Righteous Gemstones
It may be flying under the radar at least a little bit due to The White Lotus, but what I would argue is the better show, and possibly the best comedy currently airing on TV, The Righteous Gemstones, returned for its fourth and final season on HBO last week.
The first episode was a huge departure for the series, starring Bradley Cooper as a Civil War-era scoundrel, ancestor to the Gemstones, and the main cast wasn’t there at all. That will change this week as we return to the present-day Gemstones.
Critics agree that the show hasn’t lost a step. It has maintained a 100% review score on Rotten Tomatoes since the premiere aired, and while it has a lower 76% audience score, that’s quite literally just based on a few dozen reviews that have come in after the Cooper-based premiere that was disconnected from the main cast.
Righteous Gemstones
The show has improved its standing with critics over time. It has a 76% in season 1, then an 89% in season 2, now seasons 3 and 4 have back to back 100% scores. I would argue it’s not that the show rocketed up in quality, but critics finally caught up to what was obvious in the first place.
The show will in fact end after this fourth season, not because it’s cancelled, but because it’s the logical conclusion of the series, and those involved want to end it this way.
I will also be the end of one quarter of one of the most prolific actors on television, Walton Goggins’ four different major roles. Here, he’s Baby Billy, but in the very same night he’s starring in The White Lotus. Flash back and he’s playing the Ghoul in the Emmy-winning Fallout. And this past week he ended his season 3 part as Cecil in Invincible. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a run like this, and this is of course on top of all his past excellent roles in series like Justified. This is just the last few years alone.
Righteous Gemstones is a must-watch, and if you aren’t caught up, or haven’t started it, do that. Then join us for the rest of season 4 here as this draws to a close and hey, it’s an actual comedy to watch on Sunday nights, as I think White Lotus has lost that title now.
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