I’m a big fan of pretty much everything Danny McBride does, going way back to his turn as the disgraced former pro baseball player Kenny Powers in Eastbound & Down. So naturally, the fourth and final season of his latest HBO show, The Righteous Gemstones, is must-watch TV at my house. Yet I never would’ve guessed I’d see Rivian’s electric vehicles featured so prominently on the show. And after doing a little asking around, I found out that The Righteous Gemstones is new ground for Rivian as well.
(Some mild spoilers for the fourth season of The Righteous Gemstones follow.)
If you’re not familiar with the show, let me start there. The Righteous Gemstones follows the misadventures of famous television pastor Eli Gemstone, played by John Goodman, and his three adult fail-children who take over his megachurch-slash-media empire when he retires.
All of them may preach the good word, but their private lives are filled with infighting, backstabbing, one-upsmanship, wealth-hoarding and, more often than not, both misdemeanor- and felony-level crimes. And since the entire show is a darkly hilarious satirical take on the “prosperity gospel” phenomenon, the Gemstone family likes their mansions and their fancy cars.
Photo by: HBO
Rivian on The Righteous Gemstones
But never in a million years did I expect them to be a bunch of Rivian fans. At several points this season, the Gemstone clan can be seen cruising around in a matching set of all-white R1S SUVs; so far, the cars have made cameos on the second, third and fourth episodes. In one episode, Danny McBride’s Jesse Gemstone is seen in his R1S right before his minions torch a rival preacher’s church that moved in across the street, and in another, deranged daughter Judy Gemstone loads her husband BJ into her Rivian after he’s crippled in a competitive pole-dancing accident. (I told you they were terrible.)
Photo by: HBO
Rivian on The Righteous Gemstones
The Gemstones have always had flashy cars, including a Dodge Challenger Demon, a Lamborghini Huracán and various Mercedes-Benz G-Wagens. With the Rivians this season, they seem to be going electric more and more, which was a pleasant surprise. But those white R1S-es stand out so much that I wondered: Is this official Rivian product placement?
Photo by: HBO
Rivian on The Righteous Gemstones
It turns out that it is, according to a Rivian spokesperson. And it’s the first time Rivian has done this on a TV show.
“The guys at Rough House Pictures are fans of the brand and our R1 vehicles, so it was natural for HBO’s Righteous Gemstones to be our first official product placement in a TV show,” the spokesperson said. “It was chosen to help expand our brand and reach out to a broader audience.”
It’s perhaps a bit of a watershed moment for Rivian as it grows beyond being a small EV startup to being a more widely known power-player in the space. Plus, Rivian is still at least a year out from getting its more mainstream R2 crossover on sale; for now, it needs as much attention as it can get for the R1S and R1T, and moves like this are a good way to do it. And maybe it can be seen as yet another sign of how EVs are going increasingly mainstream—just another car, really.
So yes, it’s an official thing, in case you or other EV fans out there were wondering. And while the Gemstone family doesn’t give off especially heroic vibes, the large, powerful and well-equipped R1S does seem to be right up their alley.
And maybe going electric is catching on. In last week’s episode, Walton Goggins’ unhinged Uncle Baby Billy is even seen loading his family into a Tesla Cybertruck. (He would drive a Cybertruck, wouldn’t he?)
The Righteous Gemstones airs Sundays on HBO at 10 p.m. EST.
Photo by: HBO
The Righteous Gemstones Tesla Cybertruck
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
