HBO releases trailer for new televangelist comedy series 'The Righteous Gemstones'
HBO released a teaser for a new comedy series that centers around the lives a grandfather-father-son trio who carry on the family legacy as televangelist megachurch pastors — complete with crude humor and private jets.
“The Righteous Gemstones,” which was given a green light by the premium cable network last year, will premiere in August. The series will star well-known actors John Goodman, Kevin McBride and Adam DeVine, who will respectively play Eli, Jesse and Kevin Gemstone.
According to a description, the Gemstones are a “world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed and charitable work.”
Get Our Latest News for FREE
“Stop the hate and celebrate what the Lord has given us,” Eli Gemstone says in the teaser video released last Thursday.
The show is written and produced by McBride, who is known for his starring role in the HBO comedy “Eastbound & Down” and roles in a few popular films like “Pineapple Express.” The series will be produced by Rough House Films, which produced “Eastbound and Down” and the HBO series “Vice Principals.”
One scene in the teaser shows the three pastors conducting a joint baptism in a pool. In the scene, all three have a line of people waiting to be baptized.
“Everybody in your line keeps getting water in their nose,” Jesse Gemstone (McBride) tells his son, Kelvin (DeVine). “You are dipping them back too far.”
The son replies: “How about you do it your way and I’ll do it mine.”
Another scene shows the family around a table eating a meal. A character named BJ (played by actor Tim Baltz) states: “This family is so regressive, always keeping women in the shadow.”
Jesse Gemstone’s wife, Amber Gemstone (played by Cassidy Freeman), begins to reply as if she was going to refute BJ’s remark. She then stops herself and asks Jesse Gemstone for permission to talk.
The next scene shows the family’s three private airplanes named “The Father,” “The Son” and “The Holy Spirit.”
The teaser jumps to another scene showing a critic telling Jesse Gemstone that “The Gemstones are a disgrace to all ministries.”
According to Variety, which first broke the news of “The Gemstones” pilot order last June, Eli Gemstone is described as being “unbending and a force in the ministry game,” while Jesse Gemstone is the eldest son and “heir to the throne.”
Variety notes that Jesse Gemstone is described as being a ministry maverick who took what his father built and adapted it for a modern audience.
“The Gemstones” follows in the footsteps of “Greenleaf,” a drama series launched in 2016 by the Oprah Winfrey Network that focuses on the Greenleaf family as they run a Tennesee megachurch.
Goodman is known for his roles in several popular movies and is arguably best known for his role as Dan Conner in the ABC series “Roseanne” and “The Conners.” DeVine is known for his roles in several projects including the ABC sitcom “Modern Family,” the Comedy Central sitcom “Workaholics” and the movie series “Pitch Perfect.”
HBO is listed by the National Center for Sexual Exploitation on its "Dirty Dozen" list of companies or entities that are considered to be "facilitators of sexual exploitation in our society and culture." HBO is included on the list because of the fact that many HBO programs “incorporate graphic sex scenes and eroticized rape scenes.”
Last year, HBO made the decision to stop showing pornographic videos on its channels.
Follow Samuel Smith on Twitter: @IamSamSmith
or Facebook: SamuelSmithCP
