‘The Gilded Age’ Teaser: Are George & Bertha Facing Divorce? Plus, Premiere Date Revealed (VIDEO)
George and Bertha Russell’s conflicting views on marriage threaten their own in The Gilded Age Season 3 teaser. As hinted in the Season 2 finale in 2023, Bertha’s (Carrie Coon) decision to promise their daughter’s hand enraged George (Morgan Spector). This conflict is coming to roost in the third season, which also now has its official premiere date at HBO.
Scary news for fans of the period drama’s couples: An HBO executive has revealed that The Gilded Age Season 3 is largely about divorce. But she cites arranged marriages as well in her description. Could this be a glimpse of what’s to come with Gladys Russell’s (Taissa Farmiga) plot?
HBO Executive Vice President Francesca Orsi previewed the network’s 2025 programming slate in a February 2025 interview with Deadline. When it comes to The Gilded Age‘s third season, she said, “I think, broadly, it’s an interesting way in which we’ve explored that era of how divorce came to the forefront in United States relationships. I think that there’s a conversation to be had about arranged marriages, and if it doesn’t necessarily work, what divorce looks like in that time, and what that bodes for society. And then whether you’re accepted in society or not, based on a divorce.”
George and Bertha Russell weathered a secret scandal in Season 2 and ended the season on an even worse note after Bertha promised their daughter’s hand in marriage to the Duke of Buckingham without George or Gladys’ consent or consideration. Spector told TV Insider around the Season 2 finale that this duke issue is “going to be an enormous point of conflict” for George and Bertha moving forward. Would seeing Gladys in an unhappy marriage make matters worse?
Louisa Jacobson (Marian) and Coon (Bertha) have both teased lots of “plot twists” to come in the third season. Previous casting updates also reveal that the women’s suffrage movement and Bertha’s family history will both be topics this season, and more historical figures are going to be depicted. One character description also hints that there will be scenes set in England for the very first time. Could that be because Gladys does, in fact, marry the English duke?
See a full breakdown of what’s to come in Season 3, including the new characters and their descriptions.
When does The Gilded Age Season 3 premiere?
The Gilded Age Season 3 will premiere on Sunday, June 22, at 9/8c on HBO and will be available to stream at the same time on Max.
Is there a Gilded Age Season 3 trailer?
Yes! HBO released the first teaser trailer on Thursday, May 1 (see it embedded at the top of the page). It shows Bertha telling her children, Gladys and Larry (Harry Richardson), that marriage is an opportunity to elevate yourself in the world. While she doesn’t say Gladys is engaged to the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb), that’s who her potential husband is presumed to be. Bertha wants her children to have advantageous marriages that would give them power to influence politics and become the change-makers in high society/culture at large.
Marian wants to marry for love, and it seems Larry wants the same. They share a passionate kiss in a carriage in one shot, and George is angered that his daughter may be robbed of the chance to marry for love herself like her parents did. Is Marian’s family influential enough for Bertha’s expectations for her son? Peggy (Denée Benton) also appears to have a new love interest in Jordan Donica‘s new character, Dr. William Kirkland. But his parents, played by Phylicia Rashad and Brian Stokes Mitchell, may not approve of Peggy being a journalist, according to the Season 3 description (see below).
There’s not much teased about the new dynamic in the Brook household (formerly Van Rhijn) in the teaser other than Agnes (Christine Baranski) sternly saying, “Nothing is as it should be.” Ada (Cynthia Nixon) is now the head of the household following the inheritance from her late husband and Agnes’ loss of fortune. Ada’s heard saying, “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to divorce” in the teaser. Could she be talking about their neighbors, the Russells? The teaser’s tagline is “Love can conquer all, or cost you everything.”
What happens in The Gilded Age Season 3?
Here’s the official logline for The Gilded Age Season 3, shared on May 1 by HBO: “The American Gilded Age was a period of immense economic and social change, when empires were built, but no victory came without sacrifice. Following the Opera War, the old guard is weakened and the Russells stand poised to take their place at the head of society. Bertha sets her sights on a prize that would elevate the family to unimaginable heights while George risks everything on a gambit that could revolutionize the railroad industry — if it doesn’t ruin him first. Across the street, the Brook household is thrown into chaos as Agnes refuses to accept Ada’s new position as lady of the house. Peggy meets a handsome doctor from Newport whose family is less than enthusiastic about her career. As all of New York hastens toward the future, their ambition may come at the cost of what they truly hold dear.”
Jacobson told People in February 2025 to expect suspense in the third season. “There’s a lot of plot twists,” she revealed. “It’s gonna keep you on your toes.”
Coon told People in August 2024 that she was “really shocked by a couple of the twists we have coming, so that was thrilling” following Season 2’s cliffhanger ending regarding Gladys’ future potential engagement to a British noble. “They keep surprising me.”
Coon also warned that Bertha’s actions in the finale may come back to bite her in a recent interview with Town & Country tied to the February 2025 premiere of The White Lotus Season 3. “Bertha’s work is never done, and it will come at a great cost,” she warned. The actor also shared some feelings about the litany of Broadway stars she acts across in The Gilded Age.
“I think of those people as being so talented, especially the musical theater people. It’s like, ‘Oh, they’re singing, dancing, and acting,’” Coon said. “When they come onto the set, I am the lady of the manor, but I feel so fake. I feel like such a poser, because that’s Celia Keenan-Bolger or Kelli O’Hara. It’s humbling to be around them.”
Who is in The Gilded Age Season 3 cast?
Harry Richardson and Louisa Jacobson in ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 3 (Karolina Wojtasik / HBO)
The Good Wife‘s Dylan Baker, Broadway’s Kate Baldwin, Michael Cumpsty of Severance, John Ellison Conlee from Boardwalk Empire, Bobby Steggert from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and newcomer Hannah Shealy are Season 3’s newcomers.
Here’s the full Season 3 cast list: Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Taissa Farmiga, Harry Richardson, Blake Ritson, Ben Ahlers, Ashlie Atkinson, Dylan Baker, Kate Baldwin, Victoria Clark, John Ellison Conlee, Michael Cumpsty, Kelley Curran, Jordan Donica, Jessica Frances Dukes, Claybourne Elder, Amy Forsyth, Jack Gilpin, LisaGay Hamilton, Ward Horton, Simon Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ben Lamb, Nathan Lane, Andrea Martin, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Debra Monk, Hattie Morahan, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Paul Alexander Nolan, Kelli O’Hara, Patrick Page, Rachel Pickup, Taylor Richardson, Douglas Sills, Bobby Steggert, Erin Wilhelmi, John Douglas Thompson, Leslie Uggams, Merritt Wever, with Bill Camp and Phylicia Rashad.
Rashad plays Mrs. Elizabeth Kirkland. Mitchell plays Frederick Kirkland, the patriarch of the Kirkland family. Donica plays Dr. William Kirkland, their son who was inspired to help others by becoming a doctor after visiting Arthur Scott’s (Thompson) pharmacy as a boy. Clark plays Joan Carlton, a kind, genial woman from the old money side of New York high society.
Camp will play JP Morgan, the world-famous investment banker who finds himself at odds with George Russell over the future of the railroad industry. Martin plays Madame Dashkova, a medium who claims to be able to commune with the dead. Here are the character descriptions for some of the other new cast members. (See photos from Season 3 here.)
Audra McDonald and Denée Benton in ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 3 (Karolina Wojtasik / HBO)
Merritt Wever as Monica O’Brien: Bertha’s estranged sister who appears at a crucial time for the family.
Leslie Uggams as Mrs. Ernestine Brown: Elizabeth Kirkland’s friend and a member of the Black elite community in Newport.
LisaGay Hamilton as Frances Ellen Watkins Harper: the famed Black suffragist who inspires Peggy (Benton) to become involved in her cause, in spite of the dissenting opinions of those around her.
Paul Alexander Nolan as Alfred Merrick: a dashing, wealthy New York businessman, who has all the hallmarks of the old money set – elegance, refinement and sophistication. The Russells invite him to dine at their home in the hopes of charming him into a business deal.
Hattie Morahan as Lady Sarah Vere: sister to the Duke of Buckingham (Lamb), Lady Sarah makes it clear that the Russells are not to her taste.
Jessica Frances Dukes as Athena Trumbo: Dorothy’s (McDonald) beloved first cousin and a part of an elite enclave of Black residents of Newport, Rhode Island, who is pleased to host Peggy and is supportive of her writing career.
Dylan Baker as Dr. Logan: a family doctor who treats a number of high society families.
Kate Baldwin as Nancy Adams Bell: the older sister of John Adams (Claybourne Elder).
Michael Cumpsty as Lord Mildmay: a British nobleman who comes to dine at Sidmouth Castle.
John Ellison Conlee as Weston: the successful, educated, and polished businessman who accompanies Lord Mildmay.
Bobby Steggert as the famed artist John Singer Sargent: who has just begun his career painting the great ladies of society.
Hannah Shealy as Charlotte Astor: the married daughter of Mrs. Astor (Murphy), recently returned from an eventful trip abroad.
Sidmouth Castle is a castle in England, which implies that there will be a trip across the pond in Season 3. With Wever playing Bertha’s sister, we now know that Bertha’s backstory will be addressed in some way in the third season. She and George transformed their lives from impoverished upbringings to massive wealth, and Coon and Spector have long wanted to explore how the couple got together and pulled off their wealth accumulation.
Baldwin’s casting marks another Broadway reunion. Baldwin and Murphy costarred in the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly! with Bette Midler and the late Gavin Creel. Baldwin, like many others in The Gilded Age cast, is a two-time Tony Award nominee. McDonald and Mitchell were both in the original Broadway cast of Ragtime and will likely be seen onscreen together in Season 3.
Bookmark this page for continued updates on the Julian Fellowes period drama.
The Gilded Age, Season 3 Premiere, Sunday, June 22, 9/8c, HBO, Streaming on Max
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