The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 (Final Season)

I loved this show, and sat down to watch the third season starting late October of last year. Even I watch a show I usually watch one ep a week.

Then the election happened.

I just can’t bring myself to watch it anymore. We all know the Gemstones would be cheering Trump on every step of the way.

Show’s a big nope for me now.

^^^ when I watch

Interesting first episode. I liked it.

Hallelujah what a payday! Glad it's back

I've never watched it but sounds like fun. HBO does it best.

I can see the Gemstones thinking "look at those MAGA chumps; how can we cash in on that?" And they'd come up with some ridiculous scheme like a tanning bed to zap out the gay or something equally ridiculous (though just the kind of thing evangelical churches would do). As a person who lives around a lot of these #Jesus Saves type churches, I kind of appreciate the angle of how it's a business and you've got to bigger, glitzier and more entertaining than the next guy.

Bradley Cooper was kind of hot in the season 4 premiere episode.

🎶 Redeemeeer 🎵 Just finished season 3 now to watch the new episode

Episode one of the fourth season was an interesting diversion. Not too many laughs to be had, but Bradley Cooper as the original Gemstone was great casting. The family has been grifting schmucks via religion since day one. I would guess the golden Bible will be at the center of this season.

Episode 2: I laughed more in the first 5 minutes of this show than I have in months. The crazy practice for Amy Leigh's birthday celebration, going to hell, complete with jet pack malfunctions, then Walton Goggins with his junk swinging around. OMG!

Real or prosthetic dick?

Apparently, it's prosthetic -- Walton was on Jimmy Kimmel recently and talked about having a "stunt dick".

Megan Mullally! Great show tonight, Walton was so funny.

Aww, Keef wants to get married.  Before that tidbit, Keef and Kelvin were in their room and Keef was taking off all of Kelvin's hand/arm jewelry, I got myself braced for a possible fisting scene with these two crazy kids.  That's how it seemed to be going.... then, psych!

My one nitpick... Pontius.  First, I hate the name and his scenes drag.  The character was crowbarred into a few scenes last season for some reason.  I find the actor totally rizz-free and surely is related to some producer or investor who asked that he get camera time.   Less is more.

The kids names are biblical. Gideon, Abraham . . . and Pontius.

They should have known he would be cursed with that name, in the Bible Pontias orders the execution of Jesus

I saw an Easter egg in this episode. On Eli’s boat, he had a bunch of hats hanging up. One of them was the Adam’s Atoms hat from Revenge of the Nerds

R14 his dad is an actor and is also on The Righteous Gemstones. The kid is not a good actor, But maybe he’ll have more nude scenes this season.

He is tall, so he has that going for him.

Ugh. I love this show but the first episode was a major disappointment. It's like going to your favorite French restaurant and it's "Taco Night."

Episode two had a lot of laughs, and it set up the season's storylines really well. The Gemstone children have never been more insufferable and self-absorbed than in this episode.

Yes the 3 children are terrible, I could relate to Eli saying "oh fuck" when he saw them coming in the boat. As much as they swear you would think the congregation would hear it and complain.

I thought episode one was really good—I can’t stand Bradley Cooper but I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets an Emmy nod for a guest appearance.

The older kids screaming “pussy” at the dad—OMG.

Uncle Baby Billy is like Tyler Perry and Eli is like Luke Perry… dead!

I loved baby Billy’s outfit that had the card suits on it. I think it was a matching blouse and pants. My mom would’ve worn that.

Did you see how bitchy Uncle Baby Billy was with the staffers in his dressing room, even grabbing one by the hip like she was a slave or something? He can be so mean, I just love him so much. And him just having his cock out as a power move in front of his sister's kids cracked me up. He was in absolutely no hurry to cover that up. And the Luke Perry jab was brutal!

[quote]My one nitpick... Pontius. First, I hate the name

I'll never get over the fact that he's named after the governor of Judea who ordered Jesus' crucifixion. In fact, I find that absurd fact alone so funny, I can somehow look past the boring actor and character.

First, i am so happy to hear that Uncle Baby Billy is still producing Bible Bonkers - despite the locust plague from last season.

Second - in the Civil War season opener, the rezt may be historically accurate, but no antebellum southern evangelical preacher on earth would have worn that white chasuble-esque robe that the minister in the opening scenes had on.

Why can otherwise well costumed shows never get vestments right?

R1 I get it. I have loved all three years of this show, but I've tried watching the first ep four or five times. And I can't get through it.

Yeah, the season opener was a hard watch and I'm not even American. And it's not just the Civil War aspect, Bradley Cooper's character was vile to the core. On the other hand, the cinematography was pretty gorgeous, with some extraordinary nature shots.

Anyway, I'm just glad that origin story is out of the way now and we won't be hopping back and forth in time throughout the season.

R17 the hat

I just can’t get into the show at this point. Maybe because it was away so long. If I keep up with it it’s only because Judy Gemstone is hilarious. They’ve gone just a wee bit overboard with Baby Billy into absurd cartoon territory. They did it great the last couple of season but now, they seem to have turned it up just a little too much.

Kelvin’s boyfriend - I always thought the actor/character was just really gross, like he’d smell like sweat and feet. But holy fuck does the actor playing him look sick or what? I’m a GenX so of course it looks like definite facial wasting to me, but maybe it isn’t. He’s much more lean now and his arms look toned, but the rest of his body looks scrawny and as if he has just a bit of a distended stomach. Add that to the appearance of facial wasting and he has a look many of us here would recognize. But maybe it’s just his look. Who knows.

Yeah, Judy's crass one-liners are iconic and she for sure didn't disappoint in the second episode. Uncle Baby Billy has been a cartoon since his first appearance in that gross bath tub though, he's never once been a realistic character. Okay, maybe in that flashback episode where he's singing the Misbehavin' song with Aimee-Leigh.

I do agree about Tony Cavalero's gaunt face this season, those closeups are pretty brutal. It's probably just keto, doubt it's something more serious because he does look healthy otherwise.

[quote]I always thought the actor/character was just really gross, like he’d smell like sweat and feet.

This often happens when men past a certain age sport long (and usually bleached) hair. I feel the same about Norman Reedus and Keith Urban. It's like our brain is telling us those two things don't go together. But, men will cling to their youth...

[quote]I do agree about Tony Cavalero's gaunt face this season, those closeups are pretty brutal

I had to go back and watch a scene from the previous season to see if his face has always looked that gaunt. He looks awful.

One thing about this series I've thought was strange is that Judy doesn't have any children of her own. The daughter of a famous evangelical minister and leader would be told almost from birth her goal in life would be to get married and have a million kids (the "quiverfull" mentality). But she and BJ have no children, and the topic is never mentioned. (Or maybe it was in the early seasons, but I forgot.)

Judy is ridiculous, but funny.

Look at all these fit slits!

Got me slick boy, bout to start finger dancing on my snapdragz

I bet she gets pregnant this year. B.J. would be a great dad.

I just watched the first episode of the season. When the credits rolled I saw the name "Josh McDermitt" and I thought 'isn't that the guy from the Walking Dead?'. I had to roll back and see if I could pick him out - he played the pastor of the church that was robbed/killed in the beginning. Did not recognize him.

Also in that premiere were cameos from Patrick Carney of The Black Keys (blues rock band from Akron) and Paul Schneider, the guy who famously quit Parks and Recreation just before it got huge.

r32 That might seem strange at first until you consider the central conceit of the show, which is the comedic juxtaposition between their ostensible Christianity when they're working the pews and their *very* unChristian-like language and actions in their personal lives. These people have never been presented as particularly reactionary or fundamentalist. Which is why Amber's unironic dig at sodomy felt so jarring in the second episode, they never leaned hard into that aspect of religion before. Though they had to turn it up a notch in order to set up a conflict with Kelvin's new rainbow Bible venture.

The first season, Judy was intolerable, but it seems like the writers adjusted & got just the right mixture of anger, delusion, pathos and neediness was just right. The scene where she pulls Aunt Tiffany off the bus, simultaneously telling her that she loves her & she thinks she's disgusting was hilarious. And the guy who plays BJ is equally hilarious, particularly how they dress him like he's the Easter Bunny

Goodman and Mullally in a McDonald's commercial 42 years ago, and now reunited on this show.

Another great episode. The rival pastor copying all of Jesse's movements (including pretending to smoke a pipe) at the secret society meeting was great physical comedy. The mustache discussion was a riot. Poor BJ; will he be wheelchair-bound the rest of the season, only to miraculously recover by the final episode?

Meanwhile, how the golden Bible will play into the season?

Also: The directing of the opening barbecue scene was kind of weird, with the camera constantly zooming and moving around. It was a little disorienting.

I have never seen this show, but I heard that Brock O'Hearn was in it. Is this true?

Was he good?

He looked good but he wasn't a featured part. He didn't have a big role - he was in the background with a bunch of muscle dudes who were part of a church men's group. - that was in S2.

No love for Sean Wiliam Scott?

I still find Keef hard to look at and wish they’d stop portraying Kelvin as an over the top gay stereotype. I know the show is designed to be campy and ridiculous but come on. And of course in the scene of Kelvin’s gay church service, all the parishioners taking part were “freak” gays and lesbians. Do we always have to be the comic relief using stereotypes? For instance, Judy Gemstone isn’t a stereotype of a woman, cooking and cleaning and always wanting babies etc etc. The character is over the top campy but without necessarily disparaging women or playing to stereotype. In fact, she’s the opposite: strong willed, cusses like an offshore oil rig worker, prone to physical confrontation, bold and take-charge. But she’s still hilariously funny. Couldn’t they apply the same approach to the gay characters? At least sometime?

McBride said a couple of years ago this would be his longest-running show. And while that's now technically true looking purely at the number of episodes, everyone at the time assumed he meant this show would go on for many, many more seasons. But then Zaslav came in and slashed their budget and filming time, resulting in what we saw last night – for me (by far) the weakest episode of the show's entire run. Jokes weren't landing, editing was off (that picnic scene, wtf?), David Gordon Green's horrible direction... Actors were sweating their asses off, even Judy was shot in an unflattering way for the first time ever, with her chest moles being super prominent.

I've been looking around and others seem confused as well. I'm a huge fan but I'm sorry, that did not feel like a Gemstones episode at all.

[quote]I still find Keef hard to look at

He was shirtless this episode and he was more vein than muscle. Full-on beef jerky territory, fucking yikes. Definitely a keto addict.

I noticed the strange cuts - like the backyard dinner, then the next scene the whole group is walking/following Eli. Also, they just threw Sean William Scott and wife into a scene with no introduction - I was asking myself "who the hell is that?". It took about 5 minutes before it was explained that he was Lori's son.

Next weirdness was the dinner scene in the restaurant - Judy, Jesse and Kelvin disappear then are shown yelling in the freezer. Huh? Also, there were quick cuts back and forth that focused on Kelvin's fogged up glasses.

Keef has been getting leaner every season, but this year, it's too lean. The whole Devil's piss monologue was hilarious though. I hated the picnic scene with all the weird zooms (apparently the director was trying something new), but the secret society with the cloak flourishing was great.

That last scene with Eli getting caught in a compromising position and then picking a hair out of his teeth. eeeeeeek this show really does go there.

Judy was deranged- again. “Lemme snack on that pussy”. Lol, I can’t believe this show 😂

Tiff is so nice, trying to make the nanny feel welcome. “The picture taker is the most important part!”

Of course uncle Baby Billy drives a cybertruck.

Okay, this episode was a return to form, thank god. Uncle Baby Billy's material in particular is just unmatched, I could just watch him beef endlessly with that nanny. Although I was worried for his dinky and his balls at the end of the opening scene when that water jet was splashing straight into his crotch.

Judy's and Mullally's slap fight gave me flashbacks to Will & Grace, I'm sure that was intentional.

Missed opportunity to show Seann William Scott shirtless, we might not get another one again.

r46 I was so worried they'd walk in there and find Elihanging or something, I was so relieved when he was "just" 69ing with Mullally. That Aimee-Leigh memory just before that along with the music was very ominous. And I don't know why, but those Aimee-Leigh flashbacks get to me even after three seasons, they're always so lovingly done.

I think it's funny how Uncle Baby Billy's Tiffany has the same buck tooth look as Walter Goggins character's girlfriend, Chelsea, in The White Lotus. I watch them back to back, so get double the Goggins.

I laughed a lot at last night's episode. But I'm kind of not feeling this season overall. The Gemstone children (and Baby Billy) have always been self-absorbed assholes, but they've become almost completely intolerable this season with their efforts to ruin Eli's relationship.

Yeah, while they've always loved their dead mamma like little children, they're getting intolerable with their "break up Eli and his new gf" over and over again. It's like they have no separate arcs of their own on top of the Eli one this season.

Not going to lie, but the previews with Teensus made me laugh.

I laughed and enjoyed the episode, but it does feel like a retread of previous storylines, ganging up on their dad again.

Baby Billy needs a spin off!

My favorite is BJ he always makes me laugh

I thought a nice visual gag in this episode was the nanny's nipples being at totally different levels, which also means she's braless under that severe uniform. Noticed it at the end when they were walking to the Cybertruck.

r53 I think they've set up Lori Milsap as one last Big Bad, which isn't terribly exciting for a final season, but I'll take it. I did find it weird that they burned down a literal church (well, a mall church) last episode, but it wasn't mentioned at all in this one. Guess it wasn't that big of a deal at all.

R56, somebody posted on Reddit with prop photos of Lori and Aimee-Lee performing together over the years, and Lori look very very butch:

R49, I was pretty high during the premiere of WL and really thought that was Tiffany-- and was watching the wrong show for a minute.

The monkey is the only likable character

The monkey was cute. The season is halfway over, and it doesn't feel like much has happened. "Teenjus" was pretty funny, though. Another flashback episode next week.

[quote]The season is halfway over, and it doesn't feel like much has happened.

I couldn't believe we got yet another scene with the kids begging daddy to break up with Lori. At least Kevin's arc is progressing, with that closeted pastor attacking him at the roundtable.

The thought of the German nanny watching Gossip Girl is so funny to me, they really struck gold with this new character.

Lori's son is 100% in on the grift, I think he's the one who set Eli's car on fire. Probably also got rid of her previous exes, too.

Yep, he’s sketchy.

The monkey is going to love BJ and become jealous of Judy. We didn’t get a monkey shooting someone with a gun on White Lotus, but maybe we will on The Righteous Gemstones. Watch out, Judy!

I howled when Judy called that Capuchin monkey a Monchhichi. Had an old one growing up and it was my absolute favourite plushie, those Japs really knew how to hook people on adorable toys. I think I still have it actually, there's no way in hell I could ever throw that cute face in the trash. No, I'm leaving that heartless task to the cleanup crew after I'm found dead at home by the social services.

Michael Rooker was listed as a guest star on the first episode... pretty sure he's the masked figure that young Kelvin saw busting up stuff in the Gemstone home. What are the odds that he is also Lori's violent ex who set Eli's home on fire? Curious to see how the flashback ties in to the present day.

I've tried to get into this show for years and just can't.

It's the casting — it's really bad.

Danny McBride is a good writer/director, but he can't act. John Goodman sleepwalks through his part. Judy could have been cast with a much better actress.

You can envision better actors having more fun and being more dynamic in so many of these roles, and it's distracting.

I don't get that comment at all. They riff off each other and improvise constantly, just as they did on the Vice Principals. I think their chemistry is some of the best on TV, I really buy they're siblings.

R65 Judy is the best thing in it, you complete moron.

There's a reason why it's aired on the Emmys' beloved HBO for three seasons and earned zero nominations for acting, writing, direction, or comedy series.

It's just not a very good show.

Not everything is prestige TV and not every comedy is awards-worthy. Doesn't mean it isn't good, it's just not for you. Which is fine, plenty of other stuff out there.

With the lingering shot of Seann William Scott's character in last week's episode just before Eli's car gets set on fire, it's looking like he and Lori are trying to grift Eli. Blech. I would rather the Gemstone children not be rewarded for being insufferable about Eli and Lori dating.

Judy is cast perfectly, she is damaged and has never been a beauty so she has to work for it.

John Goodman has gotten so ugly and the long hair is not helping

I enjoyed that flashback episode and I'm sad we'll never see these kids again. Young Kelvin in particular was adorable, and so sassy! Young Judy's tits were enormous, props to her for running full speed with those things. Was missing young Uncle Baby Billy, though.

John Goodman's de-aged A.I. face looked great in interior scenes, but kinda fell apart when they were outside. And obviously his voice is completely different than it was back in the day. But whatever, they did their best.

Lori and her husband Cobb together looked like Lana Del Rey and her new husband, about twenty years from now. The similarities were crazy, with her being a singer and him a gator farm guide.

Chris Pappas is mentioned as a consulting producer in the credits. Surely that's not THE Chris Pappas?

Young Kelvin was sassy and funny.....

I loved when he tapped the Hayden Christiansen poster and said ‘Hey, Hayden.’ He definitely does that every time he snoops in Judy’s room.

[quote]Young Kelvin in particular was adorable, and so sassy!

I loved the episode when Baby Billy was talking shit about his ex to kids and she said to Kelvin "she said you had the worst hair she's ever seen" and the kid looked crushed.

The kid who plays the young Jesse nails Danny McBride's voice and mannerisms perfectly.

R77 - So true.

The show is mindless fun and I love it, but I think most people love it due to the individual scenes and characters, not necessarily for the story itself. The writing is hit and miss. (That whole weird ‘song’ the Gemstone kids sang at the lake house, “Mama’s here” or something. That shit was off the charts bizarre. And not in a funny way. Just sort of weird and not realistic to the situation at all. I’m still baffled by that strange scene)

I kind of hope they done use the evil minister that outed Kelvin as a fall guy to make Kelvin some hero. Kelvin is horrible. All of them at the core are horrible people. Painting him in some redemptive light would bum me out because as much as I enjoy the characters, I do kind of want to see them all face some justice toward the end, even if it’s just “learning a lesson” or something. That includes Aimee Leigh, who’s portrayed as angelic. Yet, they’re all grifters who bilk people to be rich beyond belief. They’re all terrible people no matter how funny they can be.

[quote]All of them at the core are horrible people. That includes Aimee Leigh, who’s portrayed as angelic.

I saw someone make an observation that Aimee-Leigh might have been a living saint, but she couldn't possibly have been that good of a mother because all three of her kids grew up to be absolute turds. Not just one or two, but all three of them. That takes some special parenting skills.

[quote]I’m still baffled by that strange scene

Crap, unfunny scenes like those have only been happening this season. A former crew member said shooting this show in the past felt so relaxing and like actual family coming together, but that shooting this season felt completely different. It's like the showrunners threw a bitch fit due to Zaslav's budget cuts and decided to just phone it in. They've also been keeping more and more ad libs in that aren't all that funny. I'm still enjoying the show, but it's clearly limping to the finish line.

[quote]I kind of hope they done use the evil minister that outed Kelvin as a fall guy to make Kelvin some hero.

Oh, you know it's coming. And something tells me Keefe will yet again suffer the most in the process.

Remember that the rival minister's brother said something like "sweetheart" and that he has never had a girlfriend to him when they had an argument- he's jealous of Kelvin being out and proud, amd servin' the Lord.

He also has one of those miniature dogs, he's definitely a closet case.

I remember when Stephen Dorff was HOT

BJ kissing that monkey LMAO

Out and proud Kelvin’s!

Dr. Watson is gonna try to kill Judy with some fajita meat!

Cobb will probably get eaten by big gus.

Only two episodes left. I'll miss this show, even though I'm not loving this final season.

Yeah, same. Kelvin's arc was wrapped up predictably and with very little drama in basically one episode.

I thought the highlight of the episode was Megan Mullally's acting in the scene with her ex-husband, and obviously BJ cleaning Watson's butt.

Cobb’s workout attire made me chuckle- cutoffs and a yellow martial arts belt. What a goober.

I’ll miss this show, too. It brings me joy.

Though, I’ve had sufficient of Pontius. In the last ep he’ll probably show up to church in a suit and tie ready to join the family church business.

Eli gets a haircut in the next episode so it seems he’s back to normal.

I’m still unsure if Lori and her son are grifters or what.

Kelvin and Keefe should get married.

Someone’s getting eaten by a gator, hope it’s not Doc Watson!

I bought Cobb's surprise at the news of Eli's car getting burned down, and I also bought Lori thinking this was Cobb's doing.

So I think this is Lori's son acting independently. HE is the black widow!

Possibly.

One thing I know, the Gemstones are going to get the gold bible back. And maybe Eli will give it to Jessesince Eli is retired.

Gideon's Bible

Something about the way Devine plays gay annoys me. I don't think he's an ally.

R65, are we not watching the same performance? Judy Gemstone is the best thing on that show!

"We gotta go to Jordan, film in some Muslim tombs! Just give me two mil and some coke!"

Uncle Baby Billy killing it until the end.

Edi Patterson is the QB of this show. Followed by Coggins. She's also hilarious as the mom in "Ten-year-old Tom"

I almost peed myself during the Teenjus rap and dance practice, with Baby Billy playing Teen Jesus. I also cracked up at Dr Watson holding the hair dryer above the bathtub and Judy saying he would turn her into "an X-ray skeleton" if he dropped it in the water.

That got dark! Lol.

I like Corey except that he’s kind of a dick to his wife. Unnecessarily.

Loved Baby Billy’s battle cry of ‘Cocaaaaaaaiiiine!’ He’d better not die in the finale.

*SPOILER* I knew the crocodile would be part of that story

You could see McBrides’s horror influences from his Halloweens in this episode. Man I love me some Uncle Baby Billy.

BJ is gonna miss that monkey.

“Don’t misbreed Dr. Watson. He’s not a chimp, he’s a capuchin.”

Bj is so sweet. I bet Judy will adopt Dr. Watson and it’ll be like their kid. She seemed to feel bad for him once she learned his mother died.

Um, can we talk about Big Dick Mitch's slammin' bod? Apparently the actor is also a Hyrox coach.

I still don't know what to make of Lori's son, there was this ominous camera shot on him towards the end. He might just fucking snap in the finale next week. Alternatively, I wouldn't be surprised if this is it for that storyline.

R97 This is what I immediately pictured when Judy said x-ray skeleton.

The penultimate episode was wild. So many great moments. I was dying laughing at the Teenjus dance number and Baby Billy shouting "cocaine!"

Next week is the end. Most of the storylines seem to have been wrapped up, except for the golden Bible. I would guess Eli finds the Bible in Cobb's house and gives it to Jesse, completing the passing of the Gemstone torch.

The season 3 finale was perfect. I loved how it ended with a happy, peaceful family picnic.

Season 4 has been okay, I’m glad it exists, but if it ended with the lovely season 3 finale, I would’ve been pleased.

I hope they do something similar with the last episode. Especially with Uncle Baby Billy and Tiff- she deserves to have him home and not hustlin all the time. Maybe his near death experience will change him.

The show drawing parallels between Judy and the damn monkey for both losing their mothers had me in stitches. And Judy not wanting to see if they graduated to cock stuff, lol.

The original music they make for this show is surprisingly good, I was bopping along to that Teenjus song.

All of Baby Billy’s musical numbers have been highlights on the show. Misbehavin’, They’ll Come a Payday, the Bible Bookers Theme Song, and now Teenjus. All outstanding.

I gotcha miracle right here, nerd! Get ta dancing’!