The Righteous Gemstones Sets HBO Record for Danny McBride

By Charlie Ridgely

Danny McBride and HBO have enjoyed an illustrious creative partnership over the years, releasing acclaimed comedies like Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals, and The Righteous Gemstones. The latter of these shows is currently airing its third season and is now proving itself to be the most fruitful of McBride's HBO ventures. Season 3 of the beloved comedy has seen its audience grow even larger, making it the biggest of McBride's HBO shows to-date.

According to Deadline, The Righteous Gemstones has gotten off to a fantastic start in Season 3. The double-episode premiere on June 18th has racked up 2.85 million viewers across HBO and the Max streaming platform, a 30% increase over the first two episodes of Season 2. This past week's episode saw another bump in viewership, growing 19% from its season premiere same-day audience.

The Righteous Gemstones seems to be picking up where Succession and Barry left off. Both shows saw steadily growing audiences in their most recent seasons, making big gains year over year. The Righteous Gemstones is doing the same, the only difference being that this series likely isn't ending with its current season.

More Righteous Gemstones Seasons Ahead

While speaking to Collider about the third season of The Righteous Gemstones, McBride said he wants to continue the show for additional seasons in the future, even if many of his season finales feel like they could be the end of the story.

"I definitely would love to do more," McBride explained. "For me, I feel like one of the major weaknesses about television, when it comes to comparing it to film, is that a lot of creators use soap opera plotting, where they're constantly teasing what's gonna happen and they just keep pushing the ball down the field, but never really give you the answers, never really give you the closure, and never really pay off the things they're promising because they all just want you to come back for more. I think it's definitely more interesting to watch something that feels like it could be complete, after you've invested six hours of your time watching something, and that feels like it was a complete ride. 

"I get so annoyed, watching shows that end with cliffhangers and knowing that the next season won't even come around for a year or so. I won't even give a shit about what was happening, a year from now. That's happened to me with a lot of shows that I've really liked. I watch it, and by the time it's over, I just find myself feeling like I wasted my time because the concept or the premise or what I was watching was never paid off. And so, for me, I want every season to feel like, if you're investing that time, you're gonna get a complete story, but that the world's rich enough that it could keep going on."

Related:

What Is The Righteous Gemstones Season 3 About?

Here's HBO's official logline for The Righteous Gemstones Season 3:

"The Righteous Gemstones tells the story of a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed, and charitable work. 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."

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