After months of speculation and whispers from Fifth Avenue to Newport, HBO has officially marked its calendar—The Gilded Age is back for Season 3 on June 22 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, with new episodes streaming on Max.
And to kick off the countdown, we’ve got our first taste of what’s to come.
The newly dropped teaser wastes no time getting to the drama. Narrated by the ever-calculating Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon), we catch a glimpse of New York’s elite still licking their wounds from last season’s “Opera War”—a cultural clash that ended with Bertha toppling old money in dramatic fashion.
Now? She’s got her sights set even higher.
“Marriage is a real opportunity,” Bertha tells her daughter Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) over an opulent dinner. But judging from Gladys’ stifled expressions, she’s not exactly eager to walk down the aisle—especially not with the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb), who Bertha began courting on her daughter’s behalf in Season 2.
Meanwhile, Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) continues to be the romantic realist in a society driven by status. “Some people want to marry for love. I know I do,” she says, as her aunt Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) looks thoroughly confused.
Season 3 picks up right where the drama left off, with the official logline teasing:
“Following the Opera War, the old guard is weakened and the Russells stand poised to take their place at the head of society. Bertha sets her sights on a prize that would elevate the family to unimaginable heights, while George (Morgan Spector) risks everything on a gambit that could revolutionize the railroad industry—if it doesn’t ruin him first…”
But it’s not all just about the Russells. Across the street, the Brook household has been turned upside down. Ada (Cynthia Nixon) is now the woman of the house after coming into money—while Agnes’ son Oscar (Blake Ritson) has gambled away her fortune.
Peggy Scott (Denée Benton) also steps into a new chapter, seen seaside with a potential new love interest—“a handsome doctor from Newport whose family is less than thrilled about her career.”
And that’s not the only fresh energy entering the Gilded world.
Returning Cast (Season 3):
Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Taissa Farmiga, Harry Richardson, Blake Ritson, Ben Ahlers, Ashlie Atkinson, Dylan Baker, Kate Baldwin, Michael Cumpsty, John Ellison Conlee, Kelley Curran, Amy Forsyth, Jack Gilpin, Ward Horton, Simon Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ben Lamb, Nathan Lane, Andrea Martin, Audra McDonald, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Paul Alexander Nolan, Kelli O’Hara, Patrick Page, Rachel Pickup, Taylor Richardson, Douglas Sills, Bobby Steggert, Erin Wilhelmi, John Douglas Thompson
New to Season 3 Cast:
Phylicia Rashad, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jordan Donica, Leslie Uggams, LisaGay Hamilton, Jessica Frances Dukes, Merritt Wever, Bill Camp, Andrea Martin, Paul Alexander Nolan, Hattie Morahan, Hannah Shealy
Character Breakdown – New Additions:
- Phylicia Rashad plays Mrs. Ernestine Brown, the poised and commanding mother of Jordan Donica’s character, who brings her own social weight to Peggy Scott’s storyline.
- Brian Stokes Mitchell portrays Mr. Brown, Ernestine’s husband and a prominent Newport figure whose traditional views complicate his son’s relationship with Peggy.
- Jordan Donica plays Dr. Isaac Hale, a well-educated Newport doctor who forms a romantic connection with Peggy Scott, though his family isn’t welcoming of her independent career.
- Leslie Uggams also portrays Mrs. Ernestine Brown (notably listed twice in press materials, potentially indicating a recasting or shared storyline).
- LisaGay Hamilton plays Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a real-life historical figure — poet, lecturer, and abolitionist — who brings a powerful political presence to the season.
- Jessica Frances Dukes plays Athena Trumbo, a sharp and strategic woman whose arrival is set to stir things up within elite Black society.
- Merritt Wever portrays Monica O’Brien, a character whose motivations and ties to the main families remain under wraps, but whose presence is expected to disrupt the status quo.
- Bill Camp joins as J.P. Morgan, the powerful financier whose real-life influence reshaped American banking — and who may now enter the Russell family’s orbit.
- Andrea Martin plays Madame Dashkova, a colorful European socialite with her own intentions in New York society.
- Paul Alexander Nolan portrays Alfred Merrick, a newcomer to society with unclear allegiances but a polished charm.
- Hattie Morahan plays Lady Sarah Vere, an aristocrat from overseas who adds an international edge to the season’s social chessboard.
- Hannah Shealy plays Elizabeth Blaine, a new debutante introduced to the city’s elite, likely tied to one of the show’s younger storylines.
The teaser makes it clear—this season is pulling no punches when it comes to ambition, rebellion, and yes, pearls being ripped off in distress.
Julian Fellowes returns as creator and writer, with Sonja Warfield, Gareth Neame, Bob Greenblatt, David Crockett, Michael Engler, and Salli Richardson-Whitfield also executive producing. The series is a co-production between HBO and Universal Television.