THE GILDED AGE Hits New Viewership High with 4.6 Million Viewers for Penultimate Episode of Season 3

As viewers prepare for the Season 3 finale, The Gilded Age continues to remain on top. According to new reports, the penultimate seventh episode of the HBO costume drama brought in 4.6 million viewers during its first three days. This marks an increase from Episode 6's 4.5 million viewers and sees the show continue to climb in viewership for the fourth consecutive week. HBO has also revealed that the show as a whole is bringing in new viewers at a huge pace, with rates 50% higher than previous seasons.

Episode 5, which aired on July 20, brought in 4 million viewers, which broke the previous record of 3.8 million for Episode 4. The Season 3 premiere episode attracted 2.7 million viewers across platforms, up 27% from season two's 2.1 million and 30% from season one's 2 million. As a whole, viewership for Season 3 is up 20% from Season 2, which debuted in 2023. Fan engagement has also climbed, with social chatter rising nearly 60 percent week over week.

Last week, the series was renewed for a fourth season, with HBO Programming Head Francesca Orsi saying, “We couldn’t be prouder of the undeniable viewership heights The Gilded Age has achieved this season.  Transporting us to 1880s New York City, Julian Fellowes and the enormously talented cast and crew have created a “cant-miss it” entertainment experience from week to week, and we're delighted to continue exploring these characters’ grand ambitions for what we promise will be a thrilling fourth season.”

In Season 3 of The Gilded Age, the stakes continue to grow as Bertha sets her sights on a prize that would elevate the family to unimaginable heights while George risks everything on a gambit that could revolutionize the railroad industry — if it doesn’t ruin him first. Across the street, the Brook household is thrown into chaos as Agnes refuses to accept Ada’s new position as lady of the house. Peggy meets a handsome doctor from Newport whose family is less than enthusiastic about her career. As all of New York hastens toward the future, their ambition may come at the cost of what they truly hold dear. New episodes air on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and HBO Max.

Check out BroadwayWorld's exclusive conversation about a recent episode with actor Ben Ahlers, who plays Jack Trotter in the series. 

The Season 3 cast includes Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Taissa Farmiga, Harry Richardson, Blake Ritson, Ben Ahlers, Ashlie Atkinson, Dylan Baker, Kate Baldwin, Victoria Clark, John Ellison Conlee, Michael Cumpsty, Kelley Curran, Jordan Donica, Jessica Frances Dukes, Claybourne Elder, Amy Forsyth, Jack Gilpin, LisaGay Hamilton, Ward Horton, Simon Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ben Lamb, Nathan Lane, Andrea Martin, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Debra Monk, Hattie Morahan, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Paul Alexander Nolan, Kelli O’Hara, Patrick Page, Rachel Pickup, Taylor Richardson, Douglas Sills, Bobby Steggert, Erin Wilhelmi, John Douglas Thompson, Leslie Uggams, Merritt Wever, with Bill Camp and Phylicia Rashad. Take a look here to learn about all of the Broadway stars this season.

The Gilded Age is created, written, and executive-produced by Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey). Other credits include Gareth Neame, David Crockett, Michael Engler, Bob Greenblatt, Sonja Warfield, and Salli Richardson-Whitfield as executive producers.

Photo credit: Karolina Wojtasik/HBO