When BJ surffered his traumatic pole-dancing accident on The Righteous Gemstones, I feared the HBO series was changing my favorite character for the worse. Beej was certainly down, but not for very long, thanks to the miraculous work of his service monkey, Dr. Watson. In case there was any doubt that actor Tim Baltz was faking anything, the actor confirmed he worked with an actual trained capuchin during Season 4, and shared some hilarious stories about the uniquely disturbing acts of kissing and being fed by the monkey.
As we all wait for the finale of The Righteous Gemstones to arrive on HBO or on streaming for those with a Max subscription, Tim Baltz spoke to TV Insider about what it was like working with not one, but two capuchins named Allie and Katie who took turns playing Dr. Watson. Baltz didn't specify which one he kissed during his scene, but hilariously described the experience:
Kissing the monkey meant that the monkey was sticking its tongue into my mouth, repeatedly, very much in a penetrative kind of way, like a little jackknife.
When Baltz first signed on for this series, knowing he was going to be working with Danny McBride and John Goodman, I doubt he knew he'd be swapping spit with a monkey. But shame on him if he doesn't expect it in the future.
It seems Baltz was the consummate professional all the same, though I do have to wonder if he was able to get through that kissing scene in just one take, or if he had to experience that jackknife sensation multiple times. And how much rehearsing went into it. I'm not quite sure I could keep a straight face if kissed by a monkey, though I'm also not an actor!
Ultimately, Tim Baltz seemed to have a pleasant experience working with the capuchins, but it wasn't completely without risk. The BJ actor said the scenes where Dr. Watson had to feed him required a warning from the animal trainer, as the primate was a little overzealous about the feeding process:
When the monkey’s feeding me pretzels, it was very impulsive about it and it would take the pretzels and the trainer was like, ‘She’s gonna want to shove it in your mouth, so you kind of gotta have your tongue up, ready to stop it, otherwise it’ll go straight down your throat and you’ll choke.' Sure enough, she would bring the pretzel up and then hold it with one hand, and then hammer it in with the other. But ultimately, it’s just kind of like mischievous and fun-loving.
Dr. Watson added some much-needed levity to the season, as it grew darker when Michael Rooker joined as Lori's ex-husband, Cobb Milsap. Cobb ended up kidnapping Eli Gemstone and Uncle Baby Billy, and was prepared to do some torturous things to them. Fortunately, his son Corey swooped in and managed to save the day, though he was forced to kill his father.
I would say it's one of the darkest plotlines I've seen involving primates, but our review of The Monkey will easily disprove that.
Unfortunately, Dr. Watson had to be sent away, as Judy Gemstone convinced her husband that he would be best served helping someone else once BJ regained his ability to walk. In reality, the ape and Judy had animosity toward each other, and the capuchin attempted to drop a hair dryer in the bathtub she was in.
It's unclear at this point whether Dr. Watson will appear in the series finale of The Righteous Gemstones. I still can't believe that the series is ending, and am desperately looking for a comedy nearly as entertaining on the 2025 TV schedule to provide me with nearly as much joy as this show. Danny McBride needs to get rolling on another comedy series as soon as he possibly can, because I don't want to wait long to laugh as hard as this show has made me.
The Righteous Gemstones series finale will air on HBO on Sunday, May 4th at 10:00 p.m. ET. Tune in to see what becomes of the faith-based family at the end, and what surprises are in store for the fans who have stuck around for the entire ride.
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