Sky series “The Gilded Age”
“Downton Abbey” in New York
Dissimilar sisters: Cynthia Nixon (left) and Christine Baranski in “The Gilded Age”.
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Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes is back. In the Sky series “The Gilded Age” he now sheds light on New York’s high society.
Julian Fellowes (72) goes to Hollywood. Or rather to New York. In his new series “The Gilded Age” (available from April 22 on Sky Atlantic and the streaming service Sky Ticket), the British “Downton Abbey” creator sheds light on society in the United States at the end of the 19th century. The result is impressive.
The United States in 1882. Almost two decades after the civil war between northern and southern states, a golden age has dawned, the “Gilded Age”. Industrialization and above all the construction of the railroad made many rich, while others were ruined by bad speculation.
Among the losers is Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson, 30). From her deceased father, a general in the Civil War, she inherited only 30 dollars. The young woman moves from Pennsylvania to her aunts in New York, Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski, 69) and Ada Brook (“Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon, 56). Between the rules of tradition and the dawn of a modern age, Marian must carve her own path.
The resolute Agnes and the naive Ada are members of the old New York money aristocracy, in constant conflict with the nouveau riche neighbors around the railroad tycoon George Russell (Morgan Spector, 41) and his wife Bertha (Carrie Coon, 41). Marian falls into the traps of New York society.
If you love “Downton Abbey”, you will also like “The Gilded Age”
If you like “Downton Abbey” you will love “The Gilded Age”. The series revels in historical costumes and opulent furnishings. The fact that Fellowes’ new project is set in the US instead of the UK and a few decades earlier than “Downton Abbey” is only noticeable in nuances. However, there are shifts in the historical perspective. While “Downton Abbey” witnesses the fall of the English nobility, here we witness the birth of the American dream.
Series boss Fellowes can rely on a strong ensemble of newcomers and established stars in “The Gilded Age”. The main role is played by Louisa Jacobson, daughter of acting giant Meryl Streep (72). “Sex and the City”-Miranda Cynthia Nixon causes laughter as a naïve spinster. And her series sister, character head Christine Baranski (“The Grinch”, “The Good Fight”), is applying for the place of the secret audience favorite, which Maggie Smith (87) occupied as the pugnacious Lady Violet in “Downton Abbey”.
Portrait of a gilded, not golden age
Fellowes also plays to its strengths in the new world. The dialogues are written to the point, despite a lush carousel of characters you never lose track. As in “Downton Abbey”, this microcosm is mainly about the subtle differences within the ruling class, but the subordinates also play a role again.
Incidentally, what particularly appealed to the British Fellowes about the time of the action was that it was a time of facades. After all, “Gilded Age” doesn’t mean the golden age, just the gilded age. Fellowes: “It was all about the outside of things, about the right look, about the right image”.
The Gilded Age airs on Sky Atlantic on April 22, 2022 at 8:15 p.m. Then every Friday in double episodes, either in German or in the original. At the same time, the series can also be seen on the streaming service Sky Ticket and via Sky Q on demand.