The Gilded Age season 4: key information
- HBO confirmed renewal on July 28, 2025
- Current speculated release window is the end of 2026
- Main cast expected to return, George and Bertha seen together in HBO Max teaser
- Plot details teased in first synopsis
The Gilded Age season 4 was greenlit by HBO shortly before the penultimate episode of the third season aired.
According to Deadline, ahead of The Gilded Age season 3 finale, the drama series was "adding viewers at a rate nearly 50% higher than in previous seasons." HBO's head of drama series and films Francesca Orsi added: "We couldn’t be prouder of the undeniable viewership heights The Gilded Age has achieved this season.
"Transporting us to 1880s New York City, Julian Fellowes and the enormously talented cast and crew have created a 'cant-miss it' entertainment experience from week to week, and we’re delighted to continue exploring these characters’ grand ambitions for what we promise will be a thrilling fourth season."
For the uninitiated, the hit HBO Max TV show is basically an American version of Downton Abbey (which was also created by Fellowes), following upper-class families in NYC at the turn of the 19th century. Old money has been against new money since the start of season 1, and thanks to the continued drama between Bertha (Carrie Coon), George (Morgan Spector) and Gladys' (Taissa Farmiga) recent marriage, that's not going to stop.
But things have changed in New York society, and that's potentially about to change Bertha's life for good. But what do we actually know about The Gilded Age season 4 so far, and what can we expect?
The Gilded Age season 4 release window speculation
Thanks to the below HBO Max "coming soon" trailer, we can guess that The Gilded Age season 4 will premiere in late 2026. However, an exact release date has yet to be confirmed.
Season 1 premiered in January 2022, with by season 2 in October 2023, and season 3 in June 2025 (though it's worth bearing in mind that the latter two seasons were impacted by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes). Hopefully, this means the gap between seasons 3 and 4 won't be as long as we've seen previously, giving us a rough timeline of late 2026 to early 2027 for new episodes.
The Gilded Age season 4 trailer: is there one?
No, but we've got our first look regardless. Scrub 1:08 minutes into the above HBO Max trailer and you get our first glimpse of season 4.
Recently split George and Bertha Russell dancing at a ball, but there are snippets of the show’s two young couples — Peggy (Denée Benton) and William (Jordan Donica), and Marian (Louisa Jacobson) and Larry (Harry Richardson).
The Gilded Age season 4 cast rumors
Essentially, we're looking at the main players from season 3 all returning, though nothing has been confirmed as of yet. Only John Adams (Claybourne Elder) actually died in season 3, so there's nothing to suggest anyone else will be leaving at this stage. Of course, an actor can always be written out if they want to or to save scheduling clashes, but let's assume that's not going to happen.
Here are the cast members we'd respect to return for The Gilded Age season 4:
- Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell
- Morgan Spector as George Russell
- Phylicia Rashad as Mrs. Elizabeth Kirkland
- Cynthia Nixon as Ada Brook
- Christine Baranski as Agnes van Rhijn
- Harry Richardson as Larry Russell
- Denée Benton as Peggy Scott
- Jordan Donica as Dr. William Kirkland
- Louisa Jacobson as Marian Brook
- Taissa Farmiga as Gladys Russell
- Ben Lamb as The Duke of Buckingham
- Blake Ritson as Oscar van Rhijn)
- Audra McDonald as Dorothy Scott
- Kelley Curran as Enid Winterton
- Kelli O'Hara as Aurora Fane
- Donna Murphy as Mrs. Astor
- Ben Ahlers as Jack Treacher
- Douglas Sills as Monsieur Baudin
- Celia Keenan-Bolger as Mrs. Bruce
- Simon Jones as Mr. Bannister
- Jack Gilpin as Church
- Debra Monk as Armstrong
- Phylicia Rashad as Elizabeth Kirkland
- Brian Stokes Mitchell as Frederick Kirland
The Gilded Age season 4 plot rumors
Major spoilers follow for The Gilded Age season 3.
The official season 4 synopsis reads “Bertha Russell changed Society at a cost. Now, her family must reckon with the consequences as Agnes van Rhijn seizes an opportunity to regain her position. Meanwhile, Marian forges a new path for herself, and Peggy works to be accepted by her future in-laws. In this new era, you must be careful what you wish for.”
Let's recap what we learned in the season 3 final episodes. George’s life hung in the balance in the closing scene of season 3 episode 7. He’d previously won out against Clay (Patrick Page) and Mr. Sage (Peter McRobbie), getting the business back on track in spite of their rivalry. However, this comes at a price. A courier soon visited George’s office, pulling a gun on his secretary before aiming it straight at George himself. The gun went off, the screen goes black and we had no idea whether he’s alive or died.
In episode 8, we find out that George was indeed shot, but managed to make a miraculous recovery. Hooray! Lives are saved and the Russells can return to being the stoic force in New York society that they’ve always been, right? Wrong. Once George is well enough to remember he’s being streamed live on HBO Max, he promptly tells wife Bertha that he’s not even sure if he loves her or trusts her, leaving for New York without so much as an amicable thought between them.
Just as Gladys announces she is pregnant right in the episode's final moments, George is seemingly out of the picture. This means Bertha got everything she'd been working towards, but now has been left without a stable family unit of her own.
As far as Carrie Coon is concerned, Bertha won’t take any of this lying down. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she explained: "It’s heartbreaking, of course. But, at the same time, her wheels are already turning about how she’s going to fix it. You know she’s not going to give up on it. She’s indefatigable, of course. So I think she’s looking out that window and she’ll have a moment of grief, and then she’s going to get to work on some kind of plan.”
She later told Variety: "I don’t know [if they'll get back together]. It depends what George wants." She added of George's reveal, "That feels very real to me in long-term relationships. One person can go through a very transformative experience that the other person doesn’t have access to, and it takes them a while to find their way back to each other."
However, Morgan Spector was optimistic, telling TVLine: "Because we know how good this couple can be together, it would be really fascinating to see them spend a season figuring out how to get back to each other."
Obviously, Bertha and George aren't all that's going on the show. Marian and Larry are still on course to be wed, Peggy is newly betrothed to William (despite his mother's objections) and Oscar may be headed toward a lavender marriage with Enid. Of course, we'll be seeing Gladys' pregnancy play out too.
"I hope I don't have to play pregnant too long," Taissa Farmiga told Marie Claire. I don't want to have to wear a corset with a pregnancy belt. Let's just throw this out there — maybe Julian reads this. But also I'll do what I have to do!
"I think she will be more inspired by George's parenting than by Bertha's parenting. I think she's going to want to give more of the emotional comfort that Bertha doesn't give, even though we know Bertha loves her children. She loves them so much, but sometimes a child needs a hug and a gentle smile, not like a firm guiding hand. Sometimes it's just acknowledging their feelings."
