A disclaimer:
I am a huge Chosen fan, and I have never claimed anything otherwise. I just want to make it clear that this article will be very biased as it comes from a person who has been following the show since late 2020, fanatically raves about it constantly, and tries to convince everyone on earth that it’s worth watching.

Mary Magdalene and Nicodemus; Season One

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two years, you’ve probably heard of the hit television show The Chosen. You may have heard about it through a church going friend. Or perhaps you read about it in the news. Or maybe a certain YouTube thumbnail caught your eye while you scrolled down your FYP.

In simple words, The Chosen is a Jesus show. It revolves around the life and doings of Jesus Christ and his relationships with those whose lives he touched. The description sounds fairly stereotypical, at least for a Christian television show, but there seems to be something about the show that sets it apart. It has garnered so much critical praise and attention from people even outside the evangelical Christian community—atheists, agnostics, and dozens of different denominations all flock to the internet to rave about how entertaining the show is, how it impacted them, etc. etc. So what exactly makes this show a good television show?

Storytelling

The Chosen takes visual storytelling to an entirely different level. The characters portrayed by deeply dedicated, gifted actors are drawn well; they are actual people who have believable problems, emotions, and character nuances. Growing, maturing, and changing in a noticeable yet gradual development arc, each and every character tells a different story that is both spiritually and emotionally charged. Most importantly, they are people we can all relate to, whether or not we have read the Bible or even the Gospels before. The characters are, of course, only one aspect of the intricate storytelling The Chosen wields. It seems that a lot of television shows or movies in today’s day and age entertain plots that seem strong during the beginning but are gradually revealed to be floundering in inconsistency, confusion, and a lot of superfluous sub-plots. The Chosen is by no means perfect in its efforts to be intentional and detail-oriented, but it does achieve a remarkable number of scenes that are all essential to the storyline and character development. They don’t throw in sub-plot after sub-sub-plot “just because”. That being said, The Chosen is still a drama, so you can expect a lot of detailed plots and character storylines to take up the bulk of the show.

Production

The Chosen began in 2017. The franchise is entirely crowdfunded, which is quite impressive considering the amount of success it has achieved outside of its own target audience. Thus, one would think that the narrow budget and the lack of funds would cause the show’s production to be rather shoddy and poorly done. It is true that there are certain scenes in the first season that have shaky, almost unprofessional shots; however, these are in the minority. The Chosen, despite their miniscule budget and slim amount of funds, has somehow, miraculously, managed to shoot some of the most beautiful, well-directed scenes I’ve seen in my short life. In the second season, they even achieved a fifteen-minute one-shot, a phenomenon rarely seen in cinema. In line with the story’s background and location, the Chosen is shot on several different sets that are dynamic, realistic, and beautiful. If anything, the production appeals to the senses—there is a constant overflow of rich colors, cacophonous crowd noises and animal noises, and aesthetically pleasing scenery.

Behind the scenes of Season Two with Dallas Jenkins, director (left), and Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus

Acting

Acting seems to be a rampant problem among Christian media projects. There seems to be a pattern among faith-based projects where the concept is alright, the storyline is okay if a bit poorly drawn, but the stilted, painfully awkward acting just seems to turn off the viewer immediately. I was a bit thrown by the polished, on-point acting when I first started watching the show. Since I usually have an aversion to Christian entertainment—I appreciate the effort, but the result sometimes is just excruciating to have to watch—it was a bit disconcerting to actually be enjoying the acting and marveling at the obvious passion of the actors. They aren’t just reciting lines with some forced emotion in their voices, they are actually telling the story as if it was their story. They have the passion, the dedication, and the talent to be able to do justice to each character in an individual manner. Obviously, like all shows, there are moments of poor acting that appear every now and then, but it can be said that for the majority of the show, the acting is very well-done and believable—not only that, it is also emotionally charged and moving.

Marketing

It is widely known that a major key to gaining more views and thus becoming more mainstream is good marketing. Sure, you might be able to make a good show, but if no one watches it, then it’s never going to get out there. And as fans of artists and projects such as Swifties and Potterheads have proved, a large, diverse, passionate and perhaps slightly crazy fan base attracts a substantial amount of media attention. The Chosen has managed to achieve that fan base through extremely personal fan interactions, events, and communication. It is crowd-funded, after all. The Chosen’s YouTube channel is home to livestreams that feature the director himself (Dallas Jenkins) talking to the fans themselves, behind the scenes videos, and interviews with all the cast members. Calling themselves part of “The Chosen Family” or “The Chosen Army”, many people who watch the show end up having such a good relationship with the show that they will do practically anything to support it and help it grow. For both Season Two and Season Three, the Chosen hosted thousands of their fans on set as extras during the filming of the Feeding of the Five Thousand and the Sermon on the Mount, two scenes that require large crowds. The saying “Just because it’s popular, doesn’t mean it’s bad” applies to this situation and gives you all the more reason to watch it.

Filming of the Feeding of the Five Thousand

The Message

The message of the Chosen is wholesome, meaningful, and—bonus—family-friendly. You don’t have to be a Christian to enjoy the show, and you don’t even have to know anything about the Bible to understand it. It presents the Gospels in relatable ways, focusing on the relationships Jesus had with actual people, which makes it both entertaining and relatable.

Conclusion

I would like to stress that I am by no means trying to force you to watch The Chosen. Whether or not you watch it is entirely up to you. I would say, though, to not judge the show based on the fact that it is faith-based and that it revolves around Jesus and his followers, and I would also like to emphasize that the only thing I am trying to convey through the contents of this article is that the Chosen is a good show, and that, if you are still on the fence about watching it, it really wouldn’t hurt to give Season One, Episode One, a try. So, if you have the time, go to their website, where you can watch all of Season One and Two (for free!). If you like it, awesome! I’m happy, you’re happy, and The Chosen is probably extremely happy as well. And if you don’t? Then by all means carry on with life—you only wasted fifty minutes of your life, which I’m sure won’t have any adverse affects on you in the long-run.

Season Three out now on streaming platforms including Amazon Prime, Roku, and Netflix