The Righteous Gemstones

meh

One of the funniest comedies to debut in 2019. Keefe is my guy and perhaps my favorite character in a Danny McBride show. Edi Patterson is one of the funniest people in the world and many of the best moments in season 1 come from her.

Laugh out loud hilarious. I love the humor, but then again, I like quasi-intelligent potty humor.

Highly enjoyable series gets better and better as it goes on - pleasingly old-fashioned in its style and focus on eccentric characters (this would be right at home in the 90s) and capped by a sparky cast, it is also notable in presenting its preachers in a largely positive light, allowing for an even handed portrait of the joy the vocation brings, along with dips into its sometimes sanctimonious underbelly. Some contrived moments in the plotting and characterisations are forgivable concessions.

It's funny that my two favorite shows happen to be dark comedies about the absolutely worst people. And I fucking love them both to death.

This is Danny McBride's magnum opus. Righteous Gemstones is a hilarious and often very touching portrait of an imperfect family. As the seasons unfold, what could have been a lowbrow satire of religion becomes much more - a poignant, but darkly comedic portrait of a family struggling with grief, societal expectations, family relationships, and more. It's perfectly acted, wickedly written, and unafraid to be ridiculous in just the right amounts.

Season one starts just fantastic but gets pretty uneven around the middle and stays that way with some sprinkled moments of genius. Ends on a typical US high note which knocked down 20 points and made me puke in my mouth a bit. Not holding my breath for season two, doubt I'm going to watch that.

Comedy is derived from truth. Does anyone think that megachurch families spend their spare time calling each other "faggot" and "cocksucker"? I don't. Halfway through the first episode I mentally checked out, and went online to double-check that this is supposed to be a comedy. That's a bad sign. One episode and done for me.

A star studded cast with a peculiar premise leads to hijinks and an unpredictable season long journey of lies and deception from a wealthy religious family. McBride and Patterson set the comedic tone through out and Goodman brings the dramatic power he has proven time and time again to possess. It perfectly blends elements of comedy drama and the thriller genres to create this perfect storm of craziness. One of the most fun series in years. Not for everyone. McBrides brand is all over this one.

The first season is more serious and starts to unravel how deplorable these characters are. But all of that is dropped and the show goes full comedy hijinks sprinkled with sappy family moments. The characters remain despicable despite forced interpersonal growth, making one wish that fewer punches would be pulled and that perhaps the greedy mega church would crash and burn. Within its narrative there is a certain charm to the show. Just watching silly, horrible people getting up to hijinks.