HBO has been no stranger to courting controversy as of late. With its recent new series “Euphoria,” the network has not backed down from showing the gritty, hyper-realistic view of today’s American teens. And it would appear that HBO is likely going to be seen as going in a controversial direction with its upcoming comedy “The Righteous Gemstones.”
As seen in the new trailer for the series, “The Righteous Gemstones” follows the story of the titular family of televangelists that are not nearly as holy as their congregation would believe. Amassing great wealth off the backs of the believers they take advantage of, the Gemstones are a pretty despicable bunch of folks that are only after more money, whether that’s from religious spectacle or good ol’ fashioned crime.
While many will see “The Righteous Gemstones” for what it is, a comedy about a group of terrible con artists that use religion to amass wealth, it’s clear that there will be some that see it as a statement against established religion, particularly with those huge personalities that own “mega-churches” and drive around in exotic cars. And they probably wouldn’t be all that wrong.
The cast includes John Goodman, Danny McBride, Edi Patterson, Adam Devine, Cassidy Freeman, Tony Calvero, Tim Baltz, and GregAlan Williams. “The Righteous Gemstones” is created by the duo of McBride and Jody Hill. Previously, they collaborated on the HBO series “Eastbound & Down” and “Vice Principals.”
“The Righteous Gemstones” premieres on HBO on August 18.
Here’s the synopsis:
This summer, Danny McBride (Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals) returns to HBO with The Righteous Gemstones, a new comedy series that tells the story of a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed and charitable work.