Did The Gilded Age creators just kill off a main character?

The Gilded Age has left fans shocked yet again, just as they are beginning to recover from fan-favourite John Adams being killed off the show.

While the Russell family was managing to pull together and get back on their feet after falling on hard times, things appear to have unravelled for the clan yet again.

True to the show's style, viewers were left on a cliffhanger during the seventh episode of season three, with everyone asking the same question: Is George Russell dead?

The railway tycoon managed to pull things back from the brink and save his family fortune, all thanks to his son Larry who discovered a copper mine in Arizona.

At the end of the episode, the wealthy businessman had been staying at the gentlemen's club despite Bertha's pleas that he remain at home. He ends up getting shot at by a gunman disguised as a delivery worker.

The second the bullet was fired, the screen went to black, leaving fans unsure of whether George was even wounded in the attack.

While the gunman's identity remains a mystery, many have theorised that it was George's former aide, Clay, who had been publicly humiliated. He had been previously sacked and was likely looking for revenge on the man responsible.

What's even more concerning is that Morgan Spector, who plays George, doesn't have high hopes for his character's fate.

'You should be very worried. In the 19th century, gunshot wounds from up close were extremely dangerous. Many people didn’t survive them. I don’t have a contract for next season yet, so who knows?' he told Variety.

Morgan is just as in the dark as fans at the moment. He revealed he didn't know about the shooting for quite some time, but actually saw it as a good thing when he found out.

'Those final scripts were a little delayed, so it took some time before I got them. But when I read the ending for that episode, I was just thrilled, because it’s such a left turn for our show,' he told the outlet.

'It’s totally historically accurate. This kind of thing happened during that era, but it doesn’t feel like "The Gilded Age."'

Fans took to social media to express their shock after the TV show twist, with many X users hoping that George will survive the shot.

'NOOOOO George Russell not you... How can you end the episode like that? George was shot, I cannot wait a whole week. Stay with us George,' one person wrote, while another said: 'JULLIAN FELLOWES, YOOnlU KILL GEORGE RUSSELL, WE RIOT.'