The Righteous Gemstones (2019– )
Trivia
Danny McBride stated that he didn't want this show to bash religion; rather he wanted it to lampoon hypocrites. He grew up in the church, and his mother did puppet ministry, and he wanted to take the alternate route that Hollywood does of making fun of one's religious beliefs.
In his original draft, Danny McBride had written about a pastor being caught having an affair and having to engage in blackmail to stop it being leaked. The Gemstones were just a part of the church and weren't the main focus. Danny realised that he had much more fun writing for the Gemstones, and thus shifted the story to be from their perspective.
Adam Devine based his performance as Kelvin on the hip pastors that seek to convert celebrities to their church. He joked that his character's signature mohawk hairstyle is because "my hair should be as close to God as possible."
Danny got the inspiration for the show after moving to Charleston and seeing how prevalent churches were in that area.
The high school that Dot Nancy is seen playing lacrosse for is North Jackson High School. This is the same high school that is included in Danny McBride's other HBO show, Vice Principals.
Danny McBride wrote the role of Judy specifically for Edi Patterson after having enjoyed working with her a lot on Vice Principals.
Costume designer Sarah Trost assigned a particular colour to the family members-- Jesse is ruby, Judy is sapphire and Kelvin is emerald.
Kelvin is described as being significantly younger than Jesse, so much so that he was mistaken for Jesse's son. In actuality, Adam Devine is only 7 years younger than Danny McBride.
The title of the show is a reference to the twelve gemstones on the breastplate of Aaron, as featured in the Old Testament.
Jesse's look is particularly inspired by Elvis and his group of friends who called themselves "The Memphis Mafia". Kelvin, meanwhile, borrows his style from Christian rockers.
Adam Devine and Tony Cavalero have previously worked together on Adam Devine's House Party (2013) and When We First Met (2018).
Levi is portrayed by Jody Hill, who is a frequent collaborator with Danny McBride. He additionally executive produces and directs the show.
Co-creator David Gordon Green and frequent writing partner Danny McBride (Jesse Gemstone) both worked with Toby Huss (Dale Nancy) and Virginia Gardner (Lucy) on horror reboot/sequel Halloween (2018). Coincidentally, Skyler Gisondo (Gideon Gemstone) also starred in the remake in the same horror film series, Halloween (2007), though Green and McBride were not involved.
In Episode 1 Season 1, the wife of Danny McBride, Gia, can be seen carrying a baby, their daughter, during the church scene when the tithing takes place.
During their time in-between filming, Adam and Tony would work out together. The writers then wrote that into their storyline, as they figured it made sense for their characters.
Skylar Gisando, Edi Patterson, and Scott MacArthur all appear in the movie The Starling though they do not share any scenes with each other.
