HBO is in the middle of unprecedented expansion of its original content output. Not a network to rest on its laurels of being the best of the best premium cable network, HBO wants to compete with the likes of Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon. And the only way to do that is to have just as much exclusive content available for consumption. So, in an effort to keep up with the big boys, HBO is starting to work on an incredible slate of TV series, such as the latest announcement, “The Gilded Age.”
“The Gilded Age” is the new series from the folks behind the Emmy-winning series “Downton Abbey,” and follows a young orphaned daughter of a Southern general in 1885. When Marian moves in with her aunts in New York City, she becomes entangled in a world of the rich and powerful.
As mentioned, “The Gilded Age” is spearheaded by creator/writer/producer Julian Fellowes, who is joined by the people that worked with him on “Downton Abbey,” Gareth Neame and Michael Engler.
“Given the opulent scope and scale of this richly textured character drama, HBO is the perfect home for ‘The Gilded Age,'” says Casey Bloys, president, HBO Programming. “We’re all huge fans of Julian and I know I speak for Bob Greenblatt – who was involved in the development of this series while at Universal Television – when I say we’re thrilled to bring his undeniable genius to our viewers.”
“I feel very privileged to be making ‘The Gilded Age’ with HBO and Universal Television,” said Fellowes. “It has been a dream of mine for some time, as I am fascinated by this brutal and intensely glamorous period of America’s history. It will be about ambition, of course, and envy and hatred and, perhaps most of all, about love. I hope people will enjoy the series. I know I will enjoy making it.”
No word on a release date for the series, but HBO has committed to a 10-episode first season of “The Gilded Age.” And if it is half as beloved as “Downton Abbey,” the network will be very pleased.
Here’s the synopsis for the series:
The American Gilded Age in 1885 was a period of immense economic change, of huge fortunes made and lost, and the rise of disparity between old money and new money, which is being reflected again today. Against this backdrop comes young Marian Brook, the orphaned daughter of a Southern general, who moves into the home of her rigidly conventional aunts in New York City. Accompanied by the mysterious Peggy Scott, an African-American woman masquerading as her maid, Marian gets caught up in the dazzling lives of her stupendously rich neighbors, led by a ruthless railroad tycoon and his ambitious wife struggling for acceptance by the Astor and Vanderbilt set. Will Marian follow the established rules of society, or forge her own path in this exciting new world that is on the brink of transformation into the modern age?