The escapist period drama is "perfectly irresistible" — and all three series are available to stream now.
Ketsuda Phoutinane Spare Time Content Editor
19:01, 15 Jan 2026
Downton Abbey's storied 15-year run finally came to an end with its third and final movie released late last year. Since 2010, the show's upstairs-downstairs plots, social commentary and sumptuous visuals have made for enthralling comfort TV.
Thankfully, period drama fans mourning the show have the latest Julian Fellowes creation to watch. Jumping across the pond and back in time, The Gilded Age, now in its third series, brings its focus to the clash between old and new money in American high society.
The Gilded Age opens in 1882 when the Russell family moves into the city's ritzy Upper East Side. Unlike their neighbours across the road, the van Rhijns, the Russells are new money. The family patriarch, George, is a ruthless railroad tycoon, and his wife Bertha's attempts to break into polite society are one of the major arcs of the show.
The show borrows its name from a period of US history spanning the late 1870s to the 1890s. The era was marked by an economic boom brought on by industrialisation. Railroads, the source of the fictional Russell family's wealth, were the era's major source of growth.
Aside from the Russell and van Rhijn families, the show follows the African American upper class and the domestic workers who serve them all.
The historical drama has earned the critics' stamp of approval. The Gilded Age's rating on Rotten Tomatoes has risen from 79% in its debut season to 94% and 95% respectively, for the successive following series.
"Fellowes specialises in comfort television; one of his great skills is marshalling people and plots into one coherent, satisfying whole. By that measure, this is his best show since Downton," gushed one critic.
"Julian Fellowes delivers must-see TV with an Americanized spin on his beloved 'Downton Abbey' and creates a feast for the eyes and ears," said another. "Is it more playful than profound, more froth than substance? Maybe. It's also perfectly irresistible."
Regarding the third and most recent series, one wrote: "The Gilded Age is one of those rare series that improves with each season, rather than the usual creative ennui."
Downton fans looking for a new show have also praised The Gilded Age. One person shared on Reddit: "One of the best series on TV.. [I] and my daughter absolutely loved it. All 3 seasons. The nail biting drama at the end of each episode, kept us on the edge of our seats. Nicely done."
The show gets better after the first series, as another viewer put it: "I love this show! It took some time to get going, but if you stick with it it’s worth it! The second season was really great."
"It grew on me. Such strong women - Christine Baransky, Carrie Coone and Cynthia Nixon are great actors and I loved their characters. I enjoyed the tensions between old and new money. "
All episodes of The Gilded Age are available in full on Sky Atlantic and NOW.