‘the Gilded Age’ Director Says Series Differs From ‘Downton Abbey’

• “The Gilded Age” and “Downton Abbey” are both period pieces created and written by Julian Fellowes.
• Michael Engler, a director on both series, told Insider that he views them as separate entities.
• The possibility for self-reinvention in “The Gilded Age” is “very different than ‘Downton,'” he said.

“The Gilded Age” was always, inevitably, going to yield comparisons to “Downton Abbey.” Fair enough, considering both large-scale period pieces were created and written by Julian Fellowes.

Put aside the 30 years and more than 3,000 miles separating the clash between Manhattan’s old and new money in “The Gilded Age” and the Crawleys’ inhabitance of a sprawling English estate in “Downton Abbey,” and the shows have indisputable similarities.

There are class-driven societies built on fortune and reputation, complex relationships upstairs and downstairs, and aristocratic matriarchs unafraid to vocalize their commitment to the “old ways.”

But when executive producer Gareth Neame called Michael Engler, a director that helmed several episodes of “Downton Abbey” along with the 2019 film, to inquire about his interest in a Fellowes-conceived American historical drama set in 1882, he knew that apart from the shows’ obvious similarities in aesthetic and genre, the overarching vision for “The Gilded Age” was original.

“This is a world where, for the first time really, people have this feeling that they can be whoever they want to be, that they can invent themselves, that they can start over, that they can make themselves from nothing into a very powerful person,” Engler told Insider.

He added, “This isn’t just a bunch of beautiful rooms and beautiful houses. This is an urban story about a concrete, limestone, brick city that is moving fast, and it has a real power to it.”

In “The Gilded Age,” self-made individuals like railroad tycoon George Russell (Morgan Spector) and his wife Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) are unabashed in their “ambition,” “drive,” and “aspiration.” They move uptown, where they construct grand Fifth Avenue mansions and do their best to infiltrate the city’s most exclusive, guarded establishments.

The threat that the newly rich pose to the old guard, a tight circle that’s been set in stone since the Mayflower touched down hundreds of years earlier, makes “The Gilded Age” much “different than ‘Downton,'” according to Engler.

In “Downton Abbey,” the 1%’s seemingly impenetrable power is accumulated exclusively by lineage or marriage. It’s not self-made, and it’s certainly not earned by grit.

Engler acknowledged that Fellowes’ writing voice is “unique” and “distinct,” so of course there is a shared “intelligence” in the “Downton Abbey” and “The Gilded Age” characters from all walks of life.

“The least educated people, in their own way, are incredibly articulate. They’re witty in their own way,” Engler said, continuing, “There’s this funny balance between comedy and drama, even within certain scenes. Some are very comic, some are very dramatic, and some have this interesting mix.”

“Downton Abbey” fans will see familiar faces in the highly anticipated film sequel, premiering in theaters in May 2022.

However, viewers are newly curious about a potential crossover with “The Gilded Age,” having pieced together the “Downton” characters’ pasts in the hopes of discovering threads that tie the worlds together.

Neame confirmed that a mash-up is “not really planned” during an interview with TVLine. “It’s a separate universe, but they’re both fictions set in the 1880s. ‘Downton Abbey,’ in its own fiction, was definitely there.”

As for Fellowes, he didn’t seem entirely opposed to a New York-Yorkshire mixer.

“I’ve learned this much, never say never,” he told Deadlinewhen asked about a crossover. “I’ll stick with that as my answer.”

“The Gilded Age” is available to stream on HBO Max, with new episodes released weekly.