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. They work to expand their network of megachurches, which threatens to put smaller neighboring churches out of business, such as the church led by Rev. John Wesley Seasons (Dermot Mulroney).
In the first season, Eli’s estranged brother-in-law, “Baby” Billy Freeman (Walton Goggins), is brought into the family business in order to lead their newest shopping mall-based megachurch. Concurrently, Jesse is blackmailed by a trio of masked figures who threaten to release a scandalous video documenting the lewd behavior of him and his best friends at a private party.
| | | TV Black Comedy
Starring: Danny McBride, John Goodman, Edi Patterson, Adam DeVine, Cassidy Freeman, Tony Cavalero, Tim Baltz, Skyler Gisondo, and Walton Goggins
Creator: Danny McBride
DJ’s Review:
What makes this comedy hilarious is that it pretty much describes what we know about the megachurch business itself, and the over-the-top mansions and cars these megachurch operators live in.