TV Show review
August 18, 2019 · TV-MA · Ended
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Righteous Gemstones.
Woke representation / casting
Prominent main-character arc for Kelvin Gemstone (Adam Devine) and Keefe Chambers (Tony Cavalero) develops across seasons into an open gay romantic partnership and eventual public acceptance; Kelvin leads Prism, an explicitly LGBT-friendly/"queer-friendly" and "rainbow-forward" ministry ("Where diversity sparkles") that succeeds and draws a following as part of the church empire, with in-universe coming-out moments and award-nomination conflicts. Main family cast is white/Southern with supporting diversity (e.g., Greg Alan Williams as trusted accountant Martin Imari) that fits a megachurch setting without heavy identity signaling or quota emphasis.
Woke political dialogue
Includes Prism's inclusion-focused messaging, rival bigoted pastors (e.g., Vance Simkins) hurling insults at Kelvin, and in-universe "DEI pick" accusations during award competition; some bleed of real-world political references (e.g., Proud Boys mockery noted by creators). Overwhelming dialogue remains crude family insults, greed plots, and absurd character comedy rather than sustained activist lectures or institutional social-justice framing.
Identity-driven story themes
Kelvin/Keefe tension builds over multiple seasons into a central romantic and personal arc involving closeting pressures, breakup/reconciliation, public affirmation (including family thumbs-up and reported finale wedding), and Kelvin's leadership of the diversity-emphasizing Prism ministry as a point of pride and success. This coexists with (and sometimes contrasts) the dominant family greed, scandal, and hypocrisy plots; weighs heavier in seasons 3-4.
Review
The Righteous Gemstones is a four-season HBO comedy-drama that follows the dysfunctional Gemstone family of wealthy South Carolina televangelists. Patriarch Eli and his adult children Jesse, Judy, and Kelvin run a megachurch empire built on tithing while engaging in greed, scandals, blackmail schemes, and crude personal failings across all seasons through 2025. In later seasons, a major storyline centers on Kelvin's romantic relationship with Keefe and his creation of Prism, an explicitly LGBT-friendly ministry with the catchphrase "Where diversity sparkles" that gains prominence and success in the family business. The series uses over-the-top satire, graphic content, and family bickering to target hypocrisy within televangelism and Southern Christian culture.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Core premise and plots satirize megachurch televangelism, opulent hypocritical "Christian" leaders, hidden deviance behind piety, and Southern religious family culture through the flawed Gemstones (equal-opportunity crude flaws for men and women). Season 4 prelude mocks religious rhetoric around states' rights and grift during the Civil War. This undermines aspects of conservative religious institutions and "family values" posturing but arises from character-driven dark comedy about flawed believers rather than explicit modern activist framing of toxic masculinity, patriarchy, whiteness, capitalism, or colonial guilt; creators position it as internal critique of hypocrisy.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. Original series with no established source material, legacy characters, or historical figures reinterpreted through identity or DEI lenses (ordinary adaptation or satirical invention does not count).
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Scattered social media users flag the Kelvin/Keefe romance, Prism diversity emphasis, and "gay" elements as the "woke" part of the show. Some conservative or faith-based pushback ties into broader objections to the religious satire. No evidence of major organized anti-woke campaigns, widespread "too woke"/DEI/propaganda media coverage, or backlash treating the title as primarily pushing identity politics; most complaints center on general irreverence, sex, and mockery of preachers rather than left-wing activist content. Evidence is anecdotal/weak compared to titles with stronger documented right-leaning outrage.
Creator track record context
Core team (Danny McBride cached 8/100 and explicit non-political stance; directors David Gordon Green 12/100, Jody Hill 14/100, Jonathan Watson 9/100; writers Jeff Fradley 8/100, John Carcieri 9/100; producer J. David Brightbill 9/100) has a consistent history of crude, satirical, character-focused comedies about flawed and often bigoted people with no activist, social-justice, or identity-driven patterns. Some contributing writers (see Crew Profiles) introduce limited variation, but the dominant creative voices do not.
Production
