The Gilded Age Season 4 Is Here: Bertha Russell Pays the Price for Winning Society

Julian Fellowes’ period drama returned to HBO with “Ring the Bells,” the first of eight Sunday episodes running through Dec. 20.

Mike Wayne

November 1, 2026

November 2, 2026

Courtesy of HBO

The Lowdown

HBO’s Gilded Age is back. Season 4 of Julian Fellowes’ New York period drama premiered Sunday, Nov. 1, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max, and this time Bertha Russell has to live with what it cost her to change Society (Variety; HBO Max).

Key Takeaways

Season 4 premiered Sunday, Nov. 1, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO, streaming the same night on HBO Max (Variety; Decider; HBO Max).
There are eight episodes, released Sundays at 9 p.m. ET through the finale on Dec. 20 (Decider).
The premiere, “Ring the Bells,” runs 60 minutes: Bertha faces Gladys’s difficult childbirth, Peggy reaches a milestone and Agnes plans a prestigious dinner (TVmaze; Decider).
Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Cynthia Nixon and Morgan Spector lead the cast (Variety).

The Story

HBO’s official logline sets up the season: “Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) changed Society at a cost. Now, her family must reckon with the consequences as Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) seizes an opportunity to regain her position. Meanwhile, Marian (Louisa Jacobson) forges a new path for herself, and Peggy (Denée Benton) works to be accepted by her future in-laws. In this new era, you must be careful what you wish for” (Variety).

In other words, Bertha’s win comes with a bill, Agnes sees an opening to take back her standing, and Marian and Peggy each head into new territory of their own (Variety).

The Season 4 schedule

After “Ring the Bells” on Nov. 1, Episode 2, “You Won’t Hear Me Beg,” airs Nov. 8. New episodes keep rolling out every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET until the Dec. 20 finale (Decider).

Who’s in it

Alongside the leads, the ensemble includes Taissa Farmiga, Harry Richardson, Blake Ritson, Ben Ahlers, Audra McDonald, Kelli O’Hara, Donna Murphy, Jim Gaffigan and Dennis Haysbert (Variety).

The Background

Julian Fellowes, who created Downton Abbey, created The Gilded Age and writes and executive produces it with Sonja Warfield. Salli Richardson-Whitfield directs and executive produces. The series is a co-production of HBO and Universal Television (Variety).