The Gilded Age: Season 2 DVD review

Oct 18, 2024- Permalink

The Gilded Age is an HBO historical drama that premiered back in 2022. Set in New York City during the boom years of the late 1800’s, it looks at the conflicts between old and new money, as well as the beginnings of an African-American upper class in a country just years past the Civil War. The series features a large cast that includes Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Taissa Farmiga, Harry Richardson, Blake Ritson, Thomas Cocquerel, Simon Jones, Jack Gilpin, Cynthia Nixon, and Christine Baranski. Warner Brothers has just released The Gilded Age: Season 2 on DVD and I had a chance to take a look. The WB likes disclaimers, so here goes: Though Warner Brothers provided me with a copy of this release to review, the thoughts and opinions below are mine.

The Gilded Age: Season 2 coverart

The Gilded Age: Season 2 is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Warner Bros. has released this season on DVD, so fans of the show looking for an HD experience will need to watch it on streaming or purchase a digital copy. However, it’s quite good looking for the DVD format. Though lacking the heightened clarity and detail of a Blu-ray, the image is still quite good and has a pleasing colour palette that captures the opulence of the era.

On the audio side of things, the set comes with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Subtitles are available for English SDH. The surround channels are put to good use, with ambient sounds putting you into the scenes. Dialogue is clear and centred.

The eight episode three-disc DVD set doesn’t come with a digital code. There’s about half an hour of extras including some historical context, a preview of the storylines, and some pieces with the cast talking about the characters.

Fans of the show who don’t want to be subject to the whims of streaming execs will probably want to pick The Gilded Age: Season 2 up as it combines a good quality DVD presentation with a nice selection of extras.