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The Righteous Gemstones

The Righteous Gemstones is an American comedy-drama crime television series created by Danny McBride for HBO.

By Ethan Anderson| Reviewed by Olivia Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead| Updated July 27, 2026|2 min read| Fact-checked

The Righteous Gemstones is an American comedy-drama crime television series created by Danny McBride for HBO. It follows a wealthy televangelist family in South Carolina and satirizes megachurch culture, greed, and family dysfunction. The series aired from 2019 to 2025 and ran for four seasons.

Premise

The series follows the Gemstone family, a powerful televangelist dynasty in South Carolina. Its stories mix family conflict, criminal schemes, and satire of religious celebrity culture.

Production

Danny McBride created the series and also stars in it, alongside John Goodman, Adam Devine, Edi Patterson, and others. HBO produced and broadcast the show. The series was produced by Rough House Pictures and HBO Entertainment.

Broadcast history

The show premiered on HBO on August 18, 2019, and ended on May 4, 2025. By the end of its run, it had completed four seasons and 36 episodes.

Reception

The series was noted for its dark, irreverent comedy and its satire of megachurch culture. It was developed by Danny McBride with collaborators including Jody Hill and David Gordon Green.

Key facts

  • Created by Danny McBride.
  • Centers on the Gemstones, a family of televangelists.
  • John Goodman plays patriarch Eli Gemstone.
  • Danny McBride plays Jesse Gemstone.
  • The series ran for four seasons and 36 episodes.
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Canadian context

The series is available to Canadian viewers through HBO-related distribution in markets where HBO/Max programming is carried, and it is part of the broader North American prestige-TV landscape familiar to Canadian audiences.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the creator of The Righteous Gemstones?
Danny McBride created The Righteous Gemstones.
How many seasons of The Righteous Gemstones are there?
There are 4 seasons.
What happened to Eli Gemstone?
Eli Gemstone is the family patriarch played by John Goodman; the sources provided describe him as the head of the televangelist family, but they do not give a specific plot outcome for him.
Is The Righteous Gemstones based on a true story?
No source here says it is based on a true story; it is described as a fictional satire about a televangelist family.
Who plays Jesse Gemstone?
Danny McBride plays Jesse Gemstone.
When does The Righteous Gemstones season 3 come out?
Season 3 premiered in June 2023.

References

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Righteous_Gemstones
    Supports: Creator, premise, cast, season count, release dates, and series overview.
  2. IMDb — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8634332/
    Supports: Creator, release date, and series identification.
  3. HBO Max — https://www.hbomax.com/shows/righteous-gemstones/c3bd0a34-c4ce-4ca5-bd6c-820df7340671
    Supports: Season count, cast, creators, episodes, and release year.
  4. NPR — https://www.npr.org/2025/05/12/1250811344/danny-mcbride-righteous-gemstones
    Supports: Final season and end of the series.
  5. Television Academy — https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/online-originals/righteous-gemstones-danny-mcbride-interview
    Supports: McBride as creator/star and fourth/final season context.
  6. NPR — https://www.npr.org/2019/08/19/751741356/the-righteous-gemstones-takes-aim-at-megachurch-millionaires
    Supports: Fictional premise, family setup, and John Goodman as Eli Gemstone.