HBO's The Gilded Age keeps growing. The Season 4 premiere drew nearly 4 million viewers, the most-watched season opener in the show's history, TheWrap reported Thursday.
That is a 25% jump from the Season 3 premiere, which drew 3.2 million viewers. The period drama from Julian Fellowes and Sonja Warfield broke out in a big way last season, posting five straight weeks of series-high viewership and peaking at 5 million viewers for the finale after three days. Season 3 averaged 8.8 million global viewers across platforms, and social media conversation about the show rose 185% from Season 2, according to HBO figures cited by TheWrap.
What happened in the premiere
The new season opened with Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) traveling to England for the difficult birth of her daughter Gladys (Taissa Farmiga), while New York society gathered for the wedding of Oscar van Rhijn (Blake Ritson) and Enid (Kelley Curran). Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) and Larry Russell (Harry Richardson) rekindled their romance in a way that could ruin her, and George Russell (Morgan Spector), recovering from being shot in the Season 3 finale, closed in on the culprit while facing new anti-monopoly legislation.
The ratings growth matters for a show that has made room for Black storytelling in a genre that rarely does. Co-creator Sonja Warfield helps shape the series, and the show has drawn heavyweight Black talent, including Phylicia Rashad, who joined in Season 3 (read more).
Catch up with our Season 4 review and our Season 4 guide. The Gilded Age airs Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
