia Nixon, fresh from reprising her role as Miranda Hobbes in the Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That, will star as Ada Brook, one of the Old Money elites.
Joining her are veteran actresses like The Good Fight’s Christine Baranski, playing Agnes van Rhijn, and Broadway star Donna Murphy as Mrs. Astor.
Meryl Streep’s daughter, Louisa Jacobson, will also lead the cast as Marian Brook, a penniless and sent to live with her estranged aunts (played by Baranski and Nixon).
American Horror Story’s Taissa Farmiga, Broadway legend Audra McDonald, Harlem’s Sullivan Jones, and Basic Instinct’s Jeanne Tripplehorn also star.
How many episodes are there of The Gilded Age
The first season of The Gilded Age is made up of 10 episodes. The first episode was released on January 24, with episodes set to air weekly every Monday.
The series airs at 9pm on Sky Atlantic and is available on-demand on the same day. For UK viewers the series was released on Tuesday at 2am GMT.
The series is available on HBO, Sky Atlantic, and NOW.
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