Julian Fellowes says HBO’s The Gilded Age is both a drama about class conflict in 1880s New York and a tribute to the optimism, glamour and self-invention he associates with America after the Civil War. The creator, whose series has earned its highest Emmy nomination total yet for its third season, argues that television’s slower pace allows audiences to form deeper, more lasting connections with characters.

The third season received eight Emmy nominations and ended with the Russell family’s position weakened: George survives being shot but appears to leave Bertha after her ruthless social ambitions strain their marriage. The finale also leaves major storylines unresolved, including Gladys’s pregnancy after her reluctant marriage to the Duke of Buckingham and Larry Russell’s future with Marion Brook, while Peggy receives a proposal from Dr Kirkland. Fellowes credits HBO’s willingness to fund the required scale, alongside the availability of prominent theatre actors during the COVID-19 pandemic, with helping the series succeed.