The Preservation Society of Newport County (PSNC) treated local fans of HBO’s “The Gilded Age” to a special screening of the Season 3 Finale Sunday night, August 10. And what a marvelous locale it was for fans of the series: amidst the backdrop of the Russells’ Newport “cottage,” The Elms, stood a giant screen big enough for the capacity crowd (in the thousands) that stood at least 12 feet tall. Bertha Russell would have been impressed.
The scene cut quite the dramatic outline.
And this event after the elegant appearance from Christine Baranski just last Thursday! Newport really is the jewel of New England.
We lucky few got to hear from Trudy Coxe, CEO of PSNC, who facilitated the use of the houses for The Gilded Age seasons, including The Breakers, Marble House, Chateau sur-Mer, Rosecliff, Hunter House, and Kingscote in addition to The Elms. Coxe began by asking the audience if George Russell was going to live.
Steven Feinberg, the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Film and Television Office, discussed bringing the production to Newport, stating that he informed HBO that Newport has more Gilded Age mansions per capita than any other area. He also told the audience how he worked in tandem with Coxe to bring the production to Newport.
HBO’s Sally Harvey was also on hand for the screening and told the audience, “It’s really incredible to see you all here. We never get to see the viewers of the show, we never get to watch it with an audience, so it’s spectacular to be here.”
She also assured them, “We will be back next year filming in Newport,” to big cheers. She continued: “HBO loves Newport, The Gilded Age loves Newport.”
Then the lights went down for the screening, but there was still another surprise left in store. We heard from series creator Julian Fellowes himself! Baron Fellowes of West Stafford (his official title) had a special message for Newport, which was incredible to take in at the screening.
“As you know, our series shows the lives of the people who made up this great state and their extraordinary homes. While filming in 2024, we created over 2,200 jobs for local cast, crew and extras during our time in Newport,” said Fellowes in his video message.
Gilded Age production also gifted the Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County with site visits and food donations, with them receiving a special mention at the screening.
Fellowes also thanked the local businesses that supported the filming of the series. “I would like to thank you, Rhode Island. And enjoy Season 3 of The Gilded Age.”
And with such a blessing, we were off to take in the dramatic finale, kicking off with the gut-wrenching scene of Dr. Kirkland saving George Russell. Only to have him leave Bertha in the end anyway (for now?). Just before he could have received the happy news about Gladys’s pregnancy! My favorite scene: Peggy’s stunning proposal (after so much heartbreak).
Other takeaways:
Agnes still got the best lines of the night
Every time Newport was mentioned, folks reacted. It was hysterical.
Mrs. Astor enjoyed the best entrance:
The balls were stunning:
I’m pretty sure that Ada did put in a donation to secure Agnes her new title (that she’s already fond of name-dropping).
The entire cast acted the hell out of that episode (those scenes between Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald!).
What I would love to see next season:
- Gladys safely delivered her baby (do not do another Lady Sybill, Mr. Fellowes! Just no.)
- A (hopefully) marriage between Jack and Bridget.
- That intriguing lavender marriage between Oscar and Enid will certainly yield dramatic dividends and I’m all for it.
When will The Gilded Age return?
Season 4 of The Gilded Age will begin production in Newport next year, with a potential release date of late 2026, but likely to be early-mid 2027. The previous three seasons have taken approximately 1.5-2 years in between each.