10 funniest Righteous Gemstones Episodes, Ranked 

"Runnin' through the house with a pickle in my mouth."

We have all seen these types. Scrolling through the channels late at night, and we accidentally come across a bombastic and occasionally flamboyant preacher. These wild televangelists are a stable in the modern-day world, and despite the sheer ridiculous nature of their antics, they are entertaining.

With The Righteous Gemstones, we get to see a fictionalized version of one of these families. This show follows the famous and dysfunctional Gemstone family of televangelists. Currently, three seasons deep, this show is never dull and is always an enlighteningly hilarious experience.

With a time jump from 1993, this episode begins with a recap of how Marsh (Wayne Duvall) promised the company to Junior (Eric Roberts), but instead chooses to rob him at gunpoint and skip town. They lose contact, and then we skip forward to the present day.

RELATED: 10 Disney Movies Turning Old Enough To Drink This Year

In the present day, we see that the Cycle Ninjas have all been arrested, but that they are refusing to talk to Martin (Gregory Alan Williams). Eli (John Goodman), is praising his family, which motivates Kelvin (Adam Devine) to disband the God Squad. Then with some wild guest appearances (Jennifer Nettles and the incomparable, Macaulay Culkin), the episode concludes with the Cycle Ninjas escaping prison.

After trying to come clean for the wrongs they’d committed, the Gemstone kids are honest with their father who decides to fire them. Jesse (Danny McBride), with nothing else to do, goes to Haiti. Kelvin becomes a hero to his friend for saving him from his former Satanic friends.

Baby Billy (Walton Goggins), on the other hand, having stolen money, is confronted by the Gemstone family, but is struck by lightning. Having a “God moment”, he forgives Eli, returns the money, and then becomes a family tent evangelist and gets wealthy by describing his near-death experience.

Both hilarious and terrifying, this episode finds the Cycle Ninjas, yet again, doing their thing, only this time, having been hired by the Gemstone family to track down Lyle and Lindy for their treacherous deeds. They are chased into the Alaskan Tundra where Lindy is killed, and Lyle is frozen and eaten by wolves.

RELATED: 7 Shows like Pam & Tommy to Watch for More Funny and Emotional Stories

The hilarious aspect, though, is watching Jesse (McBride) get into a physical altercation with Lyle (Eric Andre), as they are both ridiculous and clearly neither are fighters. The show has a way to play out the unrealistic in such a way that is both incredibly entertaining, but also somewhat believable as well.

Billy and Tiffany (Valyn Hall) get in quite a car accident when Scotty (Scott MacArthur) rams into them. They see that he’d stolen money and had a gun, but when Scotty abruptly wakes up from getting knocked out, Tiffany panics and accidentally shoots and kills him.

After Billy and Tiffany skip town, Gideon (Skyler Gisondo) takes the fall for the robbery and is ultimately kicked out of his house. The hilarious culmination of the episode is when Jesse feels guilty over Gideon’s situation, and shows everyone the lewd tape that started the whole blackmail scheme, and gets shot in the behind by his wife, Amber (Cassidy Freeman) because of it.

When Eli asks Jesse to deliver the Easter sermon and for Judy (Edi Patterson) and Billy to sing, all hell seems to break loose. Billy drives a wedge between Judy and Eli by convincing her to sing at his mall church instead. Judy then loses it and fights with BJ (Tim Baltz), her fiancé, causing him to break off the engagement.

RELATED: From Lisa Simpson to Judy Gemstone: TV Characters That Prove the Middle Child Isn't Always Forgettable

During the Easter service, though, Gideon confronts Scotty and decides that he doesn’t want to take part in their plan to steal the donation money. In return, Scotty then decides to take Gideon, Jesse, and Eli hostage, then he robs the church and leaves Jesse and Gideon tied up inside the vault.

With Baby Billy a regular performer at Zion’s Landing, he begins to feel that his fame is slowing, and that his real dream is to be a television personality. He tries to impress the Gemstone children with a pitch of a Biblically themed Family Feud type game, but they don’t care for it.

Eli and May-May insist that the adult children all have a cousin's night. Against protests, the party occurs and goes horrifically, partially because Billy wants to play his game which causes real feuds (including a knife fight), but also partially because everyone is immature and simply doesn’t know how to get along.

Beginning with a tasteful flashback to a 2000 monster trust rally that was put on by the Gemstone family. We see that Aimee-Leigh (Nettles) is harassed by a woman named May-May (Kristen Johnston), who we later learn is Eli’s younger sister.

RELATED: TV's Best Sidekicks: From 'Peacemaker's Vigilante to 'Euphoria's Ashtray

In addition to the flashback, we see that Kelvin and Keefe (Tony Cavalero) want to shut down local sex shops by buying out their entire inventories. They call themselves the Smut Busters. Ultimately, we see Eli exert his political power to violently assault Vance Simpkins (Stephen Dorff) for rivaling the Gemstone family.

There is scandal, there is the shattering of church steeples, there is a scene of a gang being held at gunpoint then fleeing through the mall naked (to send a message), and there is Hollywood stuntmen. In all honesty, not a lot makes sense in the grant scheme of things, but that is why it is so funny.

Reverend John Wesley Seasons (Dermot Mulroney) does his best to discredit and besmirch the Gemstone family with informational pamphlets of their past indiscretions. This causes Eli (Goodman) to confront him and that causes the shattered steeple. It is interesting to note just how corrupt these individuals truly are, but also significantly entertaining.

With a cabin on fire, a suspected murder, and criminal involvement with Eli, the Gemstone children are finding it difficult to understand their father anymore. On top of all that trauma, it seems that Eli might be ready to start dating again, and that has causes significant upset for the children.

RELATED: Which Mega-Rich White TV Family Is the Least Bad?

One of the most fascinating things about this show is that it is simply a Soap Opera. While billed as a comedy, and there is absolutely comedy everywhere in this show, it is so filled with drama and intrigue and incredibly entertaining moments of ridiculousness.

In the wise words of Austin Powers, “honestly, who throws a shoe?!” That could be the theme of this episode as it climaxes with the Gemstone family and various other local ministers getting into a fight and throwing their shoes at each other. It is a truly sole-less event, but absolutely hilarious.

After a doomsday prepper compound is raided by the FBI, the owner blames the Gemstones for conspiring with his sons to turn him in. Once a meeting is called between the Gemstones and all other church ministers who are concerned with the Gemstone children leadership – shoes are thrown.

NEXT: 'The Righteous Gemstones': The 10 Main Characters, Ranked by Likability

Adam Lowe is a husband, father, and author living in Southern California. With a degree in writing and an advanced degree in leadership, he strives to bring his educational background into his passion of writing and making a difference in the world. More of his writing can be found at his personal website.