HBO’s ‘Downton Abbey’ Replacement Is Losing 2 Key Stars Ahead of Season 4
After a year-long wait, the acclaimed historical drama series The Gilded Age returns to HBO this Sunday. Under the leadership of Downton Abbey writer and showrunner Julian Fellowes, The Gilded Age takes place in late nineteenth century New York City and follows the lives of prominent high society families, portrayed by a talented ensemble cast. However, that cast won’t look quite the same as in seasons past.
Two characters, railroad businessman Richard Clay (Patrick Page) and newspaper publisher T. Thomas Fortune (Sullivan Jones) will not be returning for The Gilded Age‘s upcoming fourth season. Both Page and Jones have held recurring roles since the premiere of the first season in 2022, and while their characters may not be the biggest fan favorites, they were integral to some of the series’ most significant storylines. With their absence, The Gilded Age is bound to feel some ripple effects.
What ‘The Gilded Age’ Actor Exits Mean For The Season 3 Cliffhanger
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Image credit via HBO</figure>
Of the two departures, Patrick Page as Richard Clay is the more surprising and significant one. Serving as the secretary to railway tycoon George Russell (Morgan Spector), Clay was a capable and efficient right-hand man who played a pivotal role in the success and expansion of Russell’s empire. In season 3 of The Gilded Age, when a business deal stalls, Clay is fired by Russell and vows revenge, aligning with Russell’s business rivals in an attempt to bring down his former employer. Although Russell outmaneuvers Clay’s plotting, he is then nearly killed when a mystery assailant shoots him at the end of the season, with many viewers assuming Clay masterminded the attack.
With Patrick Page’s exit, he takes Richard Clay with him, and season 4 of The Gilded Age has to address a major storyline that now has no obvious resolution. Clay was certainly the most likely suspect behind the attack on George Russell, but certainly is not the only suspect, either. Russell and his business dealings undoubtedly created a host of other enemies in addition to Clay, like rival railroad tycoon Risley Sage (Peter McRobbie) who made several appearances in season 3. The question is whether another character’s motivations for attacking Russell will be as credible and as fitting to the story as Clay’s would have been. The Gilded Age has the opportunity to pick a less obvious culprit and deliver a genuinely surprising twist, but it also runs the risk of delivering an unsatisfactory conclusion to a major plot development.
How ‘The Gilded Age’ Cast Shake-Up Could Change The Fate of One Character
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Image via Universal Television</figure>
The other cast member leaving The Gilded Age, Sullivan Jones, is not as surprising since his character’s storyline was largely resolved. Jones played T. Thomas Fortune, a real-life historical figure and editor-in-chief of The New York Globe. Season 1 sees Fortune hire Peggy Scott (Denée Benton) to write for the Globe, and he supports her as she advances her career covering major news under her own name. Their relationship shifts from professional to personal in the following season when they go to Alabama to cover a story and, after narrowly escaping a white mob chasing them down, share a passionate kiss. Peggy ultimately decides to leave the Globe to avoid scandal, as Fortune is married, and develops a new romantic relationship in Season 3 with Dr. William Kirkland (Jordan Donica). Fortune, meanwhile, only appears in one episode of the third season to offer Peggy an assignment, which she accepts under the condition that she travels alone instead of with him, and he’s not seen again before or after this solitary appearance.
While it’s possible that his romantic past with Peggy could have played a part in season 4, Fortune’s lack of screen time in the previous season is a good indicator that his arc on The Gilded Age had come to its natural conclusion, and Sullivan’s departure from the show is a reasonable one. There was no shortage of story for Peggy in season 3 without Fortune, considering that she still had a promising career and even a fiancé by the season finale. If anything, Fortune’s absence means that Peggy’s character can evolve and explore new storylines rather than be dragged backwards by past drama. Some characters don’t exit their shows at the right time or in the right way, but in this case, Fortune lives up to his name and takes his leave in a way that sets up the series for continued success.
The Gilded Age returns this Sunday, November 1, 2026, on HBO.
The Gilded Age
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