Long-gestating NBC drama The Gilded Age has officially moved to HBO, it was announced today.
“Given the opulent scope and scale of this richly textured character drama, HBO is the perfect home for The Gilded Age,” HBO president Casey Bloys said in a statement. “We’re all huge fans of Julian and I know I speak for Bob Greenblatt — who was involved in the development of this series while at Universal Television — when I say we’re thrilled to bring his undeniable genius to our viewers.”
From Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey), The Gilded Age takes place in the economically transitional time of 1885 and follows Marian Brook, the orphaned daughter of a Southern general who moves, along with a woman masquerading as her nanny, to New York to live with her aunts. The series finds Marian thrust into the extravagant lives of her rich neighbors and weighing whether to live by the established rules of society or to forge her own path.
The Gilded Age was originally put into development by NBC in 2012 before earning a series order in January 2018. The series has yet to be cast, so it likely won’t premiere until mid-to-late 2020 at the earliest.
It’s not entirely unusual for shows to move between premium cable and broadcast. The CW rescued busted Showtime pilot Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, transforming the series into an Emmy-winning hour-long dramedy, while Smash was originally in development at Showtime before being set up at NBC.
The Gilded Age is part of a robust slate of upcoming scripted content for HBO that includes The Righteous Gemstones, Los Espookys, Chernobyl, Euphoria, Watchmen, Lovecraft Country, The Nevers, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Mrs. Fletcher, Run, Avenue 5, and The Outsider.
