Thursday brought some bittersweet news for fans of The Righteous Gemstones. HBO confirmed that Season 4 will be the comedy’s final installment, while also announcing that it will premiere in March. Fans are excited to have the musical dramedy back so soon, but of course the abrupt ending is a gut-punch. It’s been nearly two years since Season 3 of the Gemstone family saga, and so far the exact date for the final season premiere hasn’t been announced. Series star and creator Danny McBride gave a statement to Variety about the finale, implying that he is ready for to call this project finished.
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“The Lord spoke to me and said it’s time to wrap this sucker up,” McBride said. “The story this season made the themes, ideas, and characters in The Righteous Gemstones feel whole and complete. I have loved every second of working with this team for the past eight years, and there are some incredible payoffs, twists, and turns in store over the course of this wild final season.”
The Righteous Gemstones is about a family of televangelists and megachurch pastors including patriarch Dr. Eli Gemstone (John Goodman), his eldest son Jesse (McBride, his youngest son Kelvin (Adam Devine), his daughter Judy (Edi Patterson) and Jesse’s wife Amber (Cassidy Freeman). The series first premiered in 2019 and has been a hit — if a controversial one.
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Season 4 should wrap up the biggest schemes and drama within the family and the church, according to the official logline. “When the spoiled Gemstone children finally get their wish to take control of the Church, they discover leadership is harder than they imagined and that their extravagant lifestyle comes with a heavy price,” it reads.
While McBride seems ready to be finished with the Gemstones, he had previously said he wanted this to be his longest series ever. “If I had my way, when this is done, it’s like this epic, sprawling tale, like the fucking Thorn Birds or something,” he said in a 2019 interview with Polygon. “You’ll know everybody in this family, cousins, great uncles, all these people. In my eyes, this season is chapter one. It’s just setting the table for who all these people are and what’s about to happen.”
Perhaps McBride has been able to cram all those ideas and characters into the show, including the upcoming final season. The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 premieres in March on HBO. The previous seasons are streaming now on Max.
