HBO Max Gives a First Glimpse of ‘War’ and ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 4
HBO Max has dropped its trailer for shows coming in the second half of 2026, including 'The Gilded Age' Season 4 and the highly anticipated series 'War'.
HBO Max tends to drop first look previews three times a year: late spring, early fall, and Christmas. So this week’s trailer is right on time, looking back at what has already aired and streamed this year, and then ahead to what to expect in the second half of 2026. Despite the network about to be swallowed whole by Paramount+ and turned into state television, if this is HBO’s last year of existing in a form people recognize, it’s a good one.
HBO notably starts off its retrospective with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the Game of Thrones spinoff that actually landed as a hit, and earned that Season 2 renewal. Conversely, Half Man is skimmed over quickly, as it failed to be the Baby Reindeer hit the network wanted.
House of the Dragon, now limping into its third season, kicks off the what’s ahead portion of the trailer; less because it is a successful hit than because it’s the only one with the nearest official release date. (The Harry Potter series closes out the trailer for the same reason: its release is the furthest away.) However, in between there are two very good looks at shows we’re very excited for in the second half of 2026: The Gilded Age, which is pushing its timeline forward to get the Granthams involved, and the brand new anthology series War, which is HBO’s answer to “The Pitt, but make it a Legal Drama.”
Here’s the current (very brief) Season 4 synopsis:
Bertha Russell changed Society at a cost. Now, her family must reckon with the consequences as Agnes van Rhijn seizes an opportunity to regain her position. Meanwhile, Marian forges a new path for herself, and Peggy works to be accepted by her future in-laws. In this new era, you must be careful what you wish for.
Ani Bundel
Here’s the synopsis for War:
Set in the elite world of London law, War debuts with a scandalous divorce case that sends shockwaves through boardrooms, bedrooms, and courtrooms alike. The series follows two of London’s most prestigious rival firms – Cathcarts and Taylor & Byrne – as they go head-to-head in the divorce case of the century. Each side is certain they’ll win. But as the case spirals and loyalties fracture, reputations are on the line, and everyone’s playing to win.
This is just the beginning - Season 1’s explosive case is the first in an anthology of headline-making legal battles.
Sienna Miller (Anatomy of a Scandal) and Dominic West (The Crown) headline the series’ first season, with an ensemble cast that includes Phoebe Fox (The Great) as Serena Byrne and James McArdle (Playing Nice) as Nicholas Taylor, partners in life and business at Taylor & Byrne; plus Nina Sosanya (Good Omens) as “Her Majesty” Beatrice “Queen Bea” Ubosi, and Pip Torrens (Poldark) as St John Smallwood, their counterparts and fierce rivals at Cathcarts. Archie Renaux (The Jetty) rounds out the cast as ambitious lawyer Jonathan “Johnny” Warren.
House of the Dragon Season 3 debuts on HBO Max on Sunday, June 21, 2026, and airs and streams weekly on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET through mid-August. Both The Gilded Age Season 4 and War Season 1 are expected to premiere between September and November of 2026. The Harry Potter series will arrive by Christmas.
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