HBO snags all-star cast for period drama The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age is an upcoming HBO drama from Julian Fellows, the creator of Downton Abbey. It’s a period drama set in 1882 in New York, and will follow the richest of the rich folks of the time. So it’s already giving off serious Downton vibes, which I am here for.

And being on HBO, this show could be even more sumptuous than its predecessor. Entertainment Weekly has just unveiled four of the cast members, and they are excellent. We’ve got The Good Fight’s Christine Baranski, Sex in the City’s Cynthia Nixon, Togetherness’ Amanda Peet, and Homeland’s Morgan Spector. This cast is stacked!

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 11: Actor Cynthia Nixon attends the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

Check out the official synopsis from HBO:

"Against this backdrop of change, the story begins in 1882 — introducing young Marian Brook, the orphaned daughter of a Southern general, who moves into the home of her rigidly conventional aunts in New York City. Accompanied by the mysterious Peggy Scott, an African-American woman masquerading as her maid, Marian gets caught up in the dazzling lives of her stupendously rich neighbors, led by a ruthless railroad tycoon and his ambitious wife struggling for acceptance by the Astor and Vanderbilt set. Will Marian follow the established rules of society, or forge her own path in this exciting new world that is on the brink of transformation into the modern age?"

Railroad tycoons? Rich neighbors? The Astors and Vanderbilts? Umm, The Gilded Age needs to premiere like yesterday.

Okay, so who is everyone playing?

• Christine Baranski: Agnes van Rhijn, “a proud and stubborn aristocrat who will never accept that the world has changed, and that ancient values are being replaced by new ones.”
• Cynthia Nixon: Ada Brook, “another victim of the collapse of the old south, but unlike her sister Agnes, she never found a way to get out until it was too late, and she was forced back on her sister’s charity.”

Okay, so Baranski and Nixon are playing sisters. I can see the rivalry already.

• Amanda Peet: Bertha Russell, “Bertha comes from the ordinary middle-class.  She backed her instincts when she set out to catch her husband George, the son of a merchant family who has proved to be a financial genius. She is determined to use her money and position to break into a society that resists change at every turn.”

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 24: Amanda Peet attends the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 24, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

• Morgan Spector: George Russell, “A classic robber baron of his own time, Russell is pleasant enough in company. He’s fond of his wife and his children, but utterly ruthless in business.   He has already acquired millions, and billions will follow. In every challenge, George must win.”

Sounds like The Gilded Age is gearing up to be one epic drama.

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There’s no premiere date yet set for the series, but it already has a 10-episode order.

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