Entertainment Extra

2 ENTERTAINMENT EXTRA By Dana Simpson TV Media W hether first heard as a quip- py one-liner from famous New York humorist Fran Lebowitz ("Pretend It's a City") or read in Esther Crain's book "The Gilded Age in New York, 1870–1910," there is little doubt you've heard about New York City's penchant for change. Per Crain's aforemen- tioned book, released in 2016 and available through most major booksellers, "the most common observation about New York is that it never stops evolv- ing." This is especially true in the HBO series "The Gilded Age," premiering Season 2 on its home network and the Max streaming service Sunday, Oct. 29. Starring Carrie Coon ("Gone Girl," 2014), Cynthia Nixon ("Sex and the City") and Christine Baranski ("Mamma Mia!," 2008) as some of New York's finest wealthy gos- sips, the series follows a group of business moguls and socialites as they work hard to make a name for themselves and build an empire in New York City during the turn of the 20th century. Coon stars as Bertha Russell, a "new money heiress" who caused some major waves in Season 1 alongside her husband, railroad tycoon George Russell (Morgan Spector, "The Plot Against America"), and her fel- low socialite Mrs. Caroline Astor (Donna Murphy, "The Nanny Diaries," 2007), the leader of aristocratic social society called The Four Hundred. With her own societal standing foremost in her sights, Bertha often stirs up more trouble than is necessary to get what she wants. Also to blame for her fair bit of trouble is Marian Brook (new talent Louisa Jacobson), who fell on hard times when her father died in the series premiere and began Season 1 by moving into her estranged aunts' house for a bit of a lifestyle makeover in the Big Apple. Marian's aunts, Ada Brook (Nixon) and Agnes Van Rhijn (Baranski), both belong to the old-money world and thus have very particular views on how things should be done among New York's finest. While Marian does her best to please her aunts, she has also learned that not everyone subscribes to her family's conservative school of thought. Returning alongside Coon, Murphy, Jacobson, Nixon and Baranski for Season 2 is Denée Benton ("UnREAL"), who plays Peggy Scott, a highly motivated writer who moved from Pennsylvania to New York City with Marian. Despite holding down a job as Agnes' secretary, Peggy is of respectable societal standing herself and has come to enjoy the company of her old friend in a new city. She also enjoys testing the boundaries set in place by those in high-up posi- tions, often complicating matters for herself and those closest to her. Headed into the show's sec- ond season, the Primetime Emmy-winning series follows more of the petticoat-clad drama that comes along with Gilded-era expansion. This time, according to the official HBO trailer, it seems that the bulk of the hulla- baloo centers on the world of the operatic arts. More specifically, it likely revolves around the 1886 closing of the Metropolitan Opera House. As newcomers to the show (and maybe even some avid fans) may not yet know, "The Gilded Age" takes many of its plot lines from the annals of his- tory. While hardly to be consid- ered a true story, the first season held to realities of the robber barons of the late 1800s, like the railroading Russells. (The Astors were also a real family, fictional- ized for the series.) Now headed into its second season, "The Gilded Age" is placing its focus on the so-called "Opera House War" of the 1890s and the sub- sequent end of the "Knickerbocker era." A few more characters viewers can count on returning, however, are the aforementioned Russells — as well as Gladys (Taissa Farmiga, "American Horror Story") and Larry Russell (Harry Richardson, "Dunkirk," 2017) — Oscar Van Rhijn (Blake Ritson, "RocknRolla," 2008), Mr. Bannister (Simon Jones, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy") and Mr. Church (Jack Gilpin, "21," 2008). Meanwhile, joining the cast are Laura Benanti ("Life and Beth"), Christopher Denham ("Argo," 2012), Robert Sean Leonard ("House"), Matilda Lawler ("Station Eleven"), Ben Lamb ("Divergent," 2014), Dakin Matthews ("Gilmore Girls"), Nicole Brydon Bloom ("1BR," 2019) and David Furr ("The Highwaymen," 2019). Don't miss the expansion of New York City and Julian Fellowes' ("Downton Abbey") period drama "The Gilded Age" when Season 2 premieres Sunday, Oct. 29, on HBO and Max. Schwering Realty 2 x 2" Pear Tree Gallery 3 x 2" On the Cover David Furr and Louisa Jacobson in "The Gilded Age" HBO period drama lifts curtain on Season 2 Chase Center 3 x 2" American Legion Post 60 2 x 3" Sage & Tonic 2 x 2"

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