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Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Denée Benton, and more ‘The Gilded Age' instant Emmy predictions as Season 3 ends
A near death. Two shocking engagements. Sisters finally reconciling. The Gilded Age Season 3 is officially behind us, which means it's the perfect time to dive into its future Emmy chances.
Remember, the Television Academy's eligibility period runs from June 1 of one year to May 31 of the next, which means the third season of HBO's buzzy, soapy costume drama will contend at the 2026 Emmys. The eight-episode installment wrapped on Sunday to great fanfare, and a fourth season has already been ordered.
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In the Season 3 finale, George Russell (Morgan Spector) survives a gunshot wound thanks to the quick work of Dr. William Kirkland (Jordan Donica), who happened to be next door visiting his love interest, Peggy Scott (Denée Benton). Despite the violence temporarily bringing George and Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) together, he ultimately decides to separate from his wife because of the way she always puts her own interests ahead of his — i.e., forcing Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga) to marry Duke Hector Vere (Ben Lamb) against her will. As for the other Russell child, Larry (Harry Richardson), he and Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) make up after their argument regarding truthfulness.
Elsewhere in the last episode, Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) finally acknowledges that her sister, Ada Brook Forte (Cynthia Nixon), is indeed the head of the household. William proposes to Peggy, choosing to embrace her checkered past rather than run from it, which will no doubt infuriate his busy-body mother, Elizabeth Kirkland (Phylicia Rashad). And Oscar van Rhijn (Blake Ritson) suggests a marriage of opportunity with Enid Winterton (Kelley Curran) so that they can excel in society using his contacts and her wealth. (Don't worry, they'll sleep at separate homes.) Whew! Got all that?
Here are our instant Emmy predictions for The Gilded Age Season 3:
DRAMA SERIES
The Gilded Age was snubbed in this top category for its first season, but received a bid for Season 2 in 2024, where it lost to Shōgun. The costume drama continues to rise in popularity and critical acclaim, so it seems like a shoo-in for it to take one of the eight slots for Season 3, particularly since so many of the current Best Drama Series nominees (Andor, The Last of Us, Severance, and The White Lotus) are not expected to return prior to the May 31 cut-off date.
LEAD ACTING
While most of the ensemble members submit as supporting players, Spector and Coon campaigned in the lead categories for Season 2, resulting in a Best Drama Actress bid for Coon. In Season 3, the Russells' marriage takes center stage as George and Bertha experience a major road bump after she forces their daughter to marry the duke. The emotional scene where she breaks down in tears after he's shot in the chest is also one that should stick in voters' minds a year from now. Coon is currently nominated for The White Lotus in the supporting category, so she's clearly an Emmy favorite. (Gold Derby is predicting she will win.)
SUPPORTING ACTING
The entire ensemble of 34 performers was nominated at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild, signifying its strength with the industry's acting branch. Dozens of stars are now eligible at the Emmys in the supporting races, including most notably Baranski, who received a bid for Season 2, and Nixon, whose role in Season 3 included dealing with her husband's death and becoming the new person in charge of the house. Benton is also a stand-out this year for her character's arc of being bedridden from illness and then falling in love with her doctor. Donna Murphy as Caroline Astor and Kelli O'Hara as Aurora Fane both challenged the status quo with their storylines involving different aspects of divorce. And we have our eye on a pair of recurring guest stars who appear in too many episodes to be eligible for guest: Rashad as William's mother, and Audra McDonald as Peggy's mother.
GUEST ACTING
Per the Emmy rules, only people who appear in fewer than 50 percent of the episodes can compete here, which drastically narrows down the field since so many actors recur throughout the entire season. Four eligible guest stars worthy of Emmy's attention include Bill Camp as J. P. Morgan, a contemporary of George's; Nathan Lane as Ward McAllister, the ostracized man of influence; Merritt Wever as Monica O'Brien, Bertha's feisty sister; and Dylan Baker as Dr. Logan, who tends to George's gunshot wound.
'This season is shaping up to be its best. The actors always have such great chemistry . Carrie Coon continues eating up whenever she is on screen and she never disappoints, and she has already given Emmy worthy performances in these first three episodes. Can't wait to see what she has next to do!'
Sab227 in the topic: The Gilded Age (Season 3) – HBOJuly 7, 2025 at 9:51 am
WRITING AND DIRECTING
For the first two seasons, The Gilded Age was snubbed in the writing and directing categories, but it could make a comeback next year, especially with so many current nominees not returning in time. All eight episodes were written by Julian Fellowes (who won two Emmys for writing and producing Downton Abbey) and Sonja Warfield. And Season 3's directing duties were split between Michael Engler, Deborah Kampmeier, and Salli Richardson Whitfield, the latter being a former directing nominee for Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.
CRAFTS
The period drama has already won an Emmy for production design (2022), and was additionally nominated for hairstyling and costumes (2024). Expect The Gilded Age to be competitive in those three races in 2026, as well as for categories like casting, cinematography, makeup, music, picture editing, sound editing, and sound mixing.
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