HBO’s hit comedy The Righteous Gemstones returned for its fourth and final season on Sunday, March 9, with a premiere episode that has shocked and divided fans with its unexpected creative direction. Fans had been eagerly awaiting resolution to Season 3’s finale, which shows Jesse (Danny McBride), Judy (Edi Patterson), and Kelvin (Adam Devine) finally wresting control of the Gemstone megachurch empire from patriarch Eli (John Goodman). However, instead of picking up these established narrative threads, The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 premiere abandoned the present-day setting entirely, focusing on a surprise guest star that the series miraculously managed to keep a secret.
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WARNING: Spoilers below for The Righteous Gemstones Season 4, Episode 1
The premiere of The Righteous Gemstones Season 4, titled “Prelude,” reveals that Bradley Cooper has secretly joined the cast as Elijah Gemstone, a distant ancestor of the modern televangelist family. Cooper’s involvement had been carefully hidden from promotional materials and press releases, making his appearance a genuine surprise for viewers. Set during the American Civil War, the episode traces the origins of the Gemstone family’s religious empire through an extended flashback that provides historical context for the family’s complicated relationship with faith and fortune.
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HBO’s official description for Season 4 promised The Righteous Gemstones would focus on “the spoiled Gemstone children finally getting their wish to take control of the Church,” only to discover “leadership is harder than they imagined and that their extravagant lifestyle comes with a heavy price.” Yet, the season premiere takes us to the distant past, instead of working to resolve long-running storylines involving Jesse’s leadership ambitions, Judy’s marriage to BJ (Tim Baltz), Kelvin’s fitness ministry, and Eli’s reluctant retirement—none of which were addressed in the premiere. With only eight more episodes before the credit rolls one final time, it can be stressful not to jump straight into the main plot. On the other hand, we did get a great episode with Cooper’s star power.
The Righteous Gemstones Is Ending a Successful Run
Since its 2019 debut, The Righteous Gemstones has evolved from an outrageous satire of prosperity gospel televangelists to one of HBO’s most critically acclaimed comedies. The series follows the wealthy Gemstone family, led by widowed patriarch Eli, who built a multi-campus religious empire following the death of his wife Aimee-Leigh (Jennifer Nettles). The three Gemstone children constantly compete for power and attention while indulging in decidedly un-Christian behavior including drug use, infidelity, and violence, all while maintaining a veneer of religious devotion for their followers.
The Righteous Gemstones has garnered increasing viewership each season, bucking industry trends of audience decline. The third season premiere attracted 2.85 million viewers across HBO and Max platforms — a 30% increase over the second season’s debut. This viewership growth established The Righteous Gemstones as McBride’s most successful collaboration with HBO, surpassing his previous critically acclaimed series Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals in both audience size and cultural impact.
The premiere’s historical detour also reinforces themes that have been present throughout the series, particularly questions about the corrupting influence of wealth on religious institutions and the complex motivations behind faith leaders who mix spiritual guidance with financial gain. By potentially revealing the origins of the Gemstone religious dynasty, the show appears to be circling back to fundamental questions about the relationship between sincere belief and opportunism that have underpinned the entire series.
The Righteous Gemstones airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on HBO and streams on Max.
Did you like the first episode of The Righteous Gemstones Season 4? Would you prefer to follow the main cast in the final season? Join the discussion in the comments!
