The Gilded Age: Which Characters Aren't Returning For Season 4?
New York society will be down two players when "The Gilded Age" returns to HBO for Season 4 on Sunday, November 1. Neither Patrick Page, who plays George Russell's secretary Richard Clay, nor Sullivan Jones, who plays New York Globe publisher T. Thomas Fortune, will be appearing this fall, Deadline reports.
Page's departure is the bigger surprise of the two, given that his character remains at the center of a very important storyline. Though George survived being shot at the end of Season 3, the identity of his shooter, or rather the identity of the person who paid the failed assassin, has yet to be identified. Coincidentally, George also had a dramatic falling out with Clay last season after George fired him for failing to close a major deal.
HBO
Because George isn't one let bygones be bygones (just ask his wife!), the former business partners have yet to make up. In fact, Clay is now working for one of George's biggest rivals, and many viewers have speculated that he could have been involved in George's attempted murder.
Will that mystery not be at the top of George's mind when the show returns for Season 4? We know he already has a lot on his plate — what with his marriage to Bertha being on the verge of total implosion — but you'd think a man as powerful as George would like to figure out who tried to kill him.
Could these characters return in later seasons of The Gilded Age?
Of these two "Gilded Age" exits, Sullivan Jones' departure will likely be less noticeable. While he is the publisher of an important newspaper, T. Thomas Fortune was introduced largely as a love interest for Peggy Scott in the show's first season. Given that Peggy is now engaged to Dr. William Kirkland, it makes sense that we would be seeing less of him.
Then again, the trailer for "The Gilded Age" Season 4 shows Peggy and William at odds over their future; he is offered a tempting position in Washington, D.C., but she makes it clear that her momentum in New York is too great to give up. So it's possible that Mr. Fortune need only wait patiently for that engagement to crumble before reentering the picture. After all, Deadline reports that Clay and/or Mr. Fortune could guest-star in future seasons, so don't count anyone out just yet!
Both Jones and Patrick Page joined "The Gilded Age" in its first season in recurring roles. They were both promoted to series regulars for Season 2, but were bumped back down to recurring for Season 3.
Cast members confirmed to be appearing in "The Gilded Age" Season 4 include Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell, Christine Baranski as Agnes van Rhijn, Cynthia Nixon as Ada Forte, Morgan Spector as George Russell, Louisa Jacobson as Marian Brook, Denée Benton as Peggy Scott, Taissa Farmiga as Duchess Gladys Vere, Harry Richardson as Larry Russell, Blake Ritson as Oscar van Rhijn, Ben Ahlers as Jack Trotter, Ashlie Atkinson as Mamie Fish, Dylan Baker as Dr. Logan, Kelley Curran as Enid Winterton, Jordan Donica as Dr. William Kirkland, Jessica Frances Dukes as Athena Trumbo, Amy Forsyth as Carrie Astor, Jack Gilpin as Mr. Church, Simon Jones as Mr. Bannister, and Celia Keenan-Bolger as Mrs. Bruce.
The extensive list continues with Ben Lamb as Duke Hector Vere, Audra McDonald as Dorothy Scott, Brian Stokes Mitchell as Frederick Kirkland, Debra Monk as Mrs. Armstrong, Hattie Morahan as Lady Sarah Vere, Donna Murphy as Caroline Astor, Kristine Nielsen as Mrs. Bauer, Kelli O'Hara as Aurora Fane, Taylor Richardson as Bridget, Douglas Sills as Monsieur Baudin, Erin Wilhelmi as Adelheid Weber, John Douglas Thompson as Arthur Scott, Taylor Trensch as Oliver, James Scully as Lee Klein, Dennis Haysbert as Dr. Reginald Harris, Maggie Kuntz as Fiona Summers, Neal Huff as John D. Rockefeller, Bonnie Milligan as Knapp Curtis, Jim Gaffigan as President Grover Cleveland, Dallas Roberts as Daniel Manning, Andrew Burnap as Porter, Elizabeth Marvel as Nurse Virginia Saville, Adrienne Warren as Ava, Bill Camp as J.P. Morgan, and Phylicia Rashad as Elizabeth Kirkland.
Will you miss either T. Thomas Fortune or Richard Clay in "The Gilded Age" Season 4? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.