Minor spoilers ahead for Episode 2 of The Gilded Age Season 4.
Shortly after its debut, Julian Fellowes' The Gilded Age joined the ranks of HBO shows that got the world talking. Fans of Downton Abbey were thrilled at the new series set in America (streaming with a HBO Max subscription), and we're two episodes into its fourth season on the air. The show is full of Broadway royalty, and two more stars of the Great White Way have just joined the fun. So what is it going to take to get a full-blown musical episode?
The Gilded Age Season 4 started off with a bang, with fans concerned about Marian and Larry's relationship after their tryst. The Gilded Age cast is obviously full of Broadway icons, such as Audra McDonald, Kelli O'Hara, Denée Benton, Donna Murphy, and Celia Keenan-Bolger. Now we've got two more with Bonnie Milligan and Taylor Trensch joining the fun in the new season.
Milligan plays Mrs. Louisa Knapp Curtis, a journalist who is covering President Cleveland's forthcoming visit to New York. She won the Tony for her role in Kimberly Akimbo, and she also originated the role of Pamela in Head Over Heels.
Theater kids like me also likely clocked that Taylor Trensch recently made his debut on The Gilded Age as well. He's playing Oliver, the new bumbling footman for the van Rhijn household. I was first introduced to his work on stage in Bare: The Musical, but he's also been seen on Broadway in Dear Evan Hansen, Wicked, Hello, Dolly! and more. It seems like Oliver is going to be struggling with the new gig, although I'm going to be waiting for him to belt out some tunes in every scene.
With so many Broadway stars part of the massive Gilded Age cast, it feels like having a musical episode is a no-brainer. We've seen various shows have these types of specials before, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scrubs, and Grey's Anatomy. None of those titles had the amount of accomplished musical theater performers that the HBO series has, so I'd imagine that The Gilded Age would blow people away if it allowed its cast to show off their vocal talents.
I'm not the only one who has been hoping to see a musical episode of The Gilded Age. While it remains to be seen if this happens, fans were treated to Voices of The Gilded Age: The Christmas Album, which features the cast of the show singing holiday tunes. That's the closest thing we've got to a musical episode for the time being, but maybe it'll help drum up excitement for that to happen in the future. Fingers crossed.
The Gilded Age airs new episodes Sundays on HBO As part of the 2026 TV schedule. We'll have to see if I ever get my wish of a full-blown musical episode, but for now I'll be streaming the Christmas album.
