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* MeaningfulName: Unlike Gideon and Abraham who are named after biblical "good guys" and who are less openly antagonistic, Pontius shares his name with a biblical "villain" and he has no problem mouthing off to Jesse.
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* MeaningfulName: Unlike Gideon and Abraham who are named after biblical "good guys" and who are less openly antagonistic, Pontius shares his name with a biblical "villain" and he has no problem mouthing off to Jesse. He's also the only Gemstone who explicitly doesn't believe in God.
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* MeaningfulName: In TheBible, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_(biblical_figure) Eli]] was a high priest who was punished by God for failing to discipline his sons. Eli Gemstone is a wealthy televangelist who raised three absolutely terrible children.
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* MeaningfulName: In TheBible, Literature/TheBible, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_(biblical_figure) Eli]] was a high priest who was punished by God for failing to discipline his sons. Eli Gemstone is a wealthy televangelist who raised three absolutely terrible children.
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* MeaningfulName: In TheBible, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_(biblical_figure) Eli]] was a high priest who was punished by God for failing to discipline his sons. Eli Gemstone is a wealthy televangelist who raised three absolutely terrible children.
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* OrSoIHeard: She claims to just be passingly aware of Music/JoeJonas but she's obviously a huge fangirl.
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* AscendedExtra: She was pretty much just an accessory to Baby Billy in Season 1, with her youth making him look all the more sleazy. In Season 2, she gets more character development as she starts to become more independant and self-confident.
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* AscendedExtra: She was pretty much just an accessory to Baby Billy in Season 1, with her youth making him look all the more sleazy. In Season 2, she gets more character development as she starts to become more independant independent and self-confident.
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[[folder:Roy]]
!!Roy Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' M. Emmet Walsh
Eli's father.
----
* GoodShepherd: He believes that a preacher only needs four walls, a flock, and the Bible and he is cordially concerned with his son's wealth and excess.
[[/folder]]
!!Roy Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' M. Emmet Walsh
Eli's father.
----
* GoodShepherd: He believes that a preacher only needs four walls, a flock, and the Bible and he is cordially concerned with his son's wealth and excess.
[[/folder]]
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Changed line(s) 76 (click to see context) from:
* EvenEvilHasStandards: When he (erroneously) [[MistakenForGay believes his son Gideon is gay]] he is completely supportive and is more thankful that Gideon shared the truth than anything.
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* EvenEvilHasStandards: When he (erroneously) [[MistakenForGay believes his son Gideon is gay]] he is completely supportive and is more thankful that Gideon shared the truth than anything. He also chides Pontius for using homophobic slurs.
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* FamilyBusiness: All members of the family are involved in the business in some way and the future of their empire is a plotline.
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* TheUnfettered: [[spoiler:He never shows himself as remotely bothered by the things Eli asks him to do, up to and including arranged assassinations.]]
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* TheUnfettered: [[spoiler:He He never shows himself as remotely bothered by the things Eli asks him to do, up to and including arranged [[spoiler:arranged assassinations.]]
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* HappilyMarried: Jeesse and Amber are nothing but supportive of each other
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These descriptions were all word for word copies from HBO's official descriptions. This is not allowed under the plagiarism policy. Please use original wording.
Deleted line(s) 23 (click to see context) :
The larger-than-life patriarch of the Gemstones, Eli built an evangelist empire with his late wife Aimee-Leigh and fears his children Jesse, Kelvin and Judy may be lost without her -- much like himself. When he’s not tending to his gold mine of a flock, he’s mediating petty disputes among his three children.
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The first-born son of Eli, Jesse takes his role in the family’s glitzy megachurch seriously, even if he’s a party boy at heart. A husband and father of three, his life gets turned upside down when anonymous blackmailers with a scandalous video threaten to destroy his image as a righteous family man.
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Eli’s only daughter and often the odd woman out, Judy is relegated to being the secretary of the family and just wants to be included. While not-so-secretly living in sin with her fiancé BJ, she has a few tricks up her sleeve in addition to the chip on her shoulder.
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As Jesse’s younger brother, Kelvin has a lot to prove if he’s going to be taken seriously as a minister and person. Small and fierce, he may be more innocent than his siblings, but he’s just as fiery.
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As Jesse’s doting wife and a mother of three, Amber always stands by her man. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind, as long as Jesse gives her permission.
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Jesse and Amber’s estranged, oldest son Gideon ran away from the Gemstones to Los Angeles, where he’s trying to make it as a stuntman—or so his family thinks.
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Judy’s fiancé BJ is more than ready to marry into the Gemstone family, even if he gets no respect from her brothers and father (or Judy, for that matter).
Deleted line(s) 206 (click to see context) :
Aimee-Leigh's brother with whom she was a [[FormerChildStar singing duo with as a child]]. In the present, he's the most outwardly manipulative member of the family who's desperately seeking to reclaim his former fame.
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* TookALevelInKindness: [[spoiler: Following his realization that his children have been scheming behind his back to cover up the blackmail attempt which resulted in Scottie stealing millions from them and destroying their family, Eli takes a step back to look at what his empire has become. He approaches Reverend Seasons and promised him an equal partnership in managing the prayer center that Baby Billy abandons.]]
to:
* TookALevelInKindness: [[spoiler: Following TookALevelInKindness:
** In season 1, [[spoiler:following his realization that his children have been scheming behind his back to cover up the blackmail attempt which resulted in Scottie stealing millions from them and destroying their family, Eli takes a step back to look at what his empire has become. He approaches Reverend Seasons and promised him an equal partnership in managing the prayer center that Baby Billy abandons.]]
** In season 2, we see in flashbacks that this has been the arc of Eli's entire life. [[spoiler:As a young man, he was a wrestler by day and a violent enforcer for a small-town crook by night, breaking the thumbs of debtors and threatening women and children. Only later did he find God, and is now ashamed of his past misdeeds.]]
** In season 1, [[spoiler:following his realization that his children have been scheming behind his back to cover up the blackmail attempt which resulted in Scottie stealing millions from them and destroying their family, Eli takes a step back to look at what his empire has become. He approaches Reverend Seasons and promised him an equal partnership in managing the prayer center that Baby Billy abandons.]]
** In season 2, we see in flashbacks that this has been the arc of Eli's entire life. [[spoiler:As a young man, he was a wrestler by day and a violent enforcer for a small-town crook by night, breaking the thumbs of debtors and threatening women and children. Only later did he find God, and is now ashamed of his past misdeeds.]]
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Baby Billy has a Leitmotif
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* Leitmotif: Any development in Baby Billy's story arc is underscored by an ominous whistle, starting with the moment you meet the man.
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* BreakTheHaughty: Becomes more arrogant in season 2 after creating the God Squad but gets humiliated through the course of the series. First is an embarrassing incident in which him and the God Squad fall from a human pyramid. Next he has his fingers broken by [[spoiler:Eli]] in front of them. And lastly his leadership is usurped and becomes the group's servant.
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* TookALevelInJerkass: In season 2, when she starts actively scheming with Jesse.
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* TookALevelInKindness: At the end of Season 1, he [[spoiler: picks up a shovel and does mission work with Gideon, with no ulterior motive besides genuinely loving his son.]]
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* TookALevelInJerkass: After starting the God Squad, his Messianic delusions get worse and as a result he becomes more of a dick.
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* NiceGuy
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* AntagonisticOffspring: Cooperating with Scotty to ruin his father's life out of resentment for the way he was raised.
to:
* AntagonisticOffspring: Cooperating Along with Scotty and Lucy, Gideon concocts a plan to ruin blackmail his father's life father out of resentment for the way how he was raised.treated and disdain for Jesse's hypocrisy. However he gradually loses enthusiasm for the plan and ultimatley chooses not to go through with it.
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* HeelFaceTurn: Betrays Scotty because he realizes he can't screw his family over.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Again, to Scotty.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: Is muscled but quite lean, but doesn’t stop him from kicking ass due to his martial arts experience. He beats [[spoiler: the much stockier and stronger Scotty in a fair fight twice.]]
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Isn’t the biggest guy in the world, but can fight and ride dirt bikes like a pro.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Again, to Scotty.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: Is muscled but quite lean, but doesn’t stop him from kicking ass due to his martial arts experience. He beats [[spoiler: the much stockier and stronger Scotty in a fair fight twice.]]
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Isn’t the biggest guy in the world, but can fight and ride dirt bikes like a pro.
to:
* HeelFaceTurn: Betrays He eventually betrays Scotty because he realizes he can't screw his family over.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Again, toScotty.
Scotty, whose plan begins and ends with a failed blackmail attempt were it not for Gideon.
* MusclesAreMeaningless:Is He's muscled but quite lean, but which doesn’t stop him from kicking ass due to his martial arts experience. He [[spoiler:He beats [[spoiler: the much stockier and stronger Scotty in a fair fight twice.twice, and later jousts one of the cycle ninjas off their bike.]]
* PintSizedPowerhouse:Isn’t He isn’t the biggest guy in the world, but he can fight and ride dirt bikes like a pro.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Again, to
* MusclesAreMeaningless:
* PintSizedPowerhouse:
Jesse and Amber's middle child.
----
* AntagonisticOffspring: He (correctly) blames Jesse for driving Gideon away, and subsequently doesn't like making life easy for him.
----
* AntagonisticOffspring: He (correctly) blames Jesse for driving Gideon away, and subsequently doesn't like making life easy for him.
* TookALevelInKindness: After Jesse and Gideon reconcile, Pontius cheers up considerably.
* NiceGuy: BJ doesn't have a mean bone in his body.
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* TheCharmer: He knows just how to work an audience.
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* TheCharmer: He While he's too selfish and self-destructive to build an empire like the Gemstones, he's still a charismatic speaker who knows just how to work an audience.
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* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He might be a petty, money-hungry sideshow of a human being but Billy does dearly love his son, Harmon. In the present, he’s also shown to genuinely miss his sister Aimee-Leigh.
to:
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He might be a petty, money-hungry sideshow of a human being but Billy does dearly love his family, despite not always treating them especially well. He genuinely misses his sister and in flashbacks, he's shown to be fiercely protective of his son, Harmon. In [[spoiler:While he does abandon Harmon for the present, he’s also shown to genuinely miss bulk of his sister Aimee-Leigh.life, he does regret his actions and eventually seeks to reconcile with him.]]
Changed line(s) 219 (click to see context) from:
* MayDecemberRomance: She is considerably younger than her husband.
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Baby Billy's young wife.
----
* AscendedExtra: She was pretty much just an accessory to Baby Billy in Season 1, with her youth making him look all the more sleazy. In Season 2, she gets more character development as she starts to become more independant and self-confident.
* MayDecemberRomance: She is considerably younger than herhusband.husband, but for all their dysfunction, she and Baby Billy do seem to genuinely love each other.
----
* AscendedExtra: She was pretty much just an accessory to Baby Billy in Season 1, with her youth making him look all the more sleazy. In Season 2, she gets more character development as she starts to become more independant and self-confident.
* MayDecemberRomance: She is considerably younger than her
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* TheConsigliere: To Eli.
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* TheConsigliere: To Eli.Eli, to whom he's been a friend, confidente and fixer for decades.
* TheUnfettered: [[spoiler:He never shows himself as remotely bothered by the things Eli asks him to do, up to and including arranged assassinations.]]
* TheUnfettered: [[spoiler:He never shows himself as remotely bothered by the things Eli asks him to do, up to and including arranged assassinations.]]
Jesse's entourage of friends, all of whom work within the church.
----
----
Changed line(s) 239 (click to see context) from:
-->'''Jesse:''' "We did it"? You made coins with our names on it that says "We did it"? And we're trying to put what happened behind us. You can't be making fucking souvenirs about it!
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-->'''Jesse:''' "We did it"? You made coins with our names on it that says "We did it"? And we're trying to put what happened behind us. us! You can't be making fucking souvenirs about it!
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* NiceGuy: Levi is rarely anything other than placid and pleasant.
* ThrowTheDogABone: [[spoiler:Chad finally gets a moment of happiness when, in the Season 2 finale, his wife agrees to give their marriage a second chance.]]
* ThrowTheDogABone: [[spoiler:Chad finally gets a moment of happiness when, in the Season 2 finale, his wife agrees to give their marriage a second chance.]]
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* TookALevelInKindness: The major subplot of season 2 is Baby Billy finally owning up to (some of) his past mistakes and paying for them. In particular, he finally [[spoiler:reconnects with his son, Harmon, who he abandoned decades ago, and also promises to be a better father to his new son, Lionel]].
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** Conversely, though he tries to be the moral compass of the family and maintain a Godly lifestyle, he is as prone to darker impulses as any of them. Best exemplified by the end of the season 2 finale, where shots of him celebrating and singing happily with the rest of the family during a performance are intercut with [[spoiler:the assassins he hired finally hunting down and killing Lyle Lisson, in revenge for Lisson's attempt on his life.]]
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* BerserkButton: Disrespecting his wife or her memory will drive him to fury. [[spoiler:When robbed at gunpoint, he immediately attacks the robber when he breaks a picture of Aimee-Leigh, but he gets pistol whipped for his trouble]].
to:
* BerserkButton: Disrespecting his wife or her memory will drive him to fury. [[spoiler:When robbed at gunpoint, he immediately attacks the robber when he breaks a picture of Aimee-Leigh, but he gets pistol whipped for his trouble]]. In season 2, [[spoiler:when Kelvin hits a portrait of Aimee-Leigh with a thrown object, Eli gets mad enough to break out his signature [[{{Fingore}} thumb-breaker move]].]]
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* SnakeOilSalesman: In the midst of the pandemic, Baby Billy [[https://youtu.be/dD2WT8SeOSw starts hawking a scripture-based scientific "health elixir"]], which he testifies can cure "colds, flus, streps... even Covids", and even claims that he's doing it purely out of the good of his heart, since the lab manufacturing costs eat up any potential profit margin. It's very transparently just branded jugs of coconut water.
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* HeelFaceTurn: Betrays Scotty because he realizes he can't screw his family over.
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* BigScrewedUpFamily: With the exception of Aimee-Leigh, there's nary a well-adjusted Gemstone among them. Eli is a grief-stricken, distant and controlling patriarch, Jesse is a short-tempered hypocrite with a hedonistic streak, Judy is an unhinged walking talking inferiority complex and Kelvin is a confused manchild. And that's not even touching the likes of Baby Billy...
to:
* BigScrewedUpFamily: With the exception of Aimee-Leigh, there's nary a well-adjusted Gemstone among them. Eli is a grief-stricken, distant and controlling patriarch, Jesse is a short-tempered hypocrite with a hedonistic streak, Judy is an unhinged walking talking inferiority complex with some deep-seated sexual depravities, and Kelvin is a confused manchild. And that's not even touching the likes of Baby Billy...
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* DarkAndTroubledPast: Season 2 reveals that before the success of his megachurch, Eli was a low-level pro-wrestler who moonlighted as an enforcer for a local mobster.
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[[caption-width-right:350:"''Tell Junior I am very sorry, but he can go fuck himself.''"]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:"''You are forgiven for my suspicions of you.''"]]
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2022_02_04_131743.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"''How was China for you boys? I wouldn't know, 'cause I was stuck here at home, being a secretary.''"]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"''How was China for you boys? I wouldn't know, 'cause I was stuck here at home, being a secretary.''"]]
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2022_02_04_130959.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"''We lift, we pray, and we are mindful of our diets. Clean livin', being ripped, gettin' high on Christ.''"]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"''We lift, we pray, and we are mindful of our diets. Clean livin', being ripped, gettin' high on Christ.''"]]
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2022_02_04_130126.png]]
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2022_02_04_130011.png]]
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2022_02_04_130230_7.png]]
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Changed line(s) 87 (click to see context) from:
* AxCrazy: She was driven to hit her fiancee's boss's car (after the woman defended him and told Judy she makes him miserable)with shopping carts, both played for drama and laughs.
to:
* AxCrazy: She was driven to hit her fiancee's BJ's boss's car (after the woman defended him and told Judy she makes him miserable)with miserable) with shopping carts, both played for drama and laughs.
Changed line(s) 92,93 (click to see context) from:
%%* HotBlooded
* LargeHam: Just because she isn't on-stage, doesn't mean she lacks the Gemstone gene for seriously hamming it up.
* LargeHam: Just because she isn't on-stage, doesn't mean she lacks the Gemstone gene for seriously hamming it up.
to:
* HotBlooded: Verging on HairTriggerTemper. Judy has a shorter fuse than even Jesse, and she's ''much'' more unhinged.
* LargeHam:
* PetTheDog: She expresses what sounds like genuine sympathy for the Butterfields' predicament when their sex lives are exposed.
* PsychopathicWomanchild: Like her brothers, she
Changed line(s) 95,96 (click to see context) from:
* PsychopathicWomanchild: Like her brothers, she is incredibly immature and maladjusted due to her sheltered and wealthy upbringing, but her personality has a darker streak: she is noted to have committed crimes before, is highly delusional and violently aggressive at times, and has a number of bizarre and disturbing psychosexual hangups. This has been present since she was a kid even before the family was rich.
* SmallNameBigEgo: There's a little bit of this to her character. She resents the fact that she's relegated to lower work in the church than her brothers, and feels that it's because she's a woman in a man's world. While she's not entirely wrong to think so, it's also worth remembering that her mother was an important and respected leader in the church, suggesting that it's not just patriarchy at fault here and that Judy isn't quite as capable as she thinks or wants to be.
* SmallNameBigEgo: There's a little bit of this to her character. She resents the fact that she's relegated to lower work in the church than her brothers, and feels that it's because she's a woman in a man's world. While she's not entirely wrong to think so, it's also worth remembering that her mother was an important and respected leader in the church, suggesting that it's not just patriarchy at fault here and that Judy isn't quite as capable as she thinks or wants to be.
to:
* SpoiledBrat: And she was even ''worse'' as a kid.
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* HundredPercentAdorationRating: Before and after her death, nary a soul has an unkind word to say about her.
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* MusclesAreMeaningless: Is muscled but quite lean, but doesn’t stop him from kicking ass due to his martial arts experience. He beats [[spoiler: the much stockier and stronger Scotty in a fair fight twice.]]
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Isn’t the biggest guy in the world, but can fight and ride dirt bikes like a pro.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Isn’t the biggest guy in the world, but can fight and ride dirt bikes like a pro.
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* PsychopathicWomanchild: Like her brothers, she is incredibly immature and maladjusted due to her sheltered and wealthy upbringing, but her personality has a darker streak: she is noted to have committed crimes before, is highly delusional and violently aggressive at times, and has a number of bizarre and disturbing psychosexual hangups. This has been present since she was a kid even before the family was rich.
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Changed line(s) 38,42 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Jesse]]
!!Jesse Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/DannyMcBride
The first-born son of Eli, Jesse takes his role in the family’s glitzy megachurch seriously, even if he’s a party boy at heart. A husband and father of three, his life gets turned upside down when anonymous blackmailers with a scandalous video threaten to destroy his image as a righteous family man.
!!Jesse Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/DannyMcBride
The first-born son of Eli, Jesse takes his role in the family’s glitzy megachurch seriously, even if he’s a party boy at heart. A husband and father of three, his life gets turned upside down when anonymous blackmailers with a scandalous video threaten to destroy his image as a righteous family man.
to:
!!Jesse
!!Aimee-Leigh Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:'''
The
* ADayInTheLimelight: “Interlude” focuses on Aimee-Leigh being pressured to tour by Baby Billy sometime in the 80’s while being pregnant with her third child.
* GoshDarnItToHeck: While Baby Billy questions how she can be pregnant in her early-40s, Aimee-Lee yells at him, telling him it's a "gosh darn miracle", then immediately apologizes for her "harsh" language.
* {{Meganekko}}: She is shown to have worn large aviator glasses and was attractive to boot.
* MoralityChain: To the entire family. It seems she kept their more... ''sinful'' impulses in check while playing peacemaker, ensuring that everyone got along and the business ran smoothly. Without her, they start to crumble.
* PosthumousCharacter: She's deceased by the start of the series, appearing only in memorabilia and family photographs. Episode 5 of the first season flashes back to when she was still alive.
* SilverVixen: Granted she was on her deathbed and already expired, but that scene showed that she was still a very attractive lady (with some gray at the bangs).
* TokenGoodTeammate: She appears to have been this while alive, being the MoralityChain to her family. From what we see of her, she seems to have been a genuinely devout, kind-hearted and loving person, enabling the otherwise greedy and venal Gemstone empire to have a core of sincerity.
[[/folder]]
!!!Eli & Aimee-Leigh's Children
[[folder:Jesse]]
!!Jesse Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/DannyMcBride
The first-born son of Eli, Jesse takes his role in the family’s glitzy megachurch seriously, even if he’s a party boy at heart. A husband and father of three, his life gets turned upside down when anonymous blackmailers with a scandalous video threaten to destroy his image as a righteous family man.
----
* GoshDarnItToHeck: While Baby Billy questions how she can be pregnant in her early-40s, Aimee-Lee yells at him, telling him it's a "gosh darn miracle", then immediately apologizes for her "harsh" language.
* {{Meganekko}}: She is shown to have worn large aviator glasses and was attractive to boot.
* MoralityChain: To the entire family. It seems she kept their more... ''sinful'' impulses in check while playing peacemaker, ensuring that everyone got along and the business ran smoothly. Without her, they start to crumble.
* PosthumousCharacter: She's deceased by the start of the series, appearing only in memorabilia and family photographs. Episode 5 of the first season flashes back to when she was still alive.
* SilverVixen: Granted she was on her deathbed and already expired, but that scene showed that she was still a very attractive lady (with some gray at the bangs).
* TokenGoodTeammate: She appears to have been this while alive, being the MoralityChain to her family. From what we see of her, she seems to have been a genuinely devout, kind-hearted and loving person, enabling the otherwise greedy and venal Gemstone empire to have a core of sincerity.
[[/folder]]
!!!Eli & Aimee-Leigh's Children
[[folder:Jesse]]
!!Jesse Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/DannyMcBride
The first-born son of Eli, Jesse takes his role in the family’s glitzy megachurch seriously, even if he’s a party boy at heart. A husband and father of three, his life gets turned upside down when anonymous blackmailers with a scandalous video threaten to destroy his image as a righteous family man.
----
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[[folder:Aimee-Leigh]]
!!Aimee-Leigh Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Jennifer Nettles
The late wife of Eli Gemstone and sister of Baby Billy, Aimee-Leigh passed away sometime before the series began, although we do see her in flashbacks. In the present, her absence has affected the Gemstones greatly, particularly Eli.
!!Aimee-Leigh Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Jennifer Nettles
The late wife of Eli Gemstone and sister of Baby Billy, Aimee-Leigh passed away sometime before the series began, although we do see her in flashbacks. In the present, her absence has affected the Gemstones greatly, particularly Eli.
to:
!!Aimee-Leigh
[[folder:Amber]]
!!Amber Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:'''
The late
As Jesse’s doting wife
Changed line(s) 104,110 (click to see context) from:
* ADayInTheLimelight: “Interlude” focuses on Aimee-Leigh being pressured to tour by Baby Billy sometime in the 80’s while being pregnant with her third child.
* GoshDarnItToHeck: While Baby Billy questions how she can be pregnant in her early-40s, Aimee-Lee yells at him, telling him it's a "gosh darn miracle", then immediately apologizes for her "harsh" language.
* {{Meganekko}}: She is shown to have worn large aviator glasses and was attractive to boot.
* MoralityChain: To the entire family. It seems she kept their more... ''sinful'' impulses in check while playing peacemaker, ensuring that everyone got along and the business ran smoothly. Without her, they start to crumble.
* PosthumousCharacter: She's deceased by the start of the series, appearing only in memorabilia and family photographs. Episode 5 of the first season flashes back to when she was still alive.
* SilverVixen: Granted she was on her deathbed and already expired, but that scene showed that she was still a very attractive lady (with some gray at the bangs).
* TokenGoodTeammate: She appears to have been this while alive, being the MoralityChain to her family. From what we see of her, she seems to have been a genuinely devout, kind-hearted and loving person, enabling the otherwise greedy and venal Gemstone empire to have a core of sincerity.
* GoshDarnItToHeck: While Baby Billy questions how she can be pregnant in her early-40s, Aimee-Lee yells at him, telling him it's a "gosh darn miracle", then immediately apologizes for her "harsh" language.
* {{Meganekko}}: She is shown to have worn large aviator glasses and was attractive to boot.
* MoralityChain: To the entire family. It seems she kept their more... ''sinful'' impulses in check while playing peacemaker, ensuring that everyone got along and the business ran smoothly. Without her, they start to crumble.
* PosthumousCharacter: She's deceased by the start of the series, appearing only in memorabilia and family photographs. Episode 5 of the first season flashes back to when she was still alive.
* SilverVixen: Granted she was on her deathbed and already expired, but that scene showed that she was still a very attractive lady (with some gray at the bangs).
* TokenGoodTeammate: She appears to have been this while alive, being the MoralityChain to her family. From what we see of her, she seems to have been a genuinely devout, kind-hearted and loving person, enabling the otherwise greedy and venal Gemstone empire to have a core of sincerity.
to:
* ADayInTheLimelight: “Interlude” focuses ChekhovsSkill: [[spoiler:Her proficiency with firearms comes into play after finding Jesse cheated on Aimee-Leigh being pressured her, and she uses a rifle to tour by Baby Billy sometime nail him right in the 80’s while being pregnant with her third child.
* GoshDarnItToHeck:ass. While Baby Billy questions how she can be pregnant in her early-40s, Aimee-Lee yells at him, telling him it's a "gosh darn miracle", then immediately apologizes for her "harsh" language.
* {{Meganekko}}: She is shown to have worn large aviator glassespainful and was attractive humiliating, a bullet to boot.
* MoralityChain: Tothe entire family. It seems she kept their more... ''sinful'' impulses in check while playing peacemaker, ensuring that everyone got along and the business ran smoothly. Without her, they start to crumble.
* PosthumousCharacter: She's deceased by the startass is one of the series, appearing only in memorabilia and family photographs. Episode 5 of the first season flashes back easier bullet wounds to when recover from]].
* MsFanservice: At one point, shewas still alive.
* SilverVixen: Granted she was on her deathbed and already expired, but that scene showed that she was stillappears in a very attractive lady (with some gray at the bangs).
form-fitting nightgown.
*TokenGoodTeammate: PoliticallyIncorrectHero: She appears to have been this while alive, being be a nice lady but has a very backwards view of Haiti, convinced they are full of cannibals, referring to the MoralityChain story about "that Rockefeller boy who went to her family. From what we see of New Guinea".
* PowerHair: After finding out Jesse cheated on her, sheseems starts doing her normally wavy, shoulder-length hair into a high french twist.
* StayInTheKitchen: Jesse has this attitude tohave been a genuinely devout, kind-hearted her, and loving person, enabling she follows his lead on it. At one point, while refuting BJ's accusation that the otherwise greedy and venal Gemstone empire Empire keep women in the shadows, she stops herself to have ask Jesse permission to speak.
* TookALevelInBadass: After she finds out that Jesse was cheating on her [[spoiler: she takes acore of sincerity. gun, watches him run and fires a shot in his ass]] and starts calling him out to his face.
* UglyGuyHotWife: She is a gorgeous redhead with a trim figure that she loves to show off in clinging but modest sheath dresses while Jesse is a older looking, pudgy man with a graying (at the sideburns) perm.
* GoshDarnItToHeck:
* {{Meganekko}}: She is shown to have worn large aviator glasses
* MoralityChain: To
* PosthumousCharacter: She's deceased by the start
* MsFanservice: At one point, she
* SilverVixen: Granted she was on her deathbed and already expired, but that scene showed that she was still
*
* PowerHair: After finding out Jesse cheated on her, she
* StayInTheKitchen: Jesse has this attitude to
* TookALevelInBadass: After she finds out that Jesse was cheating on her [[spoiler: she takes a
* UglyGuyHotWife: She is a gorgeous redhead with a trim figure that she loves to show off in clinging but modest sheath dresses while Jesse is a older looking, pudgy man with a graying (at the sideburns) perm.
Changed line(s) 113,119 (click to see context) from:
!!!Jesse's Family
[[folder:Amber]]
!!Amber Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/CassidyFreeman
As Jesse’s doting wife and a mother of three, Amber always stands by her man. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind, as long as Jesse gives her permission.
[[folder:Amber]]
!!Amber Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/CassidyFreeman
As Jesse’s doting wife and a mother of three, Amber always stands by her man. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind, as long as Jesse gives her permission.
to:
[[folder:Amber]]
!!Amber
!!Gideon Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:'''
As Jesse’s doting wife and a mother of three, Amber always stands by her man. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind, as long as
Jesse
Changed line(s) 121,127 (click to see context) from:
* ChekhovsSkill: [[spoiler:Her proficiency with firearms comes into play after finding Jesse cheated on her, and she uses a rifle to nail him right in the ass. While painful and humiliating, a bullet to the ass is one of the easier bullet wounds to recover from]].
* MsFanservice: At one point, she appears in a very form-fitting nightgown.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: She appears to be a nice lady but has a very backwards view of Haiti, convinced they are full of cannibals, referring to the story about "that Rockefeller boy who went to New Guinea".
* PowerHair: After finding out Jesse cheated on her, she starts doing her normally wavy, shoulder-length hair into a high french twist.
* StayInTheKitchen: Jesse has this attitude to her, and she follows his lead on it. At one point, while refuting BJ's accusation that the Gemstone Empire keep women in the shadows, she stops herself to ask Jesse permission to speak.
* TookALevelInBadass: After she finds out that Jesse was cheating on her [[spoiler: she takes a gun, watches him run and fires a shot in his ass]] and starts calling him out to his face.
* UglyGuyHotWife: She is a gorgeous redhead with a trim figure that she loves to show off in clinging but modest sheath dresses while Jesse is a older looking, pudgy man with a graying (at the sideburns) perm.
* MsFanservice: At one point, she appears in a very form-fitting nightgown.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: She appears to be a nice lady but has a very backwards view of Haiti, convinced they are full of cannibals, referring to the story about "that Rockefeller boy who went to New Guinea".
* PowerHair: After finding out Jesse cheated on her, she starts doing her normally wavy, shoulder-length hair into a high french twist.
* StayInTheKitchen: Jesse has this attitude to her, and she follows his lead on it. At one point, while refuting BJ's accusation that the Gemstone Empire keep women in the shadows, she stops herself to ask Jesse permission to speak.
* TookALevelInBadass: After she finds out that Jesse was cheating on her [[spoiler: she takes a gun, watches him run and fires a shot in his ass]] and starts calling him out to his face.
* UglyGuyHotWife: She is a gorgeous redhead with a trim figure that she loves to show off in clinging but modest sheath dresses while Jesse is a older looking, pudgy man with a graying (at the sideburns) perm.
to:
* ChekhovsSkill: [[spoiler:Her proficiency AntagonisticOffspring: Cooperating with firearms comes into play after finding Jesse cheated on her, and she uses a rifle Scotty to nail him right in ruin his father's life out of resentment for the ass. While painful and humiliating, a bullet to way he was raised.
* TheDragon: To Scotty, though in practice he's easily theass is one smarter of the easier bullet wounds two.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Again, torecover from]].
* MsFanservice: At one point, she appears in a very form-fitting nightgown.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: She appears to be a nice lady but has a very backwards view of Haiti, convinced they are full of cannibals, referring to the story about "that Rockefeller boy who went to New Guinea".
* PowerHair: After finding out Jesse cheated on her, she starts doing her normally wavy, shoulder-length hair into a high french twist.
* StayInTheKitchen: Jesse has this attitude to her, and she follows his lead on it. At one point, while refuting BJ's accusation that the Gemstone Empire keep women in the shadows, she stops herself to ask Jesse permission to speak.
* TookALevelInBadass: After she finds out that Jesse was cheating on her [[spoiler: she takes a gun, watches him run and fires a shot in his ass]] and starts calling him out to his face.
* UglyGuyHotWife: She is a gorgeous redhead with a trim figure that she loves to show off in clinging but modest sheath dresses while Jesse is a older looking, pudgy man with a graying (at the sideburns) perm.Scotty.
* TheDragon: To Scotty, though in practice he's easily the
* HypercompetentSidekick: Again, to
* MsFanservice: At one point, she appears in a very form-fitting nightgown.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: She appears to be a nice lady but has a very backwards view of Haiti, convinced they are full of cannibals, referring to the story about "that Rockefeller boy who went to New Guinea".
* PowerHair: After finding out Jesse cheated on her, she starts doing her normally wavy, shoulder-length hair into a high french twist.
* StayInTheKitchen: Jesse has this attitude to her, and she follows his lead on it. At one point, while refuting BJ's accusation that the Gemstone Empire keep women in the shadows, she stops herself to ask Jesse permission to speak.
* TookALevelInBadass: After she finds out that Jesse was cheating on her [[spoiler: she takes a gun, watches him run and fires a shot in his ass]] and starts calling him out to his face.
* UglyGuyHotWife: She is a gorgeous redhead with a trim figure that she loves to show off in clinging but modest sheath dresses while Jesse is a older looking, pudgy man with a graying (at the sideburns) perm.
Deleted line(s) 130,140 (click to see context) :
[[folder:Gideon]]
!!Gideon Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/SkylerGisondo
Jesse and Amber’s estranged, oldest son Gideon ran away from the Gemstones to Los Angeles, where he’s trying to make it as a stuntman—or so his family thinks.
----
* AntagonisticOffspring: Cooperating with Scotty to ruin his father's life out of resentment for the way he was raised.
* TheDragon: To Scotty, though in practice he's easily the smarter of the two.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Again, to Scotty.
[[/folder]]
!!Gideon Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/SkylerGisondo
Jesse and Amber’s estranged, oldest son Gideon ran away from the Gemstones to Los Angeles, where he’s trying to make it as a stuntman—or so his family thinks.
----
* AntagonisticOffspring: Cooperating with Scotty to ruin his father's life out of resentment for the way he was raised.
* TheDragon: To Scotty, though in practice he's easily the smarter of the two.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Again, to Scotty.
[[/folder]]
Changed line(s) 166,167 (click to see context) from:
!!!The Gemstone Empire
to:
Added DiffLines:
!!The Gemstone Empire
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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Added DiffLines:
!The Gemstones
!!!The Main Family
[[folder:In General]]
* BigScrewedUpFamily: With the exception of Aimee-Leigh, there's nary a well-adjusted Gemstone among them. Eli is a grief-stricken, distant and controlling patriarch, Jesse is a short-tempered hypocrite with a hedonistic streak, Judy is an unhinged walking talking inferiority complex and Kelvin is a confused manchild. And that's not even touching the likes of Baby Billy...
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: The first time they're seen, the Gemstones are in China trying to baptize as many people as they can in a big wave pool. Eli is competent but fails to maintain control over his sons, whose childish antics threaten to derail the entire thing, only for the wave pool to activate and fuck everything up.
* {{Greed}}: They share this particular vice in common.
* {{Hypocrite}}: While they ''are'' all true believers in a sense, they do ''not'' practice what they preach. They're greedy, arrogant and don't really care about saving souls or serving God.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Overall, the Gemstones are not very nice, but there are some hints that buried deep within their greedy, venal and ruthless shells there are some fragments of decency which, if nurtured, could lead them to become better people.
* ManChild: And Woman Child, in the case of Judy. With the exception of Eli, nearly everyone in the family is extremely immature and tend to act in the ways kids do rather than adults. For example, when Judy and Jesse were having an argument, Jesse tried to solve it by telling Eli, their ''dad'', rather than talking it out like rational, mature adults. Another example is, when BJ told Judy he did not want her back, she reacted by throwing a temper tantrum.
* WealthsInAName: ''Gemstone'', fitting for a family of greedy, rich televangelists.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Eli]]
!!Dr. Eli Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/JohnGoodman
The larger-than-life patriarch of the Gemstones, Eli built an evangelist empire with his late wife Aimee-Leigh and fears his children Jesse, Kelvin and Judy may be lost without her -- much like himself. When he’s not tending to his gold mine of a flock, he’s mediating petty disputes among his three children.
----
* BerserkButton: Disrespecting his wife or her memory will drive him to fury. [[spoiler:When robbed at gunpoint, he immediately attacks the robber when he breaks a picture of Aimee-Leigh, but he gets pistol whipped for his trouble]].
* FalseProphet: Explored and zig-zagged; he's head pastor of a massive megachurch, and uses his wealth to live a lavish lifestyle, as well as providing mansions and endless perks for his three children. However, not only is he shown to be a diligent preacher, but he also struggles with justifying his riches after losing his wife, who is implied to have kept his feet on the ground. He also seems to be a genuine Christian.
* {{Greed}}: Perhaps his greatest flaw in his relentless hunger for ''more'', to the point where he intentionally swallows up the congregation of smaller churches, getting them shut down in the process.
* LargeAndInCharge: With his towering height, Eli tends to command a room as thoroughly he does his empire.
* LargeHam: It's John Goodman playing a megachurch pastor. What do you expect?
* TheMourningAfter: He has never stopped mourning his wife's death, and her absence and his inability to fill the resulting void in his life have had a huge effect on his development as a person.
* NotSoAboveItAll: In "Interlude", while reluctant to let Aimee-Leigh and Billy perform their signature act on-air (and give Billy any more leverage in getting what he wants from her), when they eventually do so Eli clearly gets into the song and can't restrain a smile of pleasure at seeing his wife happy and performing.
* ThePatriarch: Head of the Gemstone clan.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He is, ''relatively'', the calmest and most level-headed person in the family. In any other context he's a smug, arrogant, belligerent asshole, but the rest of his family is just so much worse that compared to them he's a rock of stability.
* SelfMadeMan: His father, according to their conversation in "Interlude" was a much more modest preacher who was taken aback at the largesse of the family and the huge birthday party Eli threw for Judy. It’s made clear that for the rest of his faults, Eli made all his money on his own.
* SmugSnake: He certainly comes off as one in his dealings with the small town pastors, especially with Rev. Seasons who explicitly calls him out for trying to steal their congregations.
* SurroundedByIdiots: With his wife gone, Eli finds himself surrounded on all sides by inadequate family members: Jesse is a greedy, short-tempered fool, Judy is aggressive, entitled and unable to control herself and Kelvin is just kind of a moron. None of them are remotely capable of steering the Gemstone empire toward future prosperity the way Eli has.
* TookALevelInJerkass: While he's always been rather cash-focused, "Interlude" shows Eli at his happiest and kindest during his younger days. He has a loving relationship with his wife, seems genuinely devoted to his church and beliefs, worries about spoiling his children and doesn't demonstrate much in the way of selfish behavior.
* TookALevelInKindness: [[spoiler: Following his realization that his children have been scheming behind his back to cover up the blackmail attempt which resulted in Scottie stealing millions from them and destroying their family, Eli takes a step back to look at what his empire has become. He approaches Reverend Seasons and promised him an equal partnership in managing the prayer center that Baby Billy abandons.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Jesse]]
!!Jesse Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/DannyMcBride
The first-born son of Eli, Jesse takes his role in the family’s glitzy megachurch seriously, even if he’s a party boy at heart. A husband and father of three, his life gets turned upside down when anonymous blackmailers with a scandalous video threaten to destroy his image as a righteous family man.
----
* AbusiveParent: He's not above slapping his children.
* ArchnemesisDad: Unknowingly this to Gideon, who is cooperating with the man blackmailing him.
* BadBoss: To his entourage, whom he bullies and belittles frequently, sending them into dangerous situations for his own benefit.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: However contentious his relationship with them might be, Jesse ''does'' sincerely love his family.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: When he (erroneously) [[MistakenForGay believes his son Gideon is gay]] he is completely supportive and is more thankful that Gideon shared the truth than anything.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Of all the Gemstones, he might be the biggest in terms of sheer hypocrisy. He's self-righteous and lectures his wife at length on how she should never keep secrets from family, all while keeping enormous life-destroying secrets from ''her''.
* IgnoredEpiphany: When a failure to delete sensitive emails nearly results in his drug-and-prostitute-related indiscretions being discovered, the lesson he takes from this is not that he should change his ways or that he should be more honest to his family, but that he should ''do a better job of destroying the evidence''.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Jesse is concerned primarily with protecting himself, and extraordinary selfishness is second nature to him.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's an aggressive, domineering bully.
* KavorkaMan: He's a pretty schlubby man who has managed to marry a stunning redhead. Of course, it probably helps that he's wealthy, famous and is nothing if not persistent.
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: He considers himself something of a mastermind who will inevitably uncover the identity of his blackmailers, when in reality he's far too reactive, impulsive and outright foolish to get very far without help.
* MeaningfulName: Almost certainly named after the biblical Jesse, a shepherd who is regarded as a patriarchal figure since he was the father of King David. Jesse Gemstone is such a bad father that he's alienated one of his sons to the point of trying to rob him.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: He is the VillainProtagonist and alongside his StayInTheKitchen views of women (like his sister and wife), he does make ignorant comments about Haiti and voodoo but was correcting his wife that it's not full of cannibals. On the other hand, he seems to be more progressive about sexuality when he thought Gideon was coming out as gay to him (and later thought he was trying to say he's bisexual).
* VillainProtagonist: Jesse is a wealthy, corrupt, hedonistic, abrasive and hypocritical asshole and we're unambiguously meant to see him as such.
* WellDoneSonGuy: There appears to be an element of this in his psychological makeup. As the eldest son, Jesse is the one most likely to inherit the Gemstone kingdom, yet despite his pretensions seems to be painfully aware on some level that he's not up to the task and his father looks down a bit on him for this. It is revealed that he was the one responsible for planning the disastrous China mission and is notably squirming and uncomfortable when Eli denounces it as a "shitshow". Part of his motivation for dealing with the blackmail is also to make sure that his father doesn't find out.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Judy]]
!!Judy Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/EdiPatterson
Eli’s only daughter and often the odd woman out, Judy is relegated to being the secretary of the family and just wants to be included. While not-so-secretly living in sin with her fiancé BJ, she has a few tricks up her sleeve in addition to the chip on her shoulder.
----
* AxCrazy: She was driven to hit her fiancee's boss's car (after the woman defended him and told Judy she makes him miserable)with shopping carts, both played for drama and laughs.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: While she doesn't always treat him well, she genuinely does love BJ and will stick up for him to the rest of her family.
* BondageIsBad: Her and BJ’s kinky sex life is played for gross-out laughs and is generally portrayed as bizarre and unhealthy.
* CovertPervert: Underneath the "righteous Christian woman" persona, she has a rather foul mouth and tends to refer to her "feminine" biological urges quite a lot. This is hinted to be both a calculated ploy to throw off the very traditional and patriarchal men she's surrounded by, but also because she has a ''lot'' of barely repressed sexual urges going on.
* TheEvilGenius: She's easily the smartest of the Gemstone children, in addition to being perhaps the most overtly corrupt.
%%* HotBlooded
* LargeHam: Just because she isn't on-stage, doesn't mean she lacks the Gemstone gene for seriously hamming it up.
* TheResenter: She deeply resents much of her family for sidelining her role in the business and the way they treat BJ.
* SmallNameBigEgo: There's a little bit of this to her character. She resents the fact that she's relegated to lower work in the church than her brothers, and feels that it's because she's a woman in a man's world. While she's not entirely wrong to think so, it's also worth remembering that her mother was an important and respected leader in the church, suggesting that it's not just patriarchy at fault here and that Judy isn't quite as capable as she thinks or wants to be.
* StealingFromTheTill: Judy's been embezzling from donations for a long time.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Kelvin]]
!!Kelvin Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/AdamDevine
As Jesse’s younger brother, Kelvin has a lot to prove if he’s going to be taken seriously as a minister and person. Small and fierce, he may be more innocent than his siblings, but he’s just as fiery.
----
* AmbiguouslyGay: He's the only one of the Gemstone children to not be involved with anyone at the start of the series, is very coiffed, and shares an eyebrow-raising relationship with Keefe, who also lives with him. Since both he and Keefe are [[ManChild Manchildren]] and Keefe rather clearly has an AmbiguousDisorder, though, it's hard to tell if one or both of them is attracted to the other, or if they simply have an extremely weird and intense platonic friendship. [[spoiler:When he shoos Keefe away after considering himself unworthy of his loyalty, it’s framed like an owner shooing away a confused pet, rather than a disagreement between lovers or friends]].
* AntiVillain: While he's a willing participant in his family's corrupt dealings and an accessory to his brother's criminal acts at the beginning of the series, he is otherwise shown to be a surprisingly kind person who is genuinely good at empathizing with others.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: His relationship with Keefe is somewhere between this, [[AmbiguouslyGay a secret romance]], and that of a mentally-handicapped person and their carer. With a little bit of Kelvin being the owner of a clingy and none-too-bright dog thrown in as well.
* HiddenDepths: While he's usually written off as a bumbling dumbass by the rest of his family, he proves to be genuinely talented at his job as a youth pastor.
* {{Hipster}}: Described as a "Christian hipster" by some sources, and sports the trendy metrosexual look to go with it.
* ManChild: Has a room full of arcade games and other toys, and proudly shows off a soda machine with a touch screen interface he bought.
* OnlySaneMan: Kelvin is the most reasonable and level-headed of the siblings.
* PracticallyDifferentGenerations: Aimee-Leigh was pregnant with Kelvin in the late 1980s where his older siblings were already adolescents (Aimee Leigh herself was in her early 40s by then herself) and closer to the age of his nephew Gideon.
* TokenGoodTeammate: Of the Gemstone siblings, he's generally the most kind and levelheaded, although that's not really saying a lot.
* TheUnfavorite: Seems to have a chip on his shoulder due to being the youngest of the children and thus the one trusted with the least amount of responsibility.
* WellDoneSonGuy: He's eager to prove himself to Eli, who is mostly aggravated by his efforts.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Aimee-Leigh]]
!!Aimee-Leigh Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Jennifer Nettles
The late wife of Eli Gemstone and sister of Baby Billy, Aimee-Leigh passed away sometime before the series began, although we do see her in flashbacks. In the present, her absence has affected the Gemstones greatly, particularly Eli.
----
* ADayInTheLimelight: “Interlude” focuses on Aimee-Leigh being pressured to tour by Baby Billy sometime in the 80’s while being pregnant with her third child.
* GoshDarnItToHeck: While Baby Billy questions how she can be pregnant in her early-40s, Aimee-Lee yells at him, telling him it's a "gosh darn miracle", then immediately apologizes for her "harsh" language.
* {{Meganekko}}: She is shown to have worn large aviator glasses and was attractive to boot.
* MoralityChain: To the entire family. It seems she kept their more... ''sinful'' impulses in check while playing peacemaker, ensuring that everyone got along and the business ran smoothly. Without her, they start to crumble.
* PosthumousCharacter: She's deceased by the start of the series, appearing only in memorabilia and family photographs. Episode 5 of the first season flashes back to when she was still alive.
* SilverVixen: Granted she was on her deathbed and already expired, but that scene showed that she was still a very attractive lady (with some gray at the bangs).
* TokenGoodTeammate: She appears to have been this while alive, being the MoralityChain to her family. From what we see of her, she seems to have been a genuinely devout, kind-hearted and loving person, enabling the otherwise greedy and venal Gemstone empire to have a core of sincerity.
[[/folder]]
!!!Jesse's Family
[[folder:Amber]]
!!Amber Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/CassidyFreeman
As Jesse’s doting wife and a mother of three, Amber always stands by her man. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind, as long as Jesse gives her permission.
----
* ChekhovsSkill: [[spoiler:Her proficiency with firearms comes into play after finding Jesse cheated on her, and she uses a rifle to nail him right in the ass. While painful and humiliating, a bullet to the ass is one of the easier bullet wounds to recover from]].
* MsFanservice: At one point, she appears in a very form-fitting nightgown.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: She appears to be a nice lady but has a very backwards view of Haiti, convinced they are full of cannibals, referring to the story about "that Rockefeller boy who went to New Guinea".
* PowerHair: After finding out Jesse cheated on her, she starts doing her normally wavy, shoulder-length hair into a high french twist.
* StayInTheKitchen: Jesse has this attitude to her, and she follows his lead on it. At one point, while refuting BJ's accusation that the Gemstone Empire keep women in the shadows, she stops herself to ask Jesse permission to speak.
* TookALevelInBadass: After she finds out that Jesse was cheating on her [[spoiler: she takes a gun, watches him run and fires a shot in his ass]] and starts calling him out to his face.
* UglyGuyHotWife: She is a gorgeous redhead with a trim figure that she loves to show off in clinging but modest sheath dresses while Jesse is a older looking, pudgy man with a graying (at the sideburns) perm.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gideon]]
!!Gideon Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/SkylerGisondo
Jesse and Amber’s estranged, oldest son Gideon ran away from the Gemstones to Los Angeles, where he’s trying to make it as a stuntman—or so his family thinks.
----
* AntagonisticOffspring: Cooperating with Scotty to ruin his father's life out of resentment for the way he was raised.
* TheDragon: To Scotty, though in practice he's easily the smarter of the two.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Again, to Scotty.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Pontius]]
!!Pontius Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Kelton [=DuMont=]
* MeaningfulName: Unlike Gideon and Abraham who are named after biblical "good guys" and who are less openly antagonistic, Pontius shares his name with a biblical "villain" and he has no problem mouthing off to Jesse.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Abraham]]
!!Abraham Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Gavin Munn
[[/folder]]
!!!Judy's Family
[[folder:BJ]]
!!BJ
->'''Portrayed By:''' Tim Baltz
Judy’s fiancé BJ is more than ready to marry into the Gemstone family, even if he gets no respect from her brothers and father (or Judy, for that matter).
----
* ButtMonkey: Virtually everyone but Judy treats him with contempt. The Gemstones treat him as a toy to bully or focus their hatred on. Even Judy partakes.
* ExtremeDoormat: Takes most of the abuse leveled at him without much of a fuss. The few times he attempts to stand up for himself, he backs off at the slightest pushback.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[spoiler:Breaks off the engagement with Judy after one too many insults. However, it doesn’t stick and they reunite by the end of the first season]].
[[/folder]]
!!!The Gemstone Empire
[[folder:Baby Billy]]
!!"Baby" Billy Freeman
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/WaltonGoggins
Aimee-Leigh's brother with whom she was a [[FormerChildStar singing duo with as a child]]. In the present, he's the most outwardly manipulative member of the family who's desperately seeking to reclaim his former fame.
----
* AttentionWhore: Aside from the money, it's clear that Billy basks in attention.
* BigEgoHiddenDepths: Billy might be a bombastic egotist, but he's also insecure, financially unstable and painfully aware that time is running out to reclaim even a little of the glory days.
* TheCharmer: He knows just how to work an audience.
* ConsummateLiar: Lying is second-nature for Billy, who lies to ''everyone'' and often does so convincingly.
* CoolUncle: To the Gemstone kids, particularly back in his younger days. He spoils them, speaks to them like adults... but also manipulates them and uses them as tools to get back at their parents for any perceived slights.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He might be a petty, money-hungry sideshow of a human being but Billy does dearly love his son, Harmon. In the present, he’s also shown to genuinely miss his sister Aimee-Leigh.
* {{Expy}}: He's a cross between Marjoe Gortner and Peter Popoff.
* FormerChildStar: Baby Billy rose to fame alongside his sister as child performers, but unlike Aimee-Leigh, Baby Billy never transitioned from successful child star to successful adult televangelist. He ruthlessly claws at his legacy with reunion tours, but knows that his target audience are largely seniors who are on their way out. The song he sings with Aimee-Leigh in "Interlude" makes sense when sung by children but not by a grown man.
* ItsAllAboutMe: In the flashback of “Interlude” he pressures a pregnant at forty Aimee-Leigh to tour with him for his financial gain, with no thought given to her health.
* KnownOnlyByTheirNickname: You can count on one hand the number of times someone refers to him as only "Billy." Even his niece and nephews call him "Uncle Baby Billy."
* LargeHam: He's Eli's brother-in-law and like the rest of the clan, the man can put on a show.
* ManipulativeBastard: Back in the old days, he tries to play the Gemstones against one another by pushing Jesse into making a big scene and later using a sob story to convince Aimee-Leigh to join him for the reunion tour.
* MotorMouth: Once he gets going he absolutely never shuts up.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: He shows a nasty misogynistic streak when he tells Aimee-Leigh she's being "a woman", implying that he views women as fundamentally emotional and irrational.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tiffany]]
!!Tiffany Freeman
->'''Portrayed By:''' Valyn Hall
* MayDecemberRomance: She is considerably younger than her husband.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Martin]]
!!Martin Imari
->'''Portrayed By:''' Gregory Alan Williams
As a top employee for the Gemstones, Martin has a front-row seat to the family’s dysfunctions.
----
* TheConsigliere: To Eli.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Jesse's Entourage]]
!!Chad, Levi, Matthew, Gregory
->'''Portrayed By:''' James [=DuMont=] (Chad), Jody Hill (Levi), Troy Anthony Hogan (Matthew), J. [=LaRose=] (Gregory)
* ButtMonkey: Their sole purpose seems to be to take verbal or physical abuse on behalf of, or from, Jesse. Especially Chad.
* CloudCuckooLander: The very odd Gregory, who has coins made to commemorate the fact that they are being blackmailed and their lives could disintegrate at any moment.
-->'''Jesse:''' "We did it"? You made coins with our names on it that says "We did it"? And we're trying to put what happened behind us. You can't be making fucking souvenirs about it!
* HumiliationConga: All of them, but Chad in particular has to deal with a ''lot'', much of it arguably deserved.
** He has his infidelity, drug use and penis exposed on-camera as part of blackmail footage;
** He's bullied by Jesse into attacking Johnny Seasons, which results in him getting shot in the stomach;
** His dirty deeds are discovered by his wife and he's subsequently chastised by Jesse for getting them all in trouble.
* TooDumbToLive: They're ''all'' remarkably stupid, hence why Jesse is their leader.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Keefe]]
!!Keefe Chambers
->'''Portrayed By:''' Tony Cavalero
Keefe is Kelvin’s best friend and a former Satanist who works at the DMV.
----
* AmbiguousDisorder: There's ''something'' up with Keefe: he's awkward, mumbling, blindly loyal, talks frequently about killing himself should Kelvin ask him to and seems utterly terrified at all times.
* AmbiguouslyGay: He lives with Kelvin and is obsessively devoted to him, and the two share a very intimate relationship in general, but it's left unclear if this is due to some kind of attraction on one or both of their parts or if they're simply a pair of emotionally-stunted weirdos expressing platonic love for their OnlyFriend in the strangest way possible.
* {{Catchphrase}}: He keeps telling Kelvin that he'll kill himself if asked to, which only serves to creep everyone out.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He was a Satanist before Kelvin supposedly "saved" him.
* {{Goth}}: Used to be one until he found Jesus.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: His relationship with Kelvin is somewhere between this, [[AmbiguouslyGay a secret romance]], and that of a mentally-handicapped person and their carer. With a bit of a constantly-confused dog and their owner thrown in as well.
* IOweYouMyLife: Considers Kelvin to be his savior for showing him the light of religion in his darkest hour.
* ManChild: So much so that he requires the similarly childish Kelvin to constantly supervise him so that he doesn't accidentally hurt himself.
* UndyingLoyalty: Will follow Kelvin to the ends of the earth, and believes him to be destined for greatness.
[[/folder]]
!!!The Main Family
[[folder:In General]]
* BigScrewedUpFamily: With the exception of Aimee-Leigh, there's nary a well-adjusted Gemstone among them. Eli is a grief-stricken, distant and controlling patriarch, Jesse is a short-tempered hypocrite with a hedonistic streak, Judy is an unhinged walking talking inferiority complex and Kelvin is a confused manchild. And that's not even touching the likes of Baby Billy...
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: The first time they're seen, the Gemstones are in China trying to baptize as many people as they can in a big wave pool. Eli is competent but fails to maintain control over his sons, whose childish antics threaten to derail the entire thing, only for the wave pool to activate and fuck everything up.
* {{Greed}}: They share this particular vice in common.
* {{Hypocrite}}: While they ''are'' all true believers in a sense, they do ''not'' practice what they preach. They're greedy, arrogant and don't really care about saving souls or serving God.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Overall, the Gemstones are not very nice, but there are some hints that buried deep within their greedy, venal and ruthless shells there are some fragments of decency which, if nurtured, could lead them to become better people.
* ManChild: And Woman Child, in the case of Judy. With the exception of Eli, nearly everyone in the family is extremely immature and tend to act in the ways kids do rather than adults. For example, when Judy and Jesse were having an argument, Jesse tried to solve it by telling Eli, their ''dad'', rather than talking it out like rational, mature adults. Another example is, when BJ told Judy he did not want her back, she reacted by throwing a temper tantrum.
* WealthsInAName: ''Gemstone'', fitting for a family of greedy, rich televangelists.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Eli]]
!!Dr. Eli Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/JohnGoodman
The larger-than-life patriarch of the Gemstones, Eli built an evangelist empire with his late wife Aimee-Leigh and fears his children Jesse, Kelvin and Judy may be lost without her -- much like himself. When he’s not tending to his gold mine of a flock, he’s mediating petty disputes among his three children.
----
* BerserkButton: Disrespecting his wife or her memory will drive him to fury. [[spoiler:When robbed at gunpoint, he immediately attacks the robber when he breaks a picture of Aimee-Leigh, but he gets pistol whipped for his trouble]].
* FalseProphet: Explored and zig-zagged; he's head pastor of a massive megachurch, and uses his wealth to live a lavish lifestyle, as well as providing mansions and endless perks for his three children. However, not only is he shown to be a diligent preacher, but he also struggles with justifying his riches after losing his wife, who is implied to have kept his feet on the ground. He also seems to be a genuine Christian.
* {{Greed}}: Perhaps his greatest flaw in his relentless hunger for ''more'', to the point where he intentionally swallows up the congregation of smaller churches, getting them shut down in the process.
* LargeAndInCharge: With his towering height, Eli tends to command a room as thoroughly he does his empire.
* LargeHam: It's John Goodman playing a megachurch pastor. What do you expect?
* TheMourningAfter: He has never stopped mourning his wife's death, and her absence and his inability to fill the resulting void in his life have had a huge effect on his development as a person.
* NotSoAboveItAll: In "Interlude", while reluctant to let Aimee-Leigh and Billy perform their signature act on-air (and give Billy any more leverage in getting what he wants from her), when they eventually do so Eli clearly gets into the song and can't restrain a smile of pleasure at seeing his wife happy and performing.
* ThePatriarch: Head of the Gemstone clan.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He is, ''relatively'', the calmest and most level-headed person in the family. In any other context he's a smug, arrogant, belligerent asshole, but the rest of his family is just so much worse that compared to them he's a rock of stability.
* SelfMadeMan: His father, according to their conversation in "Interlude" was a much more modest preacher who was taken aback at the largesse of the family and the huge birthday party Eli threw for Judy. It’s made clear that for the rest of his faults, Eli made all his money on his own.
* SmugSnake: He certainly comes off as one in his dealings with the small town pastors, especially with Rev. Seasons who explicitly calls him out for trying to steal their congregations.
* SurroundedByIdiots: With his wife gone, Eli finds himself surrounded on all sides by inadequate family members: Jesse is a greedy, short-tempered fool, Judy is aggressive, entitled and unable to control herself and Kelvin is just kind of a moron. None of them are remotely capable of steering the Gemstone empire toward future prosperity the way Eli has.
* TookALevelInJerkass: While he's always been rather cash-focused, "Interlude" shows Eli at his happiest and kindest during his younger days. He has a loving relationship with his wife, seems genuinely devoted to his church and beliefs, worries about spoiling his children and doesn't demonstrate much in the way of selfish behavior.
* TookALevelInKindness: [[spoiler: Following his realization that his children have been scheming behind his back to cover up the blackmail attempt which resulted in Scottie stealing millions from them and destroying their family, Eli takes a step back to look at what his empire has become. He approaches Reverend Seasons and promised him an equal partnership in managing the prayer center that Baby Billy abandons.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Jesse]]
!!Jesse Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/DannyMcBride
The first-born son of Eli, Jesse takes his role in the family’s glitzy megachurch seriously, even if he’s a party boy at heart. A husband and father of three, his life gets turned upside down when anonymous blackmailers with a scandalous video threaten to destroy his image as a righteous family man.
----
* AbusiveParent: He's not above slapping his children.
* ArchnemesisDad: Unknowingly this to Gideon, who is cooperating with the man blackmailing him.
* BadBoss: To his entourage, whom he bullies and belittles frequently, sending them into dangerous situations for his own benefit.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: However contentious his relationship with them might be, Jesse ''does'' sincerely love his family.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: When he (erroneously) [[MistakenForGay believes his son Gideon is gay]] he is completely supportive and is more thankful that Gideon shared the truth than anything.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Of all the Gemstones, he might be the biggest in terms of sheer hypocrisy. He's self-righteous and lectures his wife at length on how she should never keep secrets from family, all while keeping enormous life-destroying secrets from ''her''.
* IgnoredEpiphany: When a failure to delete sensitive emails nearly results in his drug-and-prostitute-related indiscretions being discovered, the lesson he takes from this is not that he should change his ways or that he should be more honest to his family, but that he should ''do a better job of destroying the evidence''.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Jesse is concerned primarily with protecting himself, and extraordinary selfishness is second nature to him.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's an aggressive, domineering bully.
* KavorkaMan: He's a pretty schlubby man who has managed to marry a stunning redhead. Of course, it probably helps that he's wealthy, famous and is nothing if not persistent.
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: He considers himself something of a mastermind who will inevitably uncover the identity of his blackmailers, when in reality he's far too reactive, impulsive and outright foolish to get very far without help.
* MeaningfulName: Almost certainly named after the biblical Jesse, a shepherd who is regarded as a patriarchal figure since he was the father of King David. Jesse Gemstone is such a bad father that he's alienated one of his sons to the point of trying to rob him.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: He is the VillainProtagonist and alongside his StayInTheKitchen views of women (like his sister and wife), he does make ignorant comments about Haiti and voodoo but was correcting his wife that it's not full of cannibals. On the other hand, he seems to be more progressive about sexuality when he thought Gideon was coming out as gay to him (and later thought he was trying to say he's bisexual).
* VillainProtagonist: Jesse is a wealthy, corrupt, hedonistic, abrasive and hypocritical asshole and we're unambiguously meant to see him as such.
* WellDoneSonGuy: There appears to be an element of this in his psychological makeup. As the eldest son, Jesse is the one most likely to inherit the Gemstone kingdom, yet despite his pretensions seems to be painfully aware on some level that he's not up to the task and his father looks down a bit on him for this. It is revealed that he was the one responsible for planning the disastrous China mission and is notably squirming and uncomfortable when Eli denounces it as a "shitshow". Part of his motivation for dealing with the blackmail is also to make sure that his father doesn't find out.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Judy]]
!!Judy Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/EdiPatterson
Eli’s only daughter and often the odd woman out, Judy is relegated to being the secretary of the family and just wants to be included. While not-so-secretly living in sin with her fiancé BJ, she has a few tricks up her sleeve in addition to the chip on her shoulder.
----
* AxCrazy: She was driven to hit her fiancee's boss's car (after the woman defended him and told Judy she makes him miserable)with shopping carts, both played for drama and laughs.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: While she doesn't always treat him well, she genuinely does love BJ and will stick up for him to the rest of her family.
* BondageIsBad: Her and BJ’s kinky sex life is played for gross-out laughs and is generally portrayed as bizarre and unhealthy.
* CovertPervert: Underneath the "righteous Christian woman" persona, she has a rather foul mouth and tends to refer to her "feminine" biological urges quite a lot. This is hinted to be both a calculated ploy to throw off the very traditional and patriarchal men she's surrounded by, but also because she has a ''lot'' of barely repressed sexual urges going on.
* TheEvilGenius: She's easily the smartest of the Gemstone children, in addition to being perhaps the most overtly corrupt.
%%* HotBlooded
* LargeHam: Just because she isn't on-stage, doesn't mean she lacks the Gemstone gene for seriously hamming it up.
* TheResenter: She deeply resents much of her family for sidelining her role in the business and the way they treat BJ.
* SmallNameBigEgo: There's a little bit of this to her character. She resents the fact that she's relegated to lower work in the church than her brothers, and feels that it's because she's a woman in a man's world. While she's not entirely wrong to think so, it's also worth remembering that her mother was an important and respected leader in the church, suggesting that it's not just patriarchy at fault here and that Judy isn't quite as capable as she thinks or wants to be.
* StealingFromTheTill: Judy's been embezzling from donations for a long time.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Kelvin]]
!!Kelvin Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/AdamDevine
As Jesse’s younger brother, Kelvin has a lot to prove if he’s going to be taken seriously as a minister and person. Small and fierce, he may be more innocent than his siblings, but he’s just as fiery.
----
* AmbiguouslyGay: He's the only one of the Gemstone children to not be involved with anyone at the start of the series, is very coiffed, and shares an eyebrow-raising relationship with Keefe, who also lives with him. Since both he and Keefe are [[ManChild Manchildren]] and Keefe rather clearly has an AmbiguousDisorder, though, it's hard to tell if one or both of them is attracted to the other, or if they simply have an extremely weird and intense platonic friendship. [[spoiler:When he shoos Keefe away after considering himself unworthy of his loyalty, it’s framed like an owner shooing away a confused pet, rather than a disagreement between lovers or friends]].
* AntiVillain: While he's a willing participant in his family's corrupt dealings and an accessory to his brother's criminal acts at the beginning of the series, he is otherwise shown to be a surprisingly kind person who is genuinely good at empathizing with others.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: His relationship with Keefe is somewhere between this, [[AmbiguouslyGay a secret romance]], and that of a mentally-handicapped person and their carer. With a little bit of Kelvin being the owner of a clingy and none-too-bright dog thrown in as well.
* HiddenDepths: While he's usually written off as a bumbling dumbass by the rest of his family, he proves to be genuinely talented at his job as a youth pastor.
* {{Hipster}}: Described as a "Christian hipster" by some sources, and sports the trendy metrosexual look to go with it.
* ManChild: Has a room full of arcade games and other toys, and proudly shows off a soda machine with a touch screen interface he bought.
* OnlySaneMan: Kelvin is the most reasonable and level-headed of the siblings.
* PracticallyDifferentGenerations: Aimee-Leigh was pregnant with Kelvin in the late 1980s where his older siblings were already adolescents (Aimee Leigh herself was in her early 40s by then herself) and closer to the age of his nephew Gideon.
* TokenGoodTeammate: Of the Gemstone siblings, he's generally the most kind and levelheaded, although that's not really saying a lot.
* TheUnfavorite: Seems to have a chip on his shoulder due to being the youngest of the children and thus the one trusted with the least amount of responsibility.
* WellDoneSonGuy: He's eager to prove himself to Eli, who is mostly aggravated by his efforts.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Aimee-Leigh]]
!!Aimee-Leigh Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Jennifer Nettles
The late wife of Eli Gemstone and sister of Baby Billy, Aimee-Leigh passed away sometime before the series began, although we do see her in flashbacks. In the present, her absence has affected the Gemstones greatly, particularly Eli.
----
* ADayInTheLimelight: “Interlude” focuses on Aimee-Leigh being pressured to tour by Baby Billy sometime in the 80’s while being pregnant with her third child.
* GoshDarnItToHeck: While Baby Billy questions how she can be pregnant in her early-40s, Aimee-Lee yells at him, telling him it's a "gosh darn miracle", then immediately apologizes for her "harsh" language.
* {{Meganekko}}: She is shown to have worn large aviator glasses and was attractive to boot.
* MoralityChain: To the entire family. It seems she kept their more... ''sinful'' impulses in check while playing peacemaker, ensuring that everyone got along and the business ran smoothly. Without her, they start to crumble.
* PosthumousCharacter: She's deceased by the start of the series, appearing only in memorabilia and family photographs. Episode 5 of the first season flashes back to when she was still alive.
* SilverVixen: Granted she was on her deathbed and already expired, but that scene showed that she was still a very attractive lady (with some gray at the bangs).
* TokenGoodTeammate: She appears to have been this while alive, being the MoralityChain to her family. From what we see of her, she seems to have been a genuinely devout, kind-hearted and loving person, enabling the otherwise greedy and venal Gemstone empire to have a core of sincerity.
[[/folder]]
!!!Jesse's Family
[[folder:Amber]]
!!Amber Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/CassidyFreeman
As Jesse’s doting wife and a mother of three, Amber always stands by her man. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind, as long as Jesse gives her permission.
----
* ChekhovsSkill: [[spoiler:Her proficiency with firearms comes into play after finding Jesse cheated on her, and she uses a rifle to nail him right in the ass. While painful and humiliating, a bullet to the ass is one of the easier bullet wounds to recover from]].
* MsFanservice: At one point, she appears in a very form-fitting nightgown.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: She appears to be a nice lady but has a very backwards view of Haiti, convinced they are full of cannibals, referring to the story about "that Rockefeller boy who went to New Guinea".
* PowerHair: After finding out Jesse cheated on her, she starts doing her normally wavy, shoulder-length hair into a high french twist.
* StayInTheKitchen: Jesse has this attitude to her, and she follows his lead on it. At one point, while refuting BJ's accusation that the Gemstone Empire keep women in the shadows, she stops herself to ask Jesse permission to speak.
* TookALevelInBadass: After she finds out that Jesse was cheating on her [[spoiler: she takes a gun, watches him run and fires a shot in his ass]] and starts calling him out to his face.
* UglyGuyHotWife: She is a gorgeous redhead with a trim figure that she loves to show off in clinging but modest sheath dresses while Jesse is a older looking, pudgy man with a graying (at the sideburns) perm.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gideon]]
!!Gideon Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/SkylerGisondo
Jesse and Amber’s estranged, oldest son Gideon ran away from the Gemstones to Los Angeles, where he’s trying to make it as a stuntman—or so his family thinks.
----
* AntagonisticOffspring: Cooperating with Scotty to ruin his father's life out of resentment for the way he was raised.
* TheDragon: To Scotty, though in practice he's easily the smarter of the two.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Again, to Scotty.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Pontius]]
!!Pontius Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Kelton [=DuMont=]
* MeaningfulName: Unlike Gideon and Abraham who are named after biblical "good guys" and who are less openly antagonistic, Pontius shares his name with a biblical "villain" and he has no problem mouthing off to Jesse.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Abraham]]
!!Abraham Gemstone
->'''Portrayed By:''' Gavin Munn
[[/folder]]
!!!Judy's Family
[[folder:BJ]]
!!BJ
->'''Portrayed By:''' Tim Baltz
Judy’s fiancé BJ is more than ready to marry into the Gemstone family, even if he gets no respect from her brothers and father (or Judy, for that matter).
----
* ButtMonkey: Virtually everyone but Judy treats him with contempt. The Gemstones treat him as a toy to bully or focus their hatred on. Even Judy partakes.
* ExtremeDoormat: Takes most of the abuse leveled at him without much of a fuss. The few times he attempts to stand up for himself, he backs off at the slightest pushback.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[spoiler:Breaks off the engagement with Judy after one too many insults. However, it doesn’t stick and they reunite by the end of the first season]].
[[/folder]]
!!!The Gemstone Empire
[[folder:Baby Billy]]
!!"Baby" Billy Freeman
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/WaltonGoggins
Aimee-Leigh's brother with whom she was a [[FormerChildStar singing duo with as a child]]. In the present, he's the most outwardly manipulative member of the family who's desperately seeking to reclaim his former fame.
----
* AttentionWhore: Aside from the money, it's clear that Billy basks in attention.
* BigEgoHiddenDepths: Billy might be a bombastic egotist, but he's also insecure, financially unstable and painfully aware that time is running out to reclaim even a little of the glory days.
* TheCharmer: He knows just how to work an audience.
* ConsummateLiar: Lying is second-nature for Billy, who lies to ''everyone'' and often does so convincingly.
* CoolUncle: To the Gemstone kids, particularly back in his younger days. He spoils them, speaks to them like adults... but also manipulates them and uses them as tools to get back at their parents for any perceived slights.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He might be a petty, money-hungry sideshow of a human being but Billy does dearly love his son, Harmon. In the present, he’s also shown to genuinely miss his sister Aimee-Leigh.
* {{Expy}}: He's a cross between Marjoe Gortner and Peter Popoff.
* FormerChildStar: Baby Billy rose to fame alongside his sister as child performers, but unlike Aimee-Leigh, Baby Billy never transitioned from successful child star to successful adult televangelist. He ruthlessly claws at his legacy with reunion tours, but knows that his target audience are largely seniors who are on their way out. The song he sings with Aimee-Leigh in "Interlude" makes sense when sung by children but not by a grown man.
* ItsAllAboutMe: In the flashback of “Interlude” he pressures a pregnant at forty Aimee-Leigh to tour with him for his financial gain, with no thought given to her health.
* KnownOnlyByTheirNickname: You can count on one hand the number of times someone refers to him as only "Billy." Even his niece and nephews call him "Uncle Baby Billy."
* LargeHam: He's Eli's brother-in-law and like the rest of the clan, the man can put on a show.
* ManipulativeBastard: Back in the old days, he tries to play the Gemstones against one another by pushing Jesse into making a big scene and later using a sob story to convince Aimee-Leigh to join him for the reunion tour.
* MotorMouth: Once he gets going he absolutely never shuts up.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: He shows a nasty misogynistic streak when he tells Aimee-Leigh she's being "a woman", implying that he views women as fundamentally emotional and irrational.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tiffany]]
!!Tiffany Freeman
->'''Portrayed By:''' Valyn Hall
* MayDecemberRomance: She is considerably younger than her husband.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Martin]]
!!Martin Imari
->'''Portrayed By:''' Gregory Alan Williams
As a top employee for the Gemstones, Martin has a front-row seat to the family’s dysfunctions.
----
* TheConsigliere: To Eli.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Jesse's Entourage]]
!!Chad, Levi, Matthew, Gregory
->'''Portrayed By:''' James [=DuMont=] (Chad), Jody Hill (Levi), Troy Anthony Hogan (Matthew), J. [=LaRose=] (Gregory)
* ButtMonkey: Their sole purpose seems to be to take verbal or physical abuse on behalf of, or from, Jesse. Especially Chad.
* CloudCuckooLander: The very odd Gregory, who has coins made to commemorate the fact that they are being blackmailed and their lives could disintegrate at any moment.
-->'''Jesse:''' "We did it"? You made coins with our names on it that says "We did it"? And we're trying to put what happened behind us. You can't be making fucking souvenirs about it!
* HumiliationConga: All of them, but Chad in particular has to deal with a ''lot'', much of it arguably deserved.
** He has his infidelity, drug use and penis exposed on-camera as part of blackmail footage;
** He's bullied by Jesse into attacking Johnny Seasons, which results in him getting shot in the stomach;
** His dirty deeds are discovered by his wife and he's subsequently chastised by Jesse for getting them all in trouble.
* TooDumbToLive: They're ''all'' remarkably stupid, hence why Jesse is their leader.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Keefe]]
!!Keefe Chambers
->'''Portrayed By:''' Tony Cavalero
Keefe is Kelvin’s best friend and a former Satanist who works at the DMV.
----
* AmbiguousDisorder: There's ''something'' up with Keefe: he's awkward, mumbling, blindly loyal, talks frequently about killing himself should Kelvin ask him to and seems utterly terrified at all times.
* AmbiguouslyGay: He lives with Kelvin and is obsessively devoted to him, and the two share a very intimate relationship in general, but it's left unclear if this is due to some kind of attraction on one or both of their parts or if they're simply a pair of emotionally-stunted weirdos expressing platonic love for their OnlyFriend in the strangest way possible.
* {{Catchphrase}}: He keeps telling Kelvin that he'll kill himself if asked to, which only serves to creep everyone out.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He was a Satanist before Kelvin supposedly "saved" him.
* {{Goth}}: Used to be one until he found Jesus.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: His relationship with Kelvin is somewhere between this, [[AmbiguouslyGay a secret romance]], and that of a mentally-handicapped person and their carer. With a bit of a constantly-confused dog and their owner thrown in as well.
* IOweYouMyLife: Considers Kelvin to be his savior for showing him the light of religion in his darkest hour.
* ManChild: So much so that he requires the similarly childish Kelvin to constantly supervise him so that he doesn't accidentally hurt himself.
* UndyingLoyalty: Will follow Kelvin to the ends of the earth, and believes him to be destined for greatness.
[[/folder]]
