Julian Fellowes is keeping his cards close to his chest.
Following Gilded Age's season one finale on March 21, the series creator confirmed he and the writers are already thinking ahead to the upcoming season. While he's keeping any potential spoilers to himself, he revealed to Deadline that season two will "explore" a possible connection to Lady Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) from Downton Abbey.
Since episode one, fans have been looking for any possible reference to the beloved BBC series as Lady Cora Levinson hails from New York City and would've been in her adolescence during this time. And though viewers have yet to meet anyone from a Levinson family, Julian hinted to the outlet that Cora's mother's maiden name may hold a clue: "We know it wasn't Levinson, because we know she wasn't Jewish, her husband was."
Julian noted that Cora's background is what made her different from the English socialites, saying, "I think all of those things that American society was made up from different routes and different inputs and it created this unique society that was like nothing else on Earth, certainly not in the west."
As for how this influence's Cora's story, Julian remained tight-lipped. "I think that's interesting to explore," he simply said, "and no doubt we will continue to explore it in season two, without giving it away now."
Julian was more forthcoming when it came to discussing a pre-existing Downton Abbey connection, stating in no uncertain terms, "You didn't see anyone in season one that was connected to Downton. That's all I can say."
Nonetheless, fans have devoured each and every episode of the series since its premiere in January. On social media, viewers have marveled at how little stress it causes in comparison to other HBO series, including Euphoria. As one person put it, "The Gilded Age is a perfect show bc the stakes are 0, the drama is 100, and the only people having sex are gay."
"The Gilded Age is truly the most insane show," another added. "There was a 54 minute episode about how to set a table. And tonight's finale was all about if a woman would attend a party. And I would watch 100 more episodes of it as captivated as I was tonight."
The Gilded Age is streaming now on HBO Max.
America has no royalty, but Caroline Schermerhorn Astor came as close as one could be in New York society. Ruling over the Four Hundred, Caroline, known to most as Mrs. Astor, dictated who was a part of acceptable society until her death in 1908. In short: If Mrs. Astor didn't like you, you would be ousted by high society.
Not only is Mrs. Astor represented in The Gilded Age, played by Donna Murphy, but she also clearly inspired other characters in the new period piece. Namely, Christine Baranski's Agnes van Rhijn, who is a staunch protector of old money society and refuses to mingle with her new money neighbors. Much like Mrs. Astor, the fictional Mrs. van Rhijn has connections to the original Dutch settlers of NY, including the prominent Livingston family.
The Vanderbilt name is still prominent to this day. So it may surprise you that, at one point in the 1800s, the Vanderbilts were outcasts in high society, as they were a part of the nouveau riche thanks to their success in railroads and shipping.
So how did the Vanderbilts become one of the most important families in New York City? Well, Alva Erskine Smith married into the family.
Using her husband's wealth, the new Mrs. Vanderbilt built prominent family homes in the city and in Newport, launched her own Opera House and threw lavish balls. But she didn't just access New York's stuffy society. She conquered it, taking over for Mrs. Astor—alongside fellow socialites Mamie Fish and Theresa Fair Oelrichs—upon her death.
Further proving she wasn't afraid of change, Alva eventually divorced Mr. William K. Vanderbilt and remarried family friend Oliver Belmont. She was also an advocate for the women's suffrage movement.
Though Alva Vanderbilt is just a name mentioned in The Gilded Age, she clearly inspired the character Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon), who attempts to use her immense wealth to break into high society.
William Kissam Vanderbilt was Alva's other half between 1875 and 1895. An heir to the Vanderbilt railroad fortune, Willie had an abundance of money and was unafraid to spend it on having a good time. Eventually, Willie's infidelity resulted in his divorce from Alva, in which she received a large settlement.
In The Gilded Age, George Russell is likely inspired by the Vanderbilt men, as he's a classic robber baron and a member of new money New York. Though, we hope he's not like Willie, as we're fans of powerhouse couple Mr. and Mrs. Russell and would hate to see them split.
Poor Consuelo Vanderbilt. All the sweet-natured socialite wanted to do was to make her mother happy and, in doing so, found herself in a loveless marriage to the ninth Duke of Marlborough. Alva was the matchmaker behind the arrangement, as connections to the British aristocracy secured their place in society forever.
The marriage was doomed, with the pair divorcing in 1921. Consuelo remarried for love, this time to an adventurous pilot, Col. Jacques Balsan.
We see similarities between Consuelo Vanderbilt and Gladys Russell, the innocent daughter of the social-climbing Mrs. Russell on The Gilded Age.
Ward McAllister was Mrs. Astor's right hand, as they were distantly related. He created the coveted Four Hundred list, which was allegedly inspired by the number of people that could fit in Mrs. Astor's ballroom. Though Mrs. Astor was his patroness, Ward eventually included members of the nouveau riche and wrote a tell-all memoir, Society as I Have Found It.
Nathan Lane plays the New York tastemaker in The Gilded Age.
Miss Carrie Astor, portrayed by Amy Forsyth in this image, is a real-life socialite brought to the Gilded Age screen. She was the daughter of Mrs. Astor and a prominent member of New York City society in her own right. In The Gilded Age, Carrie is an unmarried debutante mingling with Larry Russell (Harry Richardson), a recent Harvard grad from new money.
Also featured: Mamie Fish, played by Ashlie Atkinson, was a staple of the social scenes in NYC and Newport. Apparently, Mrs. Fish liked to be styled as the "fun-maker" of the Four Hundred.