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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, January 21, 2022 4 By Rachel Jones TV Media N othing quite compares to the glitz, glamour and gore of American robber barons — rich industri- alists who used wealth, politi- cal connections and violence to secure their empires. The Gilded Age was for the elite and rapidly growing, and if you weren't elite, chances are you were working for someone who was. HBO's new drama "The Gilded Age" takes a closer look at the titular time period that helped shape the nation. Pre- miering Monday, Jan. 24, the series stars Carrie Coon ("Ghostbusters: Afterlife," 2021), Morgan Spector ("The Plot Against America"), Louisa Jacobson ("Gone Hollywood," 2019) and Denée Benton ("Our Friend," 2019). Networks and streaming services have explored much of the British upper class across the Victorian era, Regency peri- od and just about everything else pre-1920s — they've even dabbled in Viking- and Roman- era Europe, but they haven't done much with the great Gild- ed Age of the United States — until now. HBO's new series kicks off in 1882 (about a decade into the titular age), when a young woman named Marian Brooke (Jacobson) moves from rural Pennsylvania to New York City after the death of her father. Now living with her two wealthy aunts, Agnes van Rihjn (Christine Baranski, "The Big Bang Theory") and Ada Brooke (Cynthia Nixon, "Sex and the City"), she lives off the "old money" they represent in a so- ciety that's quickly and consis- tently pushing forward. When a social war erupts between Marian, one of her aunts, a railroad tycoon (Sec- tor) and the tycoon's wife (Coon), the tension embodies the shift from old money to new power: a Gilded Age of transformation. Fortunately, Marian isn't alone in the fight. She's joined by Peggy Scott (Benton), an aspiring writer looking for a fresh start after finishing her education. The New York City setting makes the Victorian dress, up- per-class glamour, rich and full- bearded men and flawlessly dressed women pop off the screen in a truly unique way — not to mention it makes the Gilded Age look like a whirl- wind of exhilaration. Though, considering the show's writer, this comes as no surprise. Julian Fellowes, best known for his work on "Downton Ab- bey," acts as both writer and executive producer of "The Gilded Age." Before the series made the move to HBO, Fel- lowes was in negotiations to launch the series on NBC. And while he later expressed his appreciation to NBC for allow- ing him to start a passion proj- ect and finally get to actualize his love affair with the era in the United States, "The Gilded Age" eventually found its home on the specialty channel instead. Fellowes began writing the show for NBC back in 2012, but the timing wasn't right. The overwhelming popularity of his claim-to-fame kept him teth- ered to "Downton Abbey," and it wasn't until 2018 that he picked up the project again. Nearly four years later, the peri- od project is ready for release. Knowing the writer behind the script, fans can bet that "The Gilded Age" will feature proper manners with an irre- sistible sensuality, just like "Downton Abbey." That said, this series takes place decades before its British parallel and, "Toto ... we're not in [England] anymore!" This turn-of-the-century ren- dering of the United States presents a grittier, more unin- hibited society to viewers than its English counterpart, and if ever there were an era in time to which the phrase "more money, more problems" ap- plies, the Gilded Age is it. The era was a time of evolv- ing ideologies, where capital- ism ripened and greed re- mained a constant underpin- ning in every advancement. Technically marked as the years between 1870 and 1900, the era directly followed the Civil War. As technology and in- dustry boomed, so, too, did the reputation of those leading the charge. The result was uninhib- ited success coupled with end- less corruption and a severe exploitation of the working class. It's no surprise that one of the show's central protago- nists, George Russell (Sector), just happens to be a railroad tycoon. Arguably, the Transcon- tinental Railroad was the era's most impressive progress. The 1869 completion of the railway meant faster expansion into the western side of the United States and easier transporta- tion of goods and materials. Railroad investors received millions of dollars and acres of land as a result of their efforts, and they thus became known as the "new rich." But while the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts of society ate lavish meals, children of poor families were forced into sweatshops. Tenements grew problematic, immigrants in- creasingly became the victims of a budding eugenics move- ment, and freed slaves faced immense hurdles. Could this sharp contrast play a part in the contention between the Brookes and the Russells? By the end of 1900, approxi- mately 40% of people in the United States lived in cities. Will Fellowes explore the scan- dal and seduction of this his- toric period while paying re- spect to the diverse experienc- es of people living in NYC at that time? It's a tall order, to say the least. Find out how it all begins when "The Gilded Age" comes to HBO on Monday, Jan. 24. coverstory Louisa Jacobson and Denée Benton as seen in "The Gilded Age" Forging ahead: HBO illustrates economics, culture of 'The Gilded Age' By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: I really loved those ensemble holiday romcoms "Valentine's Day" and "New Year's Eve." Will there be any more? A: There won't be any more, but it may be a small consola- tion that you seem to have missed one. "Valentine's Day" (2010) and "New Year's Eve" (2011) came out a year apart, but there was a five-year break (plus a couple of months) before legendary director-producer Garry Marshall put out the third in his holiday trilogy, "Mother's Day" (2016). And then, sadly, he died. (Hence it being unlikely there will be any more.) The films — sprawling, ensemble pieces with multiple sepa- rate narratives all circling around the eponymous holiday — were very much labors of love for Marshall. And love letters to him at the same time. "Marshall's later films were nothing if not a marathon of ac- tors and actresses paying their dues to the lovable icon," wrote Vice.com reviewer Lindsey Weber. The list of luminaries paying tribute included it girls and it boys of the time, such as Jessica Biel ("The Illusionist," 2006), and Hollywood megastars ranging from Robert De Niro ("Rag- ing Bull," 1980) to Julia Roberts ("Pretty Woman," 1990). That said, the sheer number of big-name stars involved led to suggestions that the films were just cash grabs — criticisms that irked Marshall. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2011, Mar- shall said the movies that critics prefer are "a different kind of movie than I make. I make a joyous movie for the holiday so you come to have a good time." When Marshall died in 2016, so, too, did the distinctive voice behind the films. Q: I was re-watching "The Muppet Christmas Carol" over the holiday and noticed that they seemed to make a big deal out of showing Kermit's legs in the skating scene. Is that the first time they did that? A: No, but you can tell they're still excited about it. The skating scene in 1992's "The Muppet Christmas Carol," when Kermit as Bob Cratchitt is on his way home on Christmas Eve, grabs you every time. In the second or two of screen time Kermit's legs get, the viewer is prompted to note that: a) we don't often see his legs, b) because he's supposed to be a pup- pet, and c) hey, wait — he's supposed to be a puppet! It's pretty much the same thought process viewers went through when it first happened back in 1979's "The Muppet Movie" — but the surprise was greater then. In critic Roger Ebert's review of the film, he wrote, "Jolson sang, Barrymore spoke, Garbo laughed, and now Kermit the Frog rides a bicycle. 'The Muppet Movie' not only stars the Muppets, but, for the first time, shows us their feet." This lets you know how momentous this development was. So momentous, in fact, it was actually part of the film's plot: Kermit must flee the evil owner of a restaurant chain specializ- ing in frog legs. But it wasn't just Kermit's bottom half making a debut — the film featured full-body shots of multiple Muppets. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. 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