6 Shows to Watch When You’re Caught Up on “The Righteous Gemstones”

published Mar 14, 2022
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Credit: Ryan Green/ HBO

Praise be! “The Righteous Gemstones” delivers its second season finale at the end of February, but HBO has already confirmed a third season is yet to come. The sinfully funny saga of the televangelist Gemstone clan, whose wealth and fame are threatened by their scandalous private lives, “Righteous Gemstones” has continued to dazzle with its stellar cast, stunning visuals, and glitzy Southern style. While you wait for the next chapter in the book of Gemstone, here are six other shows you can sample:

Vice Principals

An earlier collaboration between “Righteous Gemstones” creator/star Danny McBride and frequent creative partners Jody Hill and David Gordon Green, HBO’s comedy “Vice Principals” bears many hallmarks of their work together: dark humor, bold cinematic flourishes, rambling off-color dialogue, a killer soundtrack, and a sharp skewering of toxic masculinity. McBride’s volatile chemistry with arch-rival Walton Goggins (Uncle Baby Billy on “Gemstones”) is the engine that drives the show, as the two go to increasingly absurd lengths to become principal of their sleepy South Carolina high school. Like its two power-hungry leads, “Vice Principals” hides a vulnerable side beneath its blustery macho exterior, and viewers not put off by the constant vulgarity may be surprised how tender it can also be.

Available to stream on HBO Max

Claws

This salon has more going on than just wraps and pedicures. TNT’s crime drama “Claws” follows five resourceful manicurists, who take on the traditionally male world of organized crime when they use their nail salon to launder cash for painkiller-dispensing “pill-mills.” Led by the always fabulous Niecy Nash (“Reno 911”) and set against the surreal landscapes of South Florida with its swaying palm trees, sprawling McMansions, and gator-infested swamps, “Claws” will appeal to fans shows like “Breaking Bad” or “Ozark” who could use a female-fronted twist on the formula. Claws may tell a familiar story of hard-working women trying to make ends meet, but in the midst of opioid epidemics and economic downturns, it feels more relatable than ever.

Available to stream on Hulu

Justified

Based on stories and characters by crime master Elmore Leonard, FX’s modern western “Justified” revolves around the inhabitants and culture of the Appalachian mountain areas of eastern Kentucky. U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) brings his gunslinging Old West brand of justice to impoverished Harlan County, Kentucky, but ends up face-to-face with a past he’d rather forget. “Justified” was honored with a slew of awards nominations over the course of its six seasons, most of all for its performances: Olyphant brings a quiet charm that keeps Raylan from feeling stiff or anachronistic, while Walton Goggins nearly steals the show as his wily foil Boyd Crowder (as you can see from this list, wily arch-rivals have become something of a specialty for Goggins). Highlights from a sprawling cast of supporting characters include Amy Smart, Stephen Root, and Margo Martindale, who won an Emmy for her performance as Mags Bennett, the formidable matriarch of a Harlan County crime family.

Available to stream on Hulu

Pam & Tommy

Looking for another scandalous story about blackmail and dirty deeds caught on tape? Press play on Hulu’s new docu-drama series chronicling the 1995 leak, and resulting media firestorm, of the infamous Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee sex tape. “Pam & Tommy” turns a tawdry media moment into a diverting, surprisingly deep exploration of tabloid culture at the birth of the Internet age, where total loss of privacy is considered the price of fame. Much of the success here belongs to Lily James and her sensitive portrayal of the “Baywatch” mega-star (in her own words: a “good Christian girl from small-town Canada”) increasingly uncomfortable in the sex-obsessed spotlight. Anyone nostalgic for the music, fashion, and care-free vibes of the mid-90s will enjoy the period piece aspects of the show, but “Pam & Tommy” also asks tough questions about sex, consent, and the male gaze, all of which feel more timely than ever.

Available to stream on Hulu

Joe Vs. Carole

Another ripped-from-the-headlines docu-drama, Peacock’s “Joe Vs. Carole” gives the prestige TV treatment to the larger-than-life characters made famous by Netflix’s smash hit documentary “Tiger King.” John Cameron Mitchell stars as the flamboyant zookeeper, amateur country singer, and occasional political candidate Joe Exotic, while Kate McKinnon plays his nemesis: uber-wealthy animal rights activist (and suspected husband murderer) Carole Baskin. In some ways, “Joe Vs. Carole” sets out to fix one of the biggest criticisms of “Tiger King”: that it was overly sympathetic to Joe and focused too much on unproven allegations against Carole. “Joe Vs. Carole” is more comfortable laying out the heroes and villains of its saga: Carole is the protagonist, albeit one who can be her own worst enemy, and Joe is indeed the villain of her story, albeit one whose sassy, proudly gay redneck persona makes it hard not to like him, if not exactly root for him in this very Southern tale of vengeance.

Available to stream on Peacock

The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin

As the recent explosion of true-crime documentaries and real-life docudramas has shown, sometimes truth can be much, much stranger than fiction. Case in point: HBO Max’s documentary series “The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin.” Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Marina Zenovich, the series shines a light on the late Gwen Shamblin Lara, founder of the Remnant Fellowship Church. After rising to fame with her controversial Christian-based diet program, Shamblin and her Tennessee-based church faced accusations of abuse and exploitation for their cult-like practices. The story took an even stranger turn in 2021 when Shamblin, along with her husband and the entire Remnant inner circle, died in a mysterious plane crash. So far, only the first three of five episodes have been made available, but those three hours contain more twist and turns than most series do in a full season. The final two episodes are slated to debut in early 2022.

Available to stream on HBO Max