The Gilded Age Gets Deeper & More Personal In A Triumphant Season 4 | Review

Image via HBO The Gilded Age returns for its fourth season with supreme confidence and a renewed focus on family drama and testing its huge cast of characters. Published Oct 27, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT John Orquiola is a TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises. The Gilded Age returns for its fourth season with more confidence than ever before. Season 3 was the breakthrough for Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes' historical drama when The Gilded Age stopped being compared to its UK-based predecessor and emerged as its own highly-rated cultural phenomenon. The Gilded Age season 4 returns with full knowledge of audiences' goodwill and hits the ground running. When The Gilded Age season 3 concluded, Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) reveled in her ultimate triumph: the happy marriage she arranged between her daughter, Gladys (Taissa Farmiga), and Hector, Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb). Yet installing Gladys as the new Duchess of Buckingham came at a grave cost, as a resentful George Russell (Morgan Spector), separated from his ambitious wife. Season 4 follows up on the Russells' fractured marriage, as New York society begins to grow wise that all is not well behind the walls of the Russells' East 61st Street palace. Across the street, Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) relinquished the status of head of the household to her wealthy sister, Ada Forte (Cynthia Nixon). Aunt Agnes weathered the humiliation of her son, Oscar (Blake Ritson), foolishly losing most of the Van Rhijn fortune, but season 4 presents a golden opportunity for Agnes to regain her status in society. Meanwhile, Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) and Larry Russell (Harry Richardson) are still smarting from their failed engagement. However, Peggy Scott (Denee Benton) accepted Dr. William Kirkland's (Jordan Donica) marriage proposal, which means a lifetime of dealing with William's domineering mother, Elizabeth (Phylicia Rashad). The Gilded Age Season 4 Knows Its Characters Inside & Out Image via HBO In The Gilded Age season 4, Julian Fellowes and his co-showrunner, Sonja Warfield, are less concerned with world-building. By now, audiences are well-versed in the rules of New York high society, and who the major players are. Fellowes and Warfield instead trade on audiences' affection and familiarity with The Gilded Age's expansive cast of characters, mining their personal foibles, fears, and ambitions for narrative riches. Flipping the balance of power in the Van Rhijn/Forte house places Agnes on the back foot, but in The Gilded Age season 4, Mrs. Van Rhijn has the honor of hosting a dinner for President Grover Cleveland (Jim Gaffigan). Agnes relying on Ada to finance this event creates new tensions in the sisters' relationship as Ada's generosity reaches its limits. Agnes is a main character who has largely reacted to her family's desires and mistakes with barbed bon mots, and it's a long-awaited pleasure to watch Christine Baranski play up Agnes' ambition, tinged with a hint of desperation to regain her lost prestige. Marian takes advantage of her aunts' distraction as she weathers her latest personal crisis, facing the possibility of scandal and exile from society in season 4 in a storyline Downton Abbey fans will find familiar. However, after four straight seasons, Marian's misery has worn out its welcome. Marian's crisis is juxtaposed with her cousin Oscar enjoying his resurgence, thanks to his alliance with Enid Winterton (Kelley Curran). Like Marian, Oscar is a long-suffering character, but Mr. Van Rhijn's reversal of fortune and public coupling with Enid are a source of continual amusement. They're a well-matched pair with an intriguing personal power struggle of their own. One of The Gilded Age's finest accomplishments is shedding light on the Black experience in the late 19th century, which was largely masterminded by Warfield. Peggy has evolved into the center of her own show-within-a-show, whom the Scott and Kirkland families in Newport revolve around. In season 4, Peggy tries to have it all: a rising career as a writer and becoming Mrs. William Kirkland. However, William receiving a job opportunity in Washington puts what he and Peggy truly want to the test. The Gilded Age season 4 brings in Dennis Haysbert as William's mentor, a wise addition that lets Jordan Donica show more sides to William and balances Peggy's push-and-pull between Elizabeth Kirkland and her own mother, Dorothy (Audra McDonald). The Gilded Age Season 4 Shifts Bertha's Focus Away From Rising In New York Society Image via HBO Every season of The Gilded Age has been about Bertha Russell triumphing against all odds. Now established as the leader of New York high society, The Gilded Age season 4 makes saving her marriage Bertha's paramount mission. Bertha has always gotten what she wants, with George's help. Against George, who is still seething with resentment towards his wife for how ruthlessly she manipulates her family, Bertha feels powerless. It's an intriguing turn of events for Bertha that forces her to think outside of the box as to what's really going on with George. The Russells have never been in such peril in The Gilded Age, and it makes for riveting viewing in season 4. George Russell survived being shot in The Gilded Age season 3, but his mental and emotional recovery hasn't kept pace with his bouncing back physically. Fellowes follows up on season 3's 'Who shot George Russell?' storyline, but George's thirst for revenge is just one aspect of his complicated and fractured state. Building on the financial panic in season 3, Mr. Russell also faces business pressures that could be the downfall of the Russell empire. The usually affable Larry finds himself taking the brunt of his father's anger as he tries to discover the truth behind George's increasing volatility. The Russells have never been in such peril in The Gilded Age, and it makes for riveting viewing in season 4. Gladys, the new Duchess of Buckingham, announced that she was pregnant at the end of The Gilded Age season 3. This storyline continues in season 4, although the Buckinghams are largely relegated to their side of the pond. Still, Hector and Gladys are a power couple who make an impact in The Gilded Age season 4. Even with Gladys deemphasized compared to season 3, Fellowes and Warfield show new sides to the Duchess that finally prove she is her mother and father's daughter, after all. The Russells have spent three seasons winning and steamrolling over their opposition. In season 4, the Russells' greatest struggle lies within the family. The Gilded Age Season 4 Weaves In More American History Image via HBO Time jumping to 1886 lets The Gilded Age incorporate a real historical event: the opening of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor. This follows up on season 1's display of Lady Liberty's hand and torch, and creates new tensions when it comes to who gets to attend the gala event where only prominent men are invited. President Grover Cleveland dining on East 61st Street also allows The Gilded Age to cement its thesis that this is a firmly American story. No one in The Gilded Age represents the American potential of rags to riches more than John Trotter (Ben Ahlers). The Van Rhijns' footman-turned-inventor is now one of New York's wealthiest and most eligible bachelors, to the dismay of his former co-worker and possible love interest, Bridget (Taylor Richardson). Jack now has the means and opportunities that his former friends in service can only dream of, but since Jack himself isn't much fun, nor is following his upward climb in society like it should be. George Russell also meets his match in the boardroom in The Gilded Age season 4, which introduces John D. Rockefeller (Neal Huff) as Mr. Russell's nemesis. Watching the usually unflappable George face a fellow tycoon he can't intimidate, outsmart, or buy off is a riot, and indicative of how season 4 chips away at the veneer of its most powerful characters to reveal who they really are and why we like them. As ever, The Gilded Age's cast sink their teeth into Fellowes' witty and winking dialogue, and the production design, costumes, and sets are lavish and immersive. Even the Van Rhijn and Russells' servants see more action in season 4. The Gilded Age knows exactly who its characters are and what audiences want to see. In season 4, The Gilded Age delivers on all fronts while conjuring surprising new pairings, situations, and rivalries that will keep fans wildly entertained and, ultimately, clamoring for season 5. The Gilded Age season 4 premieres Sunday, November 1st, with new episodes weekly on HBO and streaming on HBO Max. Release Date November 1, 2026 Network HBO Series The Gilded Age Episodes 8 Pros & Cons Season 4 puts the characters front and center. Agnes Van Rhijn gets the spotlight in one of season 4's main storylines. The Russells fighting each other is the family's best drama. Marian is now in her fourth season of being unhappy. John Trotter's rise in society isn't much fun.