Emory University professor helps shape ‘The Gilded Age’

Emory professor works as lead historian on The Gilded Age

Emory University professor Erica Dunbar brings her expertise in African American history to HBO’s The Gilded Age, where she has helped shape historically grounded storylines and expand the roles of Black characters. Now a co-executive producer, Dunbar says the show can entertain viewers while also leaving them with new insights. This spring, she’ll bring the series into the classroom with an Emory course on Black life and culture in The Gilded Age.

ATLANTA - As fans get ready for the Season 4 premiere of HBO’s The Gilded Age, an Emory University professor is bringing her expertise to the show’s stories about 1880s New York.

From historian to co-executive producer

Erica Dunbar, chair of Emory’s African American Studies Department, has worked on the series since its beginning. As a historical consultant, she helps shape storylines rooted in the period and has contributed to expanding the roles of African American characters.

Dunbar was among the first Black creatives to work as a producer on the series. By the time its first season aired, she had been promoted to co-executive producer.

A different kind of classroom

Dunbar said the show offers an unusually large audience for stories informed by history. While The Gilded Age is made to entertain rather than teach, she hopes viewers finish an episode "maybe a bit smarter."

Her television work has also influenced her teaching at Emory. Dunbar said she hopes her students benefit from her experience working to capture an audience through television writing and production.

This spring semester, she will lead a course titled "Lights, Camera, Action: Black Life and Culture in HBO’s The Gilded Age."