The Gilded Age star jokes about Sex and the City connection as period drama returns for "grittier" season 4

New York-set period drama The Gilded Age is back for season 4 as one of its stars has found a connection with another iconic NYC series in her character Peggy.

Created by Downton Abbey's Julian Fellowes, the HBO series centres on the war between "old" and "new money" in 20th-century New York, also focusing on the lived experiences of the Black families navigating these social circles.

Star Denée Benton has reflected on her character's arc during a recent HBO event, joking that her Peggy Scott is "the Miranda" of the show. An aspiring journalist and author, Peggy reminds Benton of the career-focused Sex and the City character played by Cynthia Nixon, who's also part of The Gilded Age cast.

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"Peggy is a trailblazer in the sense that she doesn't have a lot of people to model her dreams off of, which I love," Benton told Digital Spy and other press.

"A class of professional working woman wasn't something that really existed widespread at that time. You were either working class or aristocracy."

She continued, glancing at Nixon: "I like to joke that Peggy is the Miranda of our show. She's like, career woman forward, the men can get in where they fit in."

Reflecting on Peggy's arc as she's now engaged to Dr William Kirkland (Jordan Donica) while keeping prioritising her career, Benton said: "I do think that this season seeing her attempt to really balance love and work becomes this really modern struggle that I think the audiences will relate to."

The actor said Peggy "sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears" to get her dreams off the ground.

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"And so, to see her be so ravenous for what she wants is kind of radical in its own way. It's radical today, but it was extremely radical then, and sort of be in her like [Carrie Coon's character] Bertha of Brooklyn bag of, 'I see a vision and I'm sorry, I can't really move it for you. I did a lot for this,'" she added.

"I think getting to represent that kind of leading lady archetype, especially as a story that hasn't been told on mainstream television yet has been like the honour of my career.

"And this season, it feels like it really blossoms. She's sort of undeniable in her Renaissance Woman era, which is exciting."

Benton, Coon and Nixon are part of the show's core cast, alongside Christine Baranski, Louisa Jacobson, Morgan Spector, Taissa Farmiga and Harry Richardson.

Premiered in 2022, the series has seen its Rotten Tomatoes ratings increase across its four seasons.

A darker chapter offering a more honest look into the characters' internal struggles while maintaining its addictive, soapy tone, season 4 debuted at 100% last week and is now Certified Fresh with a score of 90%.

RogerEbert.com called the new season "grittier" and "more authentic", while Collider noted that the show "has unquestionably hit its stride".

The Gilded Age season 4 airs on Sky and streams on NOW.

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Reporter, Digital Spy

Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy. 

Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).