Is The Righteous Gemstones season 4 the last time we spend time with Eli, Jesse, Judy and the other Righteous Gemstones? According to creator Danny McBride, a season 5 of HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones is unlikely.
The writer, director, and actor of the series admitted that he didn’t originally plan for The Righteous Gemstones season 4 to be the last season, but he felt like it came to a natural conclusion during the writing process. “So I just followed that, and as we were shooting it kind of just became apparent to me that we had told the story we were trying to tell,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. So with the season 4 finale now out, that does mean we've reached the end of the road and The Righteous Gemstones season 5 is not happening.
The black comedy series tells the story of the titular Gemstone family, famous televangelists who aren’t always in control of themselves and their children. The show explores the ups and downs of the family's extravagant lifestyle of fame and fortune as they mourn the death of their matriarch.
McBride told he outlet that the fourth season explored themes and storylines that were “about inclusion" and "about moving on.” He added that the show was ultimately about grief, losing people, and how a family figures out how to live together after a loss. He feels that the four seasons have covered everything they can about these recognizable themes.
Danny McBride didn’t even tell his co-stars season 4 would be the end of the HBO show until the last few weeks of shooting. Adam DeVine, who plays Kelvin Gemstone, said he believes it was so the cast wouldn’t spend all season thinking it was the last.
Why four seasons of The Righteous Gemstones is enough
McBride admitted it wasn't the easiest decision to end The Righteous Gemstones after four seasons, but it’s probably the right one for the show. Despite still enjoying making the show and working with his co-stars, the family’s story had come to its natural ending.
You don't want to keep going just to continue making as many seasons as possible, as he noted to Collider in an interview. The star was previously lucky to end his other projects, Eastbound and Down, and Vice Principal, when he wanted instead of waiting for them to be canceled by the network. The same has thankfully happened with our favorite HBO series. In this day and age, it feels a rarity to bring a story to a close instead before it can be prematurely ended by the powers that be.
Fans shared their views on leaving the show on a high, and most were positive about the decision. While it’s sad to say goodbye to The Gemstones, everyone appreciates when a creator chooses to maintain their integrity rather than churn out episodes until the quality dips.
Although season 4 is the last for the comedy, McBride has noted one more dream he has for the comedy that we think would be fun too. Here's what he said:
“I would be interested in doing a live version of this show, doing a traveling Gemstones tent revival. I think that would be fun.”
All four seasons of The Righteous Gemstones are streaming on Max.