The Gilded Age is a new period drama that arrives for Australian viewers on January 26th, 2022. The show was released this week to US viewers with enormous fanfare. Set in 1882, The Gilded Age, is being described by some as the Americanised instalment of widely-popular television series, Downton Abbey and by others as a clever combination of Sex in the City meets Bridgerton.
It features all the much-loved characteristics of Downton Abbey, with stunning attention to detail in the characters, costumes and sets, keeping audiences aesthetically fulfilled. The plot has evolved over ten years of production into the modern period drama audiences love in 2022. And finally, it’s packed with all the gorgeous homesteads, attentive servants, and modern twists on age-old romance that kept audiences gripped in Bridgerton.
The highly-anticipated television series was originally meant to be made 10 years ago as a New York set prequel to Downton Abbey but over the period as the show’s concept developed, the links were lost between the dramas. Instead, the series’ plot takes inspiration from a variety of past classics, including Romeo and Juliet, as the two starring families are engaged in a long-lived feud.
The Gilded Age follows Marian Brook, a young Pensyllvanian woman who migrates to New York City to reside with fortunate, ‘old-money’ aunties. The plot builds on a hatred-filled feud between families, with the families’ sons and daughters set to develop a number of forbidden romantic relationships throughout the series, despite their parent’s wishes.
Old money versus the new, both families will battle for their place in the social hierarchy, all the while dealing with their personal family dramas and motivations.
Much like Downton Abbey, the houses will consist of both ‘upstairs’ and ‘downstairs’ characters, sticking with the customary hierarchal order of old-century living.
It stars Mamma Mia’s Christine Baranski, and Sex and the City’s Cynthia Nixon, amongst other noteworthy actors. The Guilded Age has geared us up for a superbly exciting first season, kicking off on Australia Day, hopefully with many more to follow.
It’s the series we’ve all been waiting for, so the question remains, can it outshine Downton Abbey, or is it simply its worthy counterpart?
The Gilded Age is produced by HBO and will be available for Australian viewers on Paramount+ from January 26, 2022