The Gilded Age

The inclusion of Black character Peggy Scott can read as tokenism but it does lend more scope to a drama about historical characters in a rarified wealthy milieu. We see the racism she faces both in public and private, and understand (and cringe at) how painful it is; making her a college-educated aspiring writer is an interesting and dramatically meaty choice, too. But certain characters are unrealistically open-minded for the times, and the show doesn't explain it, which detracts from the realism. The show takes time to introduce real-life Black characters such as publisher T. Thomas Fortune, which may inspire readers to learn more about Black life in late 19th century New York City.

A character dies by suicide. (Not depicted, but gunshot is heard, with light blood spatters on table.)

Marriage is an endless topic of conversation; expect lots of talk about who's suitable for whom. Expect flirting, kissing, old-fashioned dating that takes place at parties, chaperoned by family at home. One character is involved in a same-sex partnership that's kept secret; we see them kissing in a way that suggests a comfortable, long-running sexual relationship. At its raciest, a woman is naked in dim candlelight, lap blanketed but breasts visible.

Language is infrequent: "hell," "bastard."

We see visuals of characters drinking wine with dinner, of wealthy people smoking cigars; a character refers to a "smoking room."

Parents need to know that The Gilded Age is a lavish period drama set in the late 19th century in New York City, created by Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey). The show focuses on societal and cultural struggles between people who considered themselves "old money" (with inherited wealth) and those considered "new money" (people who made money through business), and as such demonstrates the pain that snobbery and unkindness can cause. The inclusion of a main Black character, a college-educated woman who aspires to be a novelist, also interjects racial consciousness into the series, though her storyline is on the minor side compared to the White characters. Servants who toil in the service of their wealthy employers are almost universally happy at their work and don't appear jealous or resentful of those they serve. Otherwise, iffy content is infrequent. We see characters drinking wine with dinner and smoking cigars; no one acts drunk. A character dies by suicide; it's off-screen but a gunshot is heard and blood lightly spatters on a table. One woman is seen naked from the waist up (breasts visible), there's a lot of talk about marriage and who could be "suitable," and a main character has a same-sex relationship that's kept secret. Language is infrequent, but expect "hell" and "bastard."