The penultimate episode of the third season of The Gilded Age ended not with the clang of a champagne glass, but with a bang (quite literally) when the Russell family patriarch found himself on the receiving end of a gun moments before the credits rolled. It was a shocking moment, particularly given the relatively poised and civil nature of the series — though, given poor John Adams’s equally shocking death in the previous episode, it’s becoming a bit of a pattern these days.
So will George Russell manage to survive his injuries? The trailer for the season finale makes it seem like his fate could go either way. But what about the fate of The Gilded Age itself? With the show’s third season coming to a close, many fans will undoubtedly be curious about when — or even if — the HBO Max hit series will return for a fourth go-round.
And since it would be downright rude not to oblige, here’s everything you need to know about The Gilded Age season 4:
Is The Gilded Age coming back for season 4?
Unlike the fate of George Russell, the future of The Gilded Age is already known. HBO officially renewed the series for a fourth season back in July, which means more drama and societal hijinks is on the horizon.
“We couldn’t be prouder of the undeniable viewership heights The Gilded Age has achieved this season,” HBO’s Francesca Orsi said in a statement, as per Deadline. “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.”
What will season 4 be about?
Considering that we don’t know how the season will end, it’s impossible to say for sure what sort of content season 4 will cover. But odds are that a lot of these storylines from season 3 will be wrapping up to make way for new adventures and problems, in equal measure.
Most likely, season 4 should reveal where Marion and Larry stand in regards to their romantic relationship, once and for all, now that the whole truth is out in the open. And, of course, depending upon when or if George Russell is able to recover from his injuries, there are bound to be lasting ripple effects from the shooting for the entire Russell family, both physically and emotionally.
When will season 4 premiere?
This show has been fairly regular with churning out seasons as opposed to keeping fans waiting for years on end, though their release schedule has been a little sporadic. Season 1 premiered in January 2022, followed by season 2 debuting in October 2023. Meanwhile, season 3 kicked off in June 2025. That makes predicting the season 4 premiere a little tricky — at least when it comes to guessing the month — but it seems fairly plausible that the series will return sometime in 2026, barring any scheduling conflicts with the cast, which isn’t too far away.
Who will return for season 4?
Normally, I would say that this show doesn’t have a history of killing off central characters a la Game of Thrones-style, which would make every character’s return very likely. However, that sentiment doesn’t really seem to track these days. Morgan Spector recently told Variety that viewers should be “very worried” in regards to George Russell’s fate on the show, even going so far as to admit that “I don’t have a contract for next season yet, so who knows?”
But while poor George’s head may be on the chopping block, you would think many of the other key players will be coming back, including Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Denée Benton, Louisa Jacobson, Harry Richardson, and Blake Ritson, among many others. Though, this season has been particularly fraught with peril, so with the finale still looming on the horizon, who knows what could happen.
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