Warning: This article contains spoilers for the first two seasons of The Righteous Gemstones.Heaven is shining down on The Righteous Gemstones, HBO’s rowdy comedy about a televangelist southern family who put the Roys of Succession to shame. You may have wondered how the heck this inventive series from creator Danny McBride was going to top itself after season two’s calamities. There was that Zion’s Landing debacle, spiritual wonderland that it was. How about that twist of the Cycle Ninjas becoming part of Kelvin (Adam DeVine) and Keefe’s (Tony Cavalero) youth fitness program? Megachurch Lyle (Eric Andre) getting eaten by wolves? Holy hell. What next?
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Plenty. Season three aims… well, if not higher, then high enough. It’s fun, often hilarious, offbeat, and engaging. And while the third outing may recycle some of its own familiar tropes — how many more people can come after The Gemstones, after all? — somehow this series remains a delight with its devil-may-care attitude. Fittingly, considering the night it airs, the show still knows how to wear its Sunday best.
Never Put the Kids in Charge
Season three begins with gusto as the spoiled Gemstone siblings and their egos hope to gain more power. Eldest son Jesse (McBride), crooner Judy (Edi Patterson), and hip Kelvin (DeVine) — is it just us or are we ready for he and his bromantic crush Keefe to hit the steam room and have it already? — have been gifted joint control of the ministry that their deceased mother, Aimee Leigh (Jennifer Nettles), and pops Eli (John Goodman) founded. Eli is technically retired but handing over the reins of an empire to his bratty kids proves to be challenging. The trio can’t seem to get it together, misfiring along the way. Eli was the grounded force that kept everything in check. The kids don’t realize the mammoth undertaking placed before them.
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Nor do they comprehend that enemies lurk in and out of the shadows — again. It’s a Cycle Ninjas Redux, but with different foes this time around. Enter: the Simkins siblings, an orphan troika led by Vance (Stephen Dorff) who are envious that they had to work much harder than the Gemstone kids, who have had everything handed to them on a gold platter. It’s fun to watch how all that plays out. In fact, the Gemstones face extreme life-and-death situations this season — all it wonderfully executed by McBride’s creative posse and the actors themselves. It’s fun, sure. But it’s also downright gripping.
Elsewhere, we have Eli’s estranged sister May May (Kristen Johnston in a standout performance). This, too, may feel familiar, especially since the series gave us Baby Billy Freeman (the great Walton Goggins), Aimee Leigh’s brother, who came after Eli a while back. Still, there’s plenty of zest in what unfolds here as May May enters the fold. Her side of the family is much more radical than Eli’s. It’s May May’s ex-husband Peter (Steve Zahn) that stirs the golden pot throughout several episodes, causing trouble for Eli and his children. Familiar yet engaging nonetheless, and Johnston and Zahn command the screen.
The Book of Comedy According to Gemstone
Warner Bros. Television
In a refreshing twist, some of the side players get more to work with this season. It’s great to see Tony Cavalero’s Keefe dive deeper into, well, himself this go around. That repressed/maybe not-so-repressed man crush he and Kelvin share gets put to the test, too. Meanwhile, Tim Baltz’s BJ finds that even he may be tiring of his good-boy image. His marriage to Judy becomes a major focus as the first six episodes play out. Edi Patterson confidently steps into her character — Judy has never been more sassy or exhausting. Biggest question: Will BJ grow some balls and stand up to Judy?
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Other standouts include the arrival of Shea Whigham, who dips in as aging race car driver eager for an endorsement. And look for Peter and May May’s adult children, Chuck (Lukas Haas) and Carl (Robert Oberst), to figure prominently throughout this season. As the Gemstones’ poorer cousins, it’s a hoot to watch how these fellas handle things. It’s also great to see Skyler Gisondo’s Gideon Gemstone take a more commanding presence in some episodes this season. You may recall the actor from the series Fairfax and Santa Clarita Diet, a show that deserved at least one more whacky season.
Not to be left out, of course, is dear Eli. Goodman is always a delight. He is Eli Gemstone through and through. And if the arrival of another potential foe in the form of his sister May May feels eerily familiar to another subplot featuring Eric Roberts’ preacher Junior, you’re likely to forgive the premise. Creator Danny McBride keeps everything moving along at breakneck speed. He also seems to know that we like seeing the Gemstones battling their own kind of “evil” and coming to terms with, as best they can, living a more authentic life. How righteous of the Gemstone kiddies to at least try. But good God, let’s keep his blessed bunch as messy as can be. Hallelujah to that.
Season three of The Righteous Gemstones hits HBO and Max June 18.
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