The Righteous Gemstones- Season 4 (Final)

Grade: A

In the final season of this Max show about the exploits of the rich televangelist family the Gemstones, the main siblings have to deal with their father moving on romantically after their mother's death.

I'm really sad to see this very funny and very creative show come to an end, but you have to give showrunner Danny McBride credit for ending it before they run out of steam. I'm seeing a lot of people online saying this is the weakest season, but I disagree. I think it's the second strongest after the second one. What I love about this show is the combination of no cares given outrageous humor and creative, grand storytelling involving the various members of the Gemstone family and their history. Like season 2, this one is more mystery-based, leading to an explosive and dynamic change of events. Given that McBride has always tried to write a family epic, the first episode is an interesting experiment. (It's a good story, but some could be bugged by the fact that there are not a lot of jokes in it.) The finale is definitely one you'll remember.

The humor remains as funny as ever, especially the lines of fairly demented Gemstone sibling Judy (Edi Patterson, who is a living treasure in this with her delivery). However, one episode has a subject that is pretty uncomfortable.

I will really miss the cast. Paterson again has gold to work with, while the writers also giver her some emotional stuff to do. Second behind Patterson is Walton Goggins as the siblings' paternal uncle Baby Billy, who again is so fascinatingly ridiculous as an out-spoken, fame-hungry elderly southern man. Though again with Judy, the character is given some character moments as well. Goggins is able to make the man hiding behind the bravado so real. McBride again delivers as short-tempered eldest sibling Jesse. Again, John Goodman as patriarch Eli is more of the straight man in this, but he really knows how to do the more emotional moments for the guy. 

One of the show's brand new "oh, I didn't think that person would pop up in this" actors is Sean William Scott as the siblings' long-time friend Corey Milsap. Now if you're a fan of funny Scott, you're not getting it here as his character is played straight. However, as he's shown in the likes of Final Destination or Wrath of Becky, you know he can do straight man really well.

Unfortunately, some long-running main/recurring characters get surprisingly little time in the show's grand bow. Jesse's son Gideon (Santa Clarita Diet/The Quarry's Skyler Gisondo) and Eli's right hand Martin (Gregory Allan Williams) have very little screen time. Though she appears throughout and again entertains as a saner member for the family who's great at silently reacting to stuff, Smallville/Longmire's Cassidy Freeman as Jesse's wife Amber gets little to do.

Highly recommended. Again, McBride's insane take on the family saga will surprise you and make you laugh.