‘The Gilded Age’: Who Are We Shipping on the American ‘Downton’?

The Gilded Age, HBO’s gorgeous, splashy new period drama from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes arrived last night swathed in silks, buttressed by bustles and simmering with intra-class conflict. The series seems largely preoccupied with the struggles of the nouveau riche—robber barons like George Russell (Morgan Spector) and his social climbing wife Berta (Carrie Coon)—to be accepted by New York’s old guard, as represented by Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski). But as any Downton fan knows, Fellowes loves to spice up his upper crust soaps with romantic melodrama that is intimately intertwined with the social status of his characters. No… Read Full Article