John Goodman Takes on Televangelists in HBO’s ‘The Righteous Gemstones’ Teaser

By Steve Greene, IndieWire
Published May 2, 2019, 2:41 p.m. ET

When The Righteous Gemstones was first announced back in October, the first details promised a “world famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed, and charitable work.” Now, HBO has released the first look at the upcoming comedy, which seems ready to deliver on all three of those descriptors.

John Goodman, Danny McBride and Adam Devine star as the three faces of the Gemstones as they travel and broadcast their message far and wide. Eli (Goodman) the patriarch struggles to keep his family and fortune together while Jesse (McBride) and Kelvin (Devine) do their best to follow in their father’s footsteps. Jesse’s ambitions are more focused on growing the Gemstone brand, while Kelvin looks to intensify the effectiveness of their methods. Edi Patterson plays Judy, the Gemstone daughter not afforded the same opportunities as her brothers, but still looking to do what she can to change her family’s ways.

The Righteous Gemstones reunites the team behind a pair of other HBO comedies: Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals. McBride, Jody Hill, and David Gordon Green make up the central trio of executive producers, with all three in line to direct on the series. Like “Vice Principals,” the network is setting up this comedy with a summer premiere date.

The rest of the Righteous Gemstones ensemble features Cassidy Freeman as Jesse’s devoted wife, Tim Baltz as Judy’s fiancee, Tony Cavalero as one of the Gemstone’s big success stories, and GregAlan Williams as Eli’s main confidant. McBride’s former Vice Principals co-star Walton Goggins is also set to appear as a recurring character.

The show is part of the upcoming post-Game of Thrones 2019 programming slate for HBO. On the non-comedy side, the network is also set to launch its American remake of Euphoria, the Damon Lindelof-helmed TV version of Watchmen, the adaptation of Phillip Pullman’s classic His Dark Materials series, the Nicole Holofcener-Kathryn Hahn team-up Mrs. Fletcher, the Fred Armisen-led Spanish-language comedy Los Espookys, and The New Pope, the latest pontiff-centered season from director Paolo Sorrentino.

Watch the full teaser trailer (including some deceptive slapping practices) above.

The Righteous Gemstones premieres in August on HBO.