The Gilded Age star Carrie Coon addresses the show’s future beyond season 3. Created by Julian Fellowes, the man behind Downton Abbey, The Gilded Age premiered on HBO in 2022, chronicling the conflicts between two wealthy families living in 1880s New York City. After a successful season 2, The Gilded Age season 3 is now confirmed to be on the way, though it’s not clear if it will serve as the show’s last.
In a recent interview with Variety, Coon, who plays Bertha Russell on the show, comments on The Gilded Age’s future after the upcoming season 3. While the star reveals that a deal for season 4 hasn’t yet been made, she certainly seems hopeful that, with strong viewership, the show will continue. Check out Coon’s comment below:
Right now we’re on a one-year deal. So I’m optimistic that we could get another year. If for some reason the numbers skyrocket this season, perhaps we’d get a multi-year deal, but that’s really above my pay grade.
Will The Gilded Age Season 4 Happen?
While viewership numbers for The Gilded Age season 2 haven’t been released, season 1 was a major success in this regard. As reported by Deadline, the season 1 finale was the most-watched episode of that season, and the show actually grew in viewership by 54% from the premiere. It’s notable, too, that The Gilded Age season 3 was confirmed only days after the season 2 finale, suggesting that HBO is pleased with the show’s performance.
As seen in the chart above, The Gilded Age struggles when it comes to audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes. Though season 1 and season 2 were well-received by critics, with season 2 boasting a strong 94% critics’ score, the audience scores for both seasons are in the 50s. The Gilded Age’s cast is a high point mentioned in many reviews for the show, but the audience scores would suggest a very mixed response from general viewers.
While the audience scores could be seen as a worrying sign for the future of the show, data from Parrot Analytics released in February 2024 paints a more promising picture. According to the firm, The Gilded Age registered 19.5 times the audience demand of the average show in the U.S. in February, a level of demand reached by only 2.7% of shows. The future of The Gilded Age, then, remains somewhat up in the air beyond season 3, but strong viewership will evidently be crucial to the show’s future.
