The Righteous Gemstones
The Righteous Gemstones is an American crime television series created by Danny McBride that premiered on August 18, 2019, on HBO. The series follows a famous and dysfunctional family of televangelists. It stars Danny McBride, John Goodman, Edi Patterson, Adam DeVine, Cassidy Freeman, Tony Cavalero, Tim Baltz, Skyler Gisondo, and Walton Goggins. The series has aired three seasons, and was renewed for a fourth in 2023.
The Righteous Gemstones
United States
English
3
27
- Jody Hill
- David Gordon Green
- Danny McBride
- John Carcieri
- Jeff Fradley
- Brandon James
- J. David Brightbill
- S. Scott Clackum
29–60 minutes
August 18, 2019 –
present
Premise[edit]
The Righteous Gemstones depicts a family of televangelists and megachurch pastors led by widowed patriarch Eli Gemstone (John Goodman). Eli and his immature children, Jesse (Danny McBride), Judy (Edi Patterson) and Kelvin (Adam DeVine), lead opulent lives funded by church donations.
In the first season, Eli's estranged brother-in-law, Baby Billy Freeman (Walton Goggins), is brought in to lead the Gemstones' new shopping-mall-based satellite church, which leads to a conflict with Rev. John Wesley Seasons (Dermot Mulroney) whose smaller, neighboring church is threatened. Concurrently, a trio of masked figures blackmail Jesse with a scandalous video documenting the lewd behavior of him and his best friends.
In the second season, Jesse and Amber partner with Texas megachurch leaders Lyle and Lindy Lissons (Eric André and Jessica Lowe) to develop a Christian timeshare resort. The family faces threats including investigative journalist Thaniel Block (Jason Schwartzman), an old friend from Eli's criminal past Junior (Eric Roberts), and a mysterious group of motorcycle-riding assassins.
In the third season, Eli scales back his involvement in the church, handing over greater control to his children. Eli's impoverished sister, May–May (Kristen Johnston), resurfaces, asking for his assistance in keeping her family safe from her ex-husband, Peter (Steve Zahn), a vengeful militia leader who holds a decades-long grudge against the Gemstones. Meanwhile, Judy's affair with a musician while on tour leads to bitter consequences in her relationship with BJ.
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
On June 28, 2018, it was announced that HBO had given the production a pilot order. The episode was written and directed by Danny McBride who is also executive producer alongside Jody Hill and David Gordon Green.[25][26] On October 2, 2018, it was reported that HBO had given the production a series order.[27] On July 1, 2019, it was announced that the series would premiere on August 18, 2019.[28] On September 9, 2019, the series was renewed for a second season.[29] On January 25, 2022, HBO renewed the series for a third season.[30] On July 27, 2023, HBO renewed the series for a fourth season.[31]
Writing[edit]
McBride has said he intends the series to run "longer than anything we've done before," including the four-season Eastbound & Down and the two-season Vice Principals. "If I had my way, when this is done, it's like this epic, sprawling tale, like the fucking Thorn Birds or something," he told Polygon. "You'll know everybody in this family, cousins, great uncles, all these people. In my eyes, this season is chapter one. It's just setting the table for who all these people are and what's about to happen."[32] Like McBride's previous television characters, the Gemstones have "an inflated sense of self". McBride comments, "To me, the idea of a minister that sees themself as bigger than God just feels like the ultimate display of that."[33]
For the second season, Eli's backstory was inspired by the Dixie Mafia and the Memphis professional wrestling business, two subjects that have long fascinated McBride. He has stated that the Gemstones were originally inspired by Mafia families and that Eli's gangster background informs how the character runs his church in the present. He draws a parallel between wrestling and televangelism in that both businesses are built around "showmanship" and maintaining "kayfabe".[33]
Casting[edit]
Alongside the pilot order announcement, it was confirmed that Danny McBride and John Goodman would star in the pilot.[25] In July 2018, it was announced that Edi Patterson, Adam DeVine, Cassidy Freeman, Tony Cavalero, and Tim Baltz had also joined the pilot's main cast.[34][35][36] In May 2021, Jason Schwartzman, Eric Roberts, and Eric André joined the cast in recurring roles for the second season.[37]
Filming[edit]
Principal photography for the pilot was completed in August 2018 in Charleston, South Carolina at Citadel Mall.[38] The North Charleston Coliseum served as the interior of Gemstone Ministries, while a former Sears store at Citadel Mall was re-purposed into the Locust Grove Worship Center. (The new church being a former Sears was kept and referenced in the series). In April 2021, HBO confirmed the second season had gone into production,[39] having continued to film mainly in Charleston.[40] In September 2022, it was reported that production on the third season was shut down due to the landfall of Hurricane Ian in South Carolina.[41] Filming for the third season wrapped in December 2022.
Music[edit]
The series music is composed by Joseph Stevens, who has collaborated with McBride on his previous television series. An original song "Misbehavin'" became a viral hit after its debut in the episode "Interlude". Performed by Jennifer Nettles and Walton Goggins as their characters Aimee-Leigh and Baby Billy, "Misbehavin'" is the fictional Freeman siblings' most popular song which they performed as children in the 1960s and reprised as adults in 1989. The song was written by McBride, co-star and co-writer Edi Patterson, and composer Stevens, who designed it to mimic a wholesome, old-time country song but with absurd lyrics such as "Runnin' through the house with a pickle in my mouth".[42]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 75% approval rating with an average rating of 7.1/10, based on 65 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "Though it may not win many new converts, fans of Danny McBride will find much to praise in The Righteous Gemstones's darkly hilarious pews."[47] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 67 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[48]
For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 89% approval rating with an average rating of 7.5/10, based on 19 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "The Righteous Gemstones' second season can be as messy as its title characters, but it's hard to complain when the results are this uproariously funny."[49] Metacritic assigned the season a score of 82 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[50]
For the third season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.0/10, based on 10 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "The Righteous Gemstones has its mixture of broad comedy and genuine pathos down pat, chapter and verse, and it preaches a riotously funny gospel in what might be its darkest installment yet."[51] Metacritic assigned the season a score of 83 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[52]
