The Gilded Age

Aristocratic sobriety This sensational period drama is set in New York City during the 1880s, an era of profound economic and technological change, as well as massive social conflict. Against this backdrop, we meet Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson), a young woman with aristocratic but impoverished roots who moves in with her old-money New York aunts (the amazing Christine Baranski totally steals the show here). She immediately finds herself caught in a fierce social war between the traditional families (Old Money) and the neighborhood's nouveau riche (New Money), led by an unbeatable Carrie Coon. In a TV drama landscape often dominated by the "Shondaland universe" (Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, Inventing Anna...), where historical accuracy is frequently sacrificed on purpose for fast pacing, melodramatic twists, and highly stylized pop escapism, Julian Fellowes' production comes as a refreshing exercise in narrative rigor and plausibility. Fellowes prefers conflict to flow from the rigid codes of the era, proving that a snub in a tea room or being left off a guest list can pack just as much dramatic punch and tension as the wildest twist in a deliberately modernized script. The Gilded Age doesn't rely on anachronisms or hyperbole to hook you. Its grandeur lies in its respect for the truth of its setting and the subtlety with which it portrays a society on the brink of metamorphosis. Because of this, it cements itself as a must-watch for hardcore period drama fans, and for anyone who wants to understand where Western society's questionable morality, high-society hypocrisy, and the dirt that would eventually corrupt the foundations of our modern culture really come from.