THE GILDED AGE

THE GILDED AGE is an American historical drama television series created and written by Julian Fellowes for HBO that is set in the United States during the Gilded Age, the boom years of the 1880s in New York City. Originally announced in 2018 for NBC, it was later announced in May 2019 that the show was moved to HBO. The first season premiered on January 24, 2022, and the second on October 29, 2023. THE GILDED AGE consists of 18 episodes of 1 hour.

STORY: The series follows Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson), a young woman entering 1882 New York City's rigid social scene who is drawn into daily conflicts surrounding the new money Russell family and the old money van Rhijn-Brook family. The two are neighbors across 61st Street near Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side of New York. The series explores conflicts of the upper and upper middle classes, the African-American upper class, and the domestic workers who tend to all of their needs.

GAY COUPLE STORYLINE: Oscar van Rhijn (Blake Ritson) might not be the worst villain on The Gilded Age, but he’s mostly just a gay man trapped in impossible circumstances, living in a world that forces him to keep his true self a secret. The end result of that struggle, in Oscar’s case, is selfishness. Oscar has a secret lover, John Adams (Claybourne Elder). John is the grandson of John Quincy Adams, the 6th President of the US, so predictably he is considered as one of their own by the old money families. The explosive ending of the pilot episode makes it clear that Oscar and John are in a sexual relationship. From the intimacy and the naturalness of the scene, it is apparent that this is not the first time they have done this.

Gilded Age 1

Gilded Age 2

Gilded Age 3

Gilded Age 4

Gilded Age 5

Gilded Age 6

Oscar van Rhijn (Blake Ritson) & John Adams (Claybourne Elder)

BLAKE RITSON (2020-2023) January 14, 1978, London, UK

CLAYBOURNE ELDER (2022-2023) April 21, 1982, Springville, UT, USA

SPECIAL: Oscar is adventurous, both in life and in bed. But he is also pragmatic. He most likely wants to secure his future above everything else, so he can continue to lead a life of luxury. And it seems that he believes he can only achieve that by marrying well. This is probably why he shows an interest in Gladys, a girl he is yet to meet. Her father’s immense wealth can give Oscar the type of financial security that he has always dreamt of.

AWARDS: "THE GILDED AGE' won 1 Primetime Emmy. 4 wins and 21 nominations.

8.0 IMDB