# The Righteous Gemstones (2019)

> A televangelist family's greed, scheming, and sibling rivalry collide in a crude, irreverent southern satire of faith and fame.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/70688

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 36
- Episode runtime: 37 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama
- Created by: Danny McBride
- Network: HBO
- Cast: Danny McBride, Adam Devine, Edi Patterson, John Goodman, Cassidy Freeman, Tony Cavalero, Tim Baltz, Skyler Gisondo
- TMDB rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8634332/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: irreverent, crude, satirical, absurdist, sardonic, tender

## What critics say

Audiences rate the series positively, praising its crude, irreverent comedy and its skewering of televangelist excess, while finding the plot less complex than hoped.

## Synopsis

The Righteous Gemstones (2019-2025) is an American HBO comedy-drama created by Danny McBride. Danny McBride plays Jesse Gemstone, the scheming heir to a world-famous televangelist dynasty, alongside Adam Devine as the ambitious Kelvin Gemstone, Edi Patterson as the sharp-tongued Judy Gemstone, and John Goodman as the patriarch Eli Gemstone. Their megachurch empire rests on a history of deviance, greed and genuine charitable works, all staged in the name of Jesus. Each season follows the family's rival ambitions, shifting alliances and attempts to protect a ministry that depends on appearances. The show runs across four seasons of nine episodes each and plays as one continuing serialized saga rather than standalone cases. Its engine is the family's constant scramble for power and reputation, with every scheme colliding with the others' vanity. Set in the modern American South, its world is rich with megachurch stages, private jets, and lavish estates. The tone is crude, profane and irreverent, yet it carries a surprising undercurrent of sibling loyalty and tenderness. Fans of Succession, Eastbound and Down and dark southern satire will find resonance in its blend of outrageous humor and family dysfunction. It remains a sharp, bawdy portrait of faith as a family business.

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