The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 Review – A Blessed and Cursed Final Season for Danny McBride and Co

It’s official – The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 is the last one for the comedy series. It’s bittersweet since the show hasn’t been shy of throwing barbs at the wild world of televangelism and megachurches. Yet, there’s something satisfying – and wise – about Danny McBride and company calling it a day now rather than risk the show running out of steam, because there are moments in this fourth season where it appears like the writers’ room struggled for ideas.

The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 blows hot and cold

The opening episode of The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 delivers a shocking surprise to viewers that no one could have expected, revealing more about the Gemstone family history and where it all started. While the new season starts on a “different” note, it sets in motion the oscillating nature of the quality in the remaining episodes. There are madcap moments of ab-working hilarity, including the debut of a mischievous monkey and Baby Billy trying to outshine Patrick Schwarzenegger’s notorious scene from The White Lotus, but also large stretches of laborious non-events in the storytelling.

So, what’s the issue here? It’s mostly to do with pacing and stretching out the show longer than what it needs to be. The Righteous Gemstones has never shied away from flashbacks, including entire episodes dedicated to the past, but these come across as distinct fillers in Season 4. Also, none of the episodes need to exceed 30 minutes. While the majority run only a few minutes over this mark, these extra minutes could have been shaved off to tighten up the storyline.

What works in the final season

Where The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 does excel is in how it strengthens a number of key relationships in the show, such as the dynamic between Kelvin (Adam DeVine) and Keefe (Tony Cavalero) and Judie (Edi Patterson) and BJ (Tim Baltz). It also sees the Gemstones finally come to terms with the passing of the matriarch, Aimee-Leigh, whose death has hung over the show like a dark cloud. Aimee-Leigh holds a special place in all their hearts, but her death was used as a crutch to prevent people from moving forward in life. This time, it’s Eli (John Goodman) who takes a big step that forces him and his family to deal with the ghosts of the past and forgive each other – and themselves.

The addition of Megan Mullally and Seann William Scott as Lori and Corey Milsap proves to be genius, too. While most people might expect Mullally and Scott to appear as variations of Karen Walker and Steve Stifler, they portray entirely different characters who fit into the Gemstones’ absurd world. Each of them plays an important part in the season’s overall storyline, so expect to see a lot of them as the audience gets to know the Milsap family and their own litany of secrets.

Is The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 worth watching?

The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 ends the service at the right time. While it lacks the lightning-in-a-bottle magic of the earlier seasons, it reaches a natural and satisfying conclusion in the end. Also, it confirms that while the Gemstone family can be awful to each other, they have nothing on the Roy clan from Succession. 

Watch The Righteous Gemstones on Showmax.