- Cooper starred in flashback episode Prelude in final series premiere
- Episode set in 1862 and doesn’t feature any regular cast members
- Cooper is already being touted for an Emmy nomination
While Danny McBride’s bold decision to kick off the final season of The Righteous Gemstones with none of the regular cast members may have been jarring to some viewers, it hasn’t done anything to dampen reactions, as the Bradley Cooper led flashback episode has drawn wildly positive reactions.
The fourth and final season – which has already generated a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – began last week with an episode entitled Prelude, set in 1862, amid the blood drenched violence of the American Civil War. The episode follows Cooper’s Elijah Gemstone as, in typical Gemstone manner, he cons and schemes his way to financial gain by exploiting the religious beliefs of Confederate soldiers.
Cooper’s performance completely anchors the episode, with Deadline even tipping him for an Emmy nomination.
And it’s not just the critics who are lavishing praise on Cooper and the season opener. Fans took to social media to show their appreciation for the 12 time Oscar nominee’s efforts.
The Righteous Gemstones is probably the only show that can somehow have a season premiere without a single legacy character being featured while also being one of the best episodes of the series. Bradley Cooper was great
— ND (@CopaceticNuts) March 10, 2025
Bradley Cooper just made my Sunday. Righteous Gemstones never fails to surprise. pic.twitter.com/bHFjuDPGNs
— Wally Paulnuts (@_jdstro) March 10, 2025
Bradley Cooper in The Righteous Gemstones premiere is incredible work & some of the best of his career. Brutal, hysterical and heartbreaking. They messed up not giving him those Oscars so the Emmys better show up pic.twitter.com/g5xE97DiB3
— Anthony @ SXSW (@AnAntLife) March 11, 2025
the righteous gemstones is the only show on television right now asking the question: what if bradley cooper was john goodman's great grandfather?
— alec 🦩 (@stomachelves) March 10, 2025
The premier of the final season of Righteous Gemstones is a masterpiece. A very dark, yet grimly hilarious story of a Confederate grifter discovering and exploiting the importance of religion to soldiers during wartime. Bradley Cooper you will be halfway to EGOT status after this pic.twitter.com/DwzqbMKHkJ
— samwise (innie) (@samwisegamgino) March 10, 2025
the righteous gemstones season premiere is a fucking civil war flashback. with special guest lead actor bradley cooper. no one else is doing it like this. the last soldier in the peak television war. the best damn show on tv by a mile.
— prozac & cody (@clubskunks) March 10, 2025
Bradley Cooper's gonna get an Emmy for that episode of Righteous Gemstones. The dramatic stuff was obviously extremely well-acted, but it's also kind of insane how he did the whole thing while also doing an incredibly subtle-yet-accurate Danny McBride impression
— Bonnie Stiernberg (@aahrealbonsters) March 10, 2025
Should Cooper land an Emmy for his performance, it would put him two awards away from achieving EGOT status (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). Having already secured Grammies for A Star Is Born, Cooper would just need to finally land an Oscar (he currently has a dozen nominations to his name, but no win) and a Tony Award.
