HBO‘s period drama The Gilded Age continues to grow. The series from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes started its third season with 2.7 million U.S. cross-platform viewers for the June 22 opening episode within its first three days of availability, the network said Wednesday. That is up 27% from the Season 2 opener (2.1 million viewers) and up 30% from the Season 1 debut (2 million viewers).
The Gilded Age, whose cast includes who’s who of the New York theater scene, has come a long way since its inauspicious launch in January 2022 on HBO’s lower profile Monday night. With support by the gay community (as star Carrie Coon recently put it, “The gays saved it”) and strong word of mouth, the drama drew enough audience to earn a second season and has been on an upswing ever since, moving to HBO’s marquee Sunday 9 PM slot with Season 2 and emerging as a major awards contender.
The new season will likely follow the previous installments’ trajectory of steady growth. Season 2 ultimately averaged 7.1 million U.S. viewers, with its finale posting a series Live+3 high 3.2 million multi-platform viewers.
The Season 3 premiere already has been getting a lot of traction on social with fans reacting to Bertha’s (Coon) ruthless plan for her daughter’s future and Aurora’s divorce bombshell news.
