The conceit of HBO's The Young Pope, which premieres Sunday night, seems so ridiculous that it's become something of a running internet joke: Jude Law plays a ruthlessly ambitious and altogether sinister pontiff who promises to affect radical change in the Vatican and beyond. Weird! Also, that title... yeah.
Young Pope jokes are currently good because they exist in a hazy dream reality that started when people first heard the idea of Young Pope
— Orayn (@brOrayn) January 6, 2017
It remains to be seen whether we're seduced by this particular drama, but in the weeks leading up to its first-season run (yes, a second is already being developed), Twitter has been on fire with memes about it—to the point where Jude Law found out about the existence of memes. So here's your last chance to savor the very best before the (probably bad) show sucks the fun out of them.
he's a young pope
— Xena WorrierPrincess (@marianbull) January 5, 2017
he loves his Father
loves Jesus
and the Vatican too
The Young Pope: This ain't your daddy's Pope pic.twitter.com/q18fqxNJEz
— Pixelated Boat (@pixelatedboat) January 10, 2017
YOUNG POPE: *planks on the Vatican*
— Michael (@Home_Halfway) January 15, 2017
BISHOPS: You can't do that, it's against the rules!!
YOUNG POPE: *vapes* What are rules
WRITER: So, there’s this Pope, right?
— Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) December 7, 2016
HBO EXEC: Go on
WRITER: But get this - he’s young. And he fucks
HBO EXEC: [cigar falls out of mouth]
hey now
— james (@poppunktony) January 7, 2017
you're a young pope
get your robes on
go pray
— Horse Washington (@stodgeoff) January 5, 2017
TEEN 1: Church is so boring.
— Anne T. Donahue (@annetdonahue) January 5, 2017
TEEN 2: It's so out of touch.
THE YOUNG POPE approaches pulpit: "Some...BODY once told me--"
TEENS: HOLY SHIT
🎶i'm a bitch / i'm a lover / i'm the pope / only younger🎶
— josh androsky🌹 (@ShutUpAndrosky) January 4, 2017
Hi, I'm Jude Law. The first thing you probably thought upon seeing me is, whoa that guy would be way too young to be, say, pope. Well,
— Joseph Fink (@PlanetofFinks) January 5, 2017
The plot twist in Young Pope is they keep cutting to this OLD pope in a black hat and we find out they're actually the same pope
— Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) January 5, 2017
If you havin' girl problems I feel bad for you son / I got 99 problems and the pope is young
— Chase Mitchell (@ChaseMit) January 5, 2017
Take me down to the Vatican City
— Alicia Kraft (@TheAliciaKraft) January 5, 2017
Where the Pope is young and the tone is gritty
Has anyone asked the old pope about the young pope
— Chance! (@chance_second) January 6, 2017
we're all gonna die but some of us will live to watch HBO's 'POPE WHO FUCKS'
— crissy (@crissymilazzo) January 3, 2017
You think the Sex Pope is an Eagles guy or a Creedence guy?
— Sean Cannon (@mrseancannon) January 10, 2017
Is this Young Pope show on HBO like a Muppet Babies thing?
— Tim Siedell (@badbanana) January 4, 2017
Never forget Obama's reaction to the Young Pope. pic.twitter.com/1yDQcAG39w
— Alanna Bennett (@AlannaBennett) January 11, 2017
*as I am riddled with tranq darts and stun gun barbs* The Young Pope is only 'young' compared to other popes!
— Matt Christman (@cushbomb) January 5, 2017
Take me to church
— Elizabeth Bruenig (@ebruenig) January 15, 2017
I'll worship in the pew at the edge of the aisle
I'll submit to the pope who is a juvenile
Offer me that Young Pope
The Young Pope sounds like the name of a fake show on 30 Rock.
— Mrs. Morn (@carlylane) January 5, 2017
What kind of a car does the young pope drive? A Toyota Pious
— Guy who hates arson (@mattytalks) January 8, 2017
(Please someone kill me before I tweet again)
I thought the young pope was a rapper
— sad about sonic (@Fengxii) January 6, 2017
I cannot believe Twitter made me ask google wtf is the young pope meme and I can believe even less it's a real show and it's jude law
— Marina (@regulardragon) January 6, 2017
I'm not a girl
— Sarah Sommer (@sarahsomm) January 6, 2017
Not yet a Young Pope
The Young Pope (2016) pic.twitter.com/5COyYRbOvR
— Mishilla (@merdanellevene) December 27, 2016
I thought the young pope was a rapper
— sad about sonic (@Fengxii) January 6, 2017
Is there an episode of Young Pope where he explains the plot of Godfather III
— Doodlesack Skinsuit (@shakespeherian) January 6, 2017
Bishop: "Bless the children, Your Grace"
— Jon Foor (@JonFoor) January 6, 2017
Young Pope: *rips a bong with five percs and an ice catcher, clears the whole chamber* "Fuck you"
What day of Coachella is Young Pope's DJ set?
— Henry Gammill (@HenryGammill) January 6, 2017
My only goal for tonight is to get real fucked up and start a chant of "young pope" at the bar
— lex (@wokestbloke) January 6, 2017
I hope The Young Pope ushers in a new generation of shows with storylines that don't extend further than their titles
— Brenda Regan-Waters (@LGBTOwlMom78) January 6, 2017
wanna feel old? the young pope has never seen a VCR and thinks 9/11 was a videogame
— Michæl Lu†z (@WarrenIsDead) January 6, 2017
wait up young pope hasn't even fucking aired yet?? some marketing dude at hbo is furiously jacking it into his sword collection rn
— champagne🦂juggalo (@donniemnemonic) January 6, 2017
r/MandelaEffect/comments/s80o8/young_pope_is_a_remake_of_an_early_90s_movie_where_macaulay_culkin_becomes_pope
— Michæl Lu†z (@WarrenIsDead) January 6, 2017
a Young Pope, or Popelet,
— kimmy (@arealliveghost) January 6, 2017
If there isn't a young pope snapchat filter I don't know what any of you marketing "people" are doing with your lives
— alexis nedd (@alexisthenedd) January 6, 2017
i don't know what the young pope is but it is the funniest combination of words i've ever heard
— Nate (@nate_noah) January 6, 2017
the young Pope only has 10 jello shots and 5 Papa John's pizzas but he feeds an entire sorority house party
— that gecko girl (@chaeronaea) January 6, 2017
Operation Young Pope Drop
— James (@lutleylocutions) January 6, 2017
What if God was one of us
— Halimah Marcus (@HalimahMarcus) January 6, 2017
Just a slob like one of us
Nobody calling on the phone
Except the Young Pope maybe in Rome 🎤#youngpope
the youngness of the pope is merely a signifier. the transcendental signified ("young pope") can only ever be approached and never attained
— edward snowdog (@HeavyMids) January 15, 2017
10 years ago we had jobs, hope and cash
— Danny Behar (@danny_behar) January 15, 2017
now we have jobs, young pope, and cash 😄
He was selected to breathe new life into the Catholic Church. But is it too much for him? Colin Hanks in “Young Pope.” This Fall on TheCW.
— Jason Gore (@sonicdork) February 11, 2013
TONIGHT 9 PM (est) #YOUNGPOPE#HBOpic.twitter.com/66y55HyvYF
— @hell0itsLili (@hell0itsLili) January 15, 2017
Interesting quote from the director of The Young Pope. pic.twitter.com/UeNPaPjPlw
— eve peyser (@evepeyser) January 15, 2017
So yeah, don't miss this—it's bound to be the television event of the year. Even if you're scrolling through Twitter for most of it.