TV Review: The Righteous Gemstones

August 19th 2019, 1:15pm

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Synopsis: Follows the world famous Gemstone televangelist family, which has a long tradition of deviance, greed, and charitable work, all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

Review: Danny McBride and David Gordon Green have had one hell of a run in recent years. Between HALLOWEEN and it's two upcoming sequels and their series work on HBO, Green and McBride have a strong working relationship. Their latest project, The Righteous Gemstones, is in line with their previous series Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals, as they continue to skewer a very specific segment of American culture. In the case of The Righteous Gemstones, the duo tackle megachurches that seem to value profit over faith. Reuniting with some co-stats from previous projects and enlisting new talents like John Goodman and Adam DeVine. The result is a funny show that, at first glance, seems to be a bit more mature than what we have come to expect from McBride but then things get crazy.

With a first season of only six episodes, The Righteous Gemstones is comprised of hour long chapters as opposed to the expected thirty minute stories typically found with comedies. The series also feels like it has a pre-determined story, much like Vice Principals, which could limit it's longevity. But, neither of these is really a concern as the show is as smart as it is delightfully vulgar. In the first episode, we get jokes about incest as well as multiple shots of frontal nudity, both male and female. But, unlike McBride's previous HBO series, The Righteous Gemstones gives us more than the perspective of one angry man. Instead, this series truly works as an ensemble focused on the conflicts facing each member of the Gemstone clan.

There are two primary storylines which draw in the entire Gemstone clan. As the series opens, the main plot follows Jesse (Danny McBride) as he is blackmailed after being recorded with drugs and prostitutes. Risking his famiy's legacy, he enlists his brother Kelvin (Adam DeVine) and sister Judy (Edi Patterson). Kelvin feels stuck in his older brother's shadow while Judy is completely left out of responsibility within the church. The three have a rivalry like many siblings do, but they do band together when faced with losing their good fortune. Father Eli (John Goodman) is meanwhile still mourning his late wife, Aimee-Leigh, and questioning where he fell away from the righteous path. All the while, the Gemstones are being challenged by other local pastors which gives the series a territorial element seen in gangster or crime dramas like The Sopranos or THE GODFATHER.

The Righteous Gemstones also is very similar to series airing now like Billions, HBO's own Succession, and Paramount Network's Yellowstone as these are the filthy rich doing whatever they please with barely any consequences. The series does not delve too much into the actual parishioners of the Gemstone's religious empire, but rather focuses on their fallability as human beings. It also does so with some truly raunchy jokes and unexpected violence. Just like VIce Principals and Eastbound & Down, The Righteous Gemstones takes place in a realistic world that is just slightly off in a surreal manner.

It is also interesting to note that while Danny McBride did helm two episodes of Vice Principals and shared co-creator status on all previous projects, The Righteous Gemstones is 100% his baby. With the sole created by credit on the series, McBride wrote and directed the season premiere and shares a co-writing credit on all six episodes. Danny McBride's talents behind the camera show that he has learned a lot from his collaborations with David Gordon Green (who helms the second and third episodes) and has evolved somewhat as a writer based on his prior efforts. Where he was the central character on Eastbound & Down and shared the limelight with Walton Goggins on Vice Principals, here McBride truly becomes a member of an ensemble which affords him the ability to be funny but never overstay his welcome.

Despite being an hourlong, The Righteous Gemstones never sags or suffers from too much time and not enough material. Each episode works as a standalone entry in this familial saga and if you saw the premiere last night on HBO, you know the first episode ends with a pretty significant act by the siblings. This is a series that is going to divide audiences just like Danny McBride's earlier HBO shows simply because it crosses some major boundaries. But, The Righteous Gemstones doesn't offend nearly as much as it could and tells an engaging story that I did not see coming. While McBride had an end date in mind for his earlier shows, The Righteous Gemstones is open ended and could go in many different directions for many seasons to come. So far, it is off to a good start.

The Righteous Gemstones airs Sundays on HBO.