Dannytalksaboutthisshow

It’sveryexcitingtohearthatyou’reworkingonanotherHBOseries,withTheRighteousGemstones.McBRIDE:Yeah,we’rereallystoked.Wejustfinishedshootingthepilot,abouttwoweeksago,andweturnitintoHBOnextweek,sohopefullythey’llgoaheadandkickthissuckerintohighgear,andthenwe’lljumpintoshootingthisthing,atthebeginningofnextyear.We’restokedaboutit.Idirectedthepilot,andthenJody[Hill]andDavid[GordonGreen]willbebackfortherestoftheseries.Itwasawesome.Wehadakillertime.Wehaveagoodcast,andwe’rereallyexcitedaboutit.IhopeHBOis,too.Whatledyoutowanttodothis?Haveyoualwaysbeencuriousabouttelevangelistsorwasthereaspecificonethatmadeyouwanttotellthisstory?McBRIDE:IgrewupintheSouthandIwenttochurch,whenIwasakid.Mymomwasinpuppetministry,andIgrewupinaprettyreligioushousehold.Whenmyparentsgotdivorced,whenIwasinmiddleschool,wefoundourselvesdedicatingsomuchofourlivestothechurch.Mymomwasasinglemom,raisingmeandmysister,andwewentbacktothechurchthatwegrewupinandfoundthatpeoplehadturnedtheirbacksonmymom.Theydidn’tliketheideathatshegotadivorce,andtheyweren’ttheretohelpus.Irememberthatbeinganearlylesson,whenIwasyoung.It’snotthatthemessagesIgotinchurchwerebad,butthewaythatsomeofthepeopleatthischurchwereusingitasawaytomakethemselvesbetterthanotherpeople,itputachiponmyshoulder,fromanearlyage,thatI’vecarriedwithmetomyadultlife.So,I’vealwayssecretlywantedtotellthatstory.WhoaretheGemstonesthen,andhowwouldyousayyourcharacterfitsintothefamily?McBRIDE:TheGemstonesarebasicallyafamilyofworldfamoustelevangelists.Thatwasreallythemainpieceofthis.Thisisn’tahit-pieceonreligion.Withalltheshowsthatwedo,it’salwaysaboutcharacters,theirrelationshipstotheirprofession,andhowtheycanusetheirprofessiontoassumeacertainlevelofrespectorpowerthatcomeswiththat.IfGambycanthinkhe’sarulingkingbecausehe’stheprincipaloftheschool,orKennyPowersthinksthatbecauseheplayedbaseballthanhe’sbetterthaneveryoneelsearoundhim,that’swhatthisis,too.Thisisafamilyofworldfamoustelevangelistsandtheydomissions,allovertheworld.Theybringin17,000people,weekly,totheirgiganticmega-church.Theypullinatonofmoneyandarefar,farremovedfromtheirhumblebeginnings,whentheystarted.Now,thefamilyhassufferedaloss.Themotherhaspassedaway,soyoumeetthisfamilyatamomentofcrisis,wherethey’retryingtofigureouthowthingsgotsofarofftherails.