Diving Into The Righteous Gemstones

Photo: HBO

May was a very busy month for Max. First, there was the grand finale of Succession, HBO’s landmark prestige series that has won (so far) two Emmys for outstanding drama; then came the transition from HBO Max to Max, which included the merging of the HBO streamer’s catalog with that of Discovery+’s; then came the Season 4 finale of Barry, another critical darling comedy-drama that came to a much anticipated end in May. All those events brought plenty of pressure, first on the respective flagship finales to deliver on viewer expectations, then on the developers of the new and refurbished Max app to deliver a streamlined experience to its subscriber base. But now that the dust has settled, a new kind of pressure is on: to go about business as usual.

The ostensible goal of the HBO/Discovery+ merger is to combine the highbrow pedigree of HBO and HBO Max’s shows with the reality/documentary content that has made Discovery so successful in the world of linear television. The big question that remains is how Max hopes to achieve this balancing act, with the dropping of “HBO” from HBO Max clearly signaling a desire to avoid being branded as just a place for prestige TV. While the finales of Succession and Barry are clearly events that Max had to promote, it will be interesting to see how Max will market another HBO comedy-drama that is still well-reviewed, but not quite as talked-about: The Righteous Gemstones.

As the Season 3 premiere approaches, we’re taking a look at The Righteous Gemstones and its fanbase to see where this satire sits with TV fans generally, guess at how much effort Max will put into promoting it, and outline a few audiences outside of Max’s subscriber base that the streamer could target with ads promoting the third season of this Danny McBride-fronted comedy.

Season 3 of The Righteous Gemstones premieres June 18 on Max.

Photo: HBO

What Do Fans Love About The Righteous Gemstones?

What’s the best way to categorize The Righteous Gemstones? As a story about intergenerational conflict between the patriarch of a televangelist family and his three children, it’s a satire of dramas like Dynasty, Billions, and even Succession. It’s a sharp critique of the kind of mixing of money and religion to which Max has dedicated documentaries like The Way Down and Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed. But in the eyes of fans, it’s probably best known for being the latest offering from comedy superstar Danny McBride. That certainly explains why the show is #1 on the list of What To Watch If You Love Eastbound & Down.

McBride’s output is popular not just because of McBride himself, but for his trademark style: extremely vulgar, often juvenile, and broadly improvised dialogue that places immature characters in situations they simply aren’t equipped to handle. Unlike headier comedies such as Barry and Succession, the comedy of The Righteous Gemstones is outlandish and in your face. The show is ranked #3 on The Funniest TV Shows In 2022 (5K votes) alongside It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Peacemaker — similarly ribald shows that tell us Righteous Gemstones is popular because of its outrageous sense of humor. We can draw similar conclusions from the show’s #7 position on The Best New TV Comedies Of The Last Few Years (49K votes), close to What We Do in the Shadows and Reno 911.

That said, the show is still very much associated with HBO and its prestige brand. As the #6 Best HBO Comedy Of All Time (8K votes), it sits behind not just its predecessor Eastbound & Down, but also Barry and cerebral (though similarly crass) political comedy Veep. Holding the same position on The Best Current HBO Shows (26K votes), it sits between Curb Your Enthusiasm and the tremendously popular Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.

All this indicates that The Righteous Gemstones represents an opportunity for Max to thread the needle between its two content libraries — or, to put it more pessimistically, its two audiences. The series has A-list stars and approval from critics, but a sense of humor that you don’t need an MBA to appreciate (cough, cough, Succession). It’s a returning series that could appeal to new users, meaning it maintains continuity with HBO Max while also solidifying its merger with Discovery.

Who’s Reaching The Righteous Gemstones Fans?

But perhaps Max isn’t content with just winning over the people who already subscribe to it. Maybe it’s hoping to go after subscribers from other networks, especially as the ongoing writers’ strike and the subsequent shortage of new shows make Max’s trove of unscripted series more appealing. In that case, here are a few audiences tuned into other streamers that are statistically more likely to love The Righteous Gemstones, and who therefore might be convinced to sign up for Max if targeted with ads for the upcoming third season.

HULU/FX

All in all, compared with other genres, comedy hasn’t had the easiest time in the streaming era. Hulu is the streamer that, besides HBO, has arguably had the most success. That’s thanks in large part to Hulu’s partnership with cable network FX, the creator of both What We Do in the Shadows and Dave — two shows that fans of The Righteous Gemstones are 5X more likely to love. PEN15, on the other hand, is solely the creation of Hulu, and it’s 3X more likely to appeal to Gemstones fans. What We Do in the Shadows is set to release a new season this summer, but PEN15 has come to an end, and any work on another season of Dave will be delayed by the strike. That means this is a great time for Max to capitalize on and make sure current and potential Gemstones fans see the light ahead of Season 3.

These viewers love The Righteous Gemstones and… What We Do in the Shadows, Dave, PEN15

NETFLIX

Netflix has been known to produce some off-the-wall comedies of its own. American Vandal, a true crime parody that sees high school investigators look into senior pranks gone wrong, is 4X more likely to be beloved by fans of The Righteous Gemstones. One of the first streaming original shows, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the follow-up sitcom from 30 Rock creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock about a girl who moves to New York City after being abducted and held in a bunker for 15 years — is 3X more likely to appeal to Gemstones lovers. Finally, there’s The Politician, Ryan Murphy’s series about a student election that fans of Righteous Gemstones are 2X more likely to love. The good news for Max: All these shows have concluded, which means there’s a good case to be made that their fans would be spending their subscription dollars more wisely at Max.

These viewers love The Righteous Gemstones and… American Vandal, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Politician

NBC

No TV network is more associated with bold and innovative sitcoms than NBC. 30 Rock, the goofy showbiz sitcom known for its rapid-fire jokes, is one such sitcom, and it’s 5X more likely to share fans with Max’s televangelist satire. Also part of NBC’s library (after buying it from Fox in 2019) is Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a workplace comedy starring Andy Samberg that ran for nine seasons and is 3X more likely to be beloved by Gemstones fans. Finally, there’s the gone-too-soon revenge story A.P. Bio starring It’s Always Sunny’s Glenn Howerton, which is 2X more likely to appeal to those who love The Righteous Gemstones. These shows are all off the air, but still in syndication. Max might make the case that it’s better to save room in your budget for streamers that are still producing new content, and to catch episodes of your favorite oldies when they air reruns on NBC for free.

These viewers love The Righteous Gemstones and… 30 Rock, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, A.P. Bio

These stories are crafted using Ranker Insights, which takes over one billion votes cast on Ranker.com and converts them into actionable psychographics about pop culture fans across the world. To learn more about how our Ranker Insights can be customized to serve your business needs, visit insights.ranker.com, or email us at insights@ranker.com.

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