God knows Danny McBride deserves a break. Much to his fans’ disappointment, the fourth season of HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones, airing now — on which he plays the oldest sibling in a family of televangelist megachurch preachers — will be the show’s last. Since 2019, McBride’s Jesse Gemstone, along with Edi Patterson as sister Judy, Adam Devine as brother Kelvin, John Goodman as father Eli and a stacked cast of hilarious supporting characters, have kept viewers rolling with laughter at the series’ brash, bawdy brand of humor.

McBride assures us that before the show takes its final bow, "more Gemstone hijinks" are in store: "Expect some more insights into where this family comes from, and then, most importantly, what the future may hold for this family. I think the audience is in for some surprises down the pipe."

"It's been an absolute blast making the show," he says, adding that it's the viewers, cast and crew who have made The Righteous Gemstones a career highlight for him. "It's just a place where everybody is challenged to be very creative," says McBride, "and all ideas are welcomed, even down to the actors being able to feel the power to say what they want to say."

As much as we hate to see the show end its run, we’re thrilled to see what McBride has in store for us next. Here, we ask the actor-writer-director-producer to share some of the TV projects that helped define him.

The first shows that caught my interest as a kid: Saturday morning cartoons

I was always into TV and movies, but I would get the newspaper and highlight what shows I wanted to watch. I’d get up early, like, "Alright, we're going to be watching Gummy Bears at 9, and then we'll be moving over to ABC at 9:30 for this." I was always into that. So, I feel like my first favorites were probably Saturday morning cartoons, and then I think my parents probably tipped me off to things like Ozzie and Harriet, Leave It to Beaver, The Little Rascals and The Three Stooges.

And then, as I got a little bit older, it was all of the network stuff at that time period — Diff'rent Strokes, What's Happening!!, The Jeffersons, Cheers, Family Ties — I mean, that stuff was so influential and so much fun. Strong characters, and funny as hell.

The show that taught me comic timing: The Jeffersons

When I was a kid, I loved The Jeffersons. Sherman Hemsley was so funny, and I loved how he was mean. When I watched Disney cartoons, my favorite was always Donald Duck. I always liked people who got pissed off and acted like fools. That always made me laugh when I was a kid. You know, when I look back on it, I'm like, “Oh, it’s funny that I responded to the characters that had anger issues.” Those are the ones that tickled me the most.

Shows I consider to be ahead of their time: Spaced, Pee-wee’s Playhouse

I've definitely seen stuff that isn't around anymore that resonated with me, and there are shows I’m surprised didn’t have a bigger impact. I remember Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's show Spaced. I loved that show. I watched it even before Shaun of the Dead came out. It was one that I was telling people about, because people didn't know about it. And then seeing where all those guys were able to take their careers was great.

And there was the weirder stuff I would watch when I was younger, like Liquid Television on MTV. I used to love watching that, and even just weird shit on Nickelodeon like Turkey Television and You Can't Do That on Television. I liked stuff that was a little bit left of center and odd and that was made for kids with crazier sensibilities, like Pee-wee's Playhouse.

The show that’s must-watch weekly viewing for me: 90 Day Fiancé

It's the new season of 90 Day Fiancé. And, you know, it's weird, because I find myself barely watching TV a lot of times. But I'll gravitate towards reality TV when I'm writing and working on shows, because I have a hard time giving my attention to something at home. I think maybe it's because I have two kids that are always running around and watching YouTube, and everything's loud, and I find it very hard to be able to really lock in to something that requires dedication.

So, a lot of times, me and my wife will go with reality TV. What we do to watch shows that matter is we just get up way before the kids do. So, if they're getting up at 6, we're up at 5 and will knock out our episodes then. That's our move.

Shows I love that may surprise people: Downton Abbey, The Crown

During Covid, I went real hardcore on Downton Abbey and fucking loved that. And I've seen all the movies. I can't get enough of it. I love it just for the way it's set up. It does this cool thing where you just like being there, and you like being around them. And you don't have to have a bunch of plot twists and turns. It's not tricking you into liking it; it just sort of is what it is. And I also think it has done that rare thing where all the movies completely deliver on what you were getting from the show.

The Crown I thought was just brilliant. I loved the method of storytelling. I like how the episodes feel like they're their own short stories or their own mini-movies, and the idea that you can jump from one character's perspective to another. What was being accomplished there was just awesome.

Shows I can watch over and over: The Sopranos, The Little Rascals

I can come into any episode of The Sopranos and be completely entertained. The show is not designed to be seen that way, but if it’s on, I always get sucked into what's happening. And then, weirdly, The Little Rascals or something like that. I've tried to tip my kids off to that, because you can come in [to an episode] and be laughing in moments. 

The show I’d love to see brought back for one more season: Game of Thrones

I know they're doing Game of Thrones spinoffs, but I wouldn't mind seeing more of the original. You know, I wanted that show about what happened to Jon Snow beyond the Wall. I still want that! 

The shows I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never seen: Succession, Yellowstone

I feel like they were big cultural touchstones that everybody has seen. I haven’t, but it's only because I was working! I feel like I would love them, but I’d have to get up really early to start a new show. Really, really early. [Laughs]

It kind of depresses me, because I'll go onto these streaming apps and see all these shows with amazing talent that I like. But it's almost like I don't even know where to begin, so sometimes I just won't begin at all, and I'll just pick up a book instead.