Nothing succeeds like excess, as the great Oscar Wilde once wrote. "The Gilded Age" speaks to this aphorism, as showrunner Julian Fellowes brings to life a period in American history where opulence was the order of the day, especially in New York City. It revolves around two families who live across the street from one another: one an old-money family with a list of esteemed ancestors a mile long, the other led by a robber baron (Morgan Spector) and his ambitious wife (Carrie Coon), who are chomping at the bit to be accepted into the highest echelons of elite society.

Their evolving positions in a New York that is changing with each passing day provide constant entertainment, as those in their orbit are caught up in no end of high drama, as evinced by the infamous opera wars. (Yes, that w

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