Across his three HBO shows, Danny McBride notably works with some of the same actors in his various projects, often giving them completely different roles to tackle across his series. That was certainly the case for some of The Righteous Gemstones’ cast have some astonishingly different dynamics with their characters.

After Walton Goggins and Danny McBride’s chemistry is, no matter whether they’re playing Baby Billy and Jesse Gemstone or Lee Russell and Neal Gamby. However, it wasn’t until Edi Patterson’s Vice Principals character, Jen Abbott, was introduced that the earlier series became more uncomfortable to watch. While Patterson is still a comedic genius in Vice Principals, her character’s dynamic with McBride’s Neal Gamby is starkly different from Judy and Jesse.

Edi Patterson's Jen Abbott Having A Crush On Danny McBride's Neal Is Hard To Watch After The Righteous Gemstones

Their Dynamic Is Far Different From Judy & Jesse

Considering I started watching Vice Principals directly after The Righteous Gemstones, it’s hard not to still picture McBride and Patterson as Jesse and Judy when they’re in scenes together. As such, it’s strange to watch Patterson’s Jen Abbott have a major one-sided crush on McBride’s Neal Gamby. McBride and Patterson’s brother-sister dynamic in The Righteous Gemstones led to plenty of hilarious moments, so it’s certainly odd to go back and see them interact in a romantic context so soon after the latest Danny McBride HBO show’s conclusion.

Danny-McBride-and-Walton-Goggins-from-Vice-Principals

Vice Principals Cast & Character Guide

Danny McBride and Walton Goggins lead an ensemble of hilarious performers in the cast of HBO's twisted dark comedy series Vice Principals.

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Of course, Abbott and Gamby’s romantic dynamic in Vice Principals doesn’t just stop at a crush. The two North Jackson High staff sleep together in a drunken tryst on a field trip, which is followed by Patterson’s character becoming unhealthily obsessed with Gamby and attempting to murder multiple people in the time leading up to Vice Principals’ series ending. Though Abbott’s feelings for Gamby are never truly reciprocated, it’s still strange to see them in such a volatile, romantically-charged dynamic after their Righteous Gemstones arguments were largely confined to being petty sibling rivalry.

Vice Principals was Danny McBride's second HBO show after Eastbound & Down.

Not to mention, it’s a wild twist to see the actress who plays Judy Gemstone try to kill the actors who play Jesse Gemstone and Uncle Baby Billy (Goggins). Abbott targets both Gamby and Russell in Vice Principals, but Judy thankfully never goes that far with her brother and uncle in The Righteous Gemstones. While the Gemstone family often crossed the line of “normal” family dynamics, Abbot, Gamby, and Russell’s Vice Principals story is more disturbing than any dynamics that Judy, Jesse, and Baby Billy had together.

Walton Goggins & Edi Patterson's Accents On Vice Principals Are Also Completely Different From The Righteous Gemstones

Their Character Dynamics Aren't The Only Big Change

While not as strange as seeing Patterson’s character have an obsessive crush on McBride’s character, another difficult-to-adjust-to difference between The Righteous Gemstones and Vice Principals is the actors’ accents. Though both shows are set in South Carolina, Patterson puts on a much thicker southern accent for Judy in The Righteous Gemstones than for Abbott in Vice Principals, with Goggins also sounding very different without his 70-year-old man voice for Uncle Billy.

	RT Critics Score	RT Audience Score
Vice Principals (2016-2017)	83%	86%

McBride’s accent is also a bit stronger in The Righteous Gemstones, so it’s jarring to go from the Gemstone family’s distinct intonations to Vice Principals’ less emphasized accents. Overall, these stark differences highlight the impressive versatility of Danny McBride and the actors he frequently works with.

Goggins can flawlessly go from playing the manipulative and sadistic Lee Russell to the musically-inspired, egomaniacal Baby Billy, while Edi Patterson’s comedic talents can equally shine as the murderous, obsessive Jen Abbott and the volatile, profane Judy Gemstone. Separating the overlapping cast ’ roles may be difficult, but The Righteous Gemstones and Vice Principals still make for a fantastic back-to-back viewing.