As Resurrection Sunday is just around the corner, The Chosen releases its newest season focused on Jesus’ last days. In the newest episodes, viewers will see Dallas Jenkins’ depiction of the Last Supper and Judas’ betrayal. With all the buzz around this popular television series, you may have wondered if this is a show worth your time and investment. After all, the streamed series about Jesus is a massive hit, with over 200 million viewers last summer alone, and has been translated into a record-breaking 50+ languages.
In preparation for Easter, I’ll answer my own title question in my honest review of The Chosen.
Stories about Jesus in the realm of film and television don’t cycle around often.
Aside from theatrical films later aired on television, the first made-for-TV show about Jesus was Jesus of Nazareth, which aired in 1977, had an all-star cast (including Sir Laurence Olivier, James Mason, and Anne Bancroft), and split its sizable audience right down the middle regarding reviews. Viewers either loved it or hated it.
I’ve always suspected the haters’ dislike stemmed from the idea that the visuals didn’t match those in their heads, which is a unique difficulty for Jesus stories to overcome.
Given that the gospel story of Jesus is so personal to so many, if the show doesn’t portray that story as they’ve visually imagined, it can feel illegitimate and disconnected from reality.
Yet, unlike the sad-eyed, British-accented Robert Powell in Jesus of Nazareth, The Chosen’s Jesus, portrayed by Jonathan Roumie, looks exactly like so many people think Jesus could have looked. Likewise, the rest of the cast and set offer a much more accurate (and therefore palatable) picture for its audience.
As good as Roumie is in his role, so much of the story is driven by the unique personalities, looks, and relationships among Jesus’ disciples. Peter is a buff, quick-tempered, and even initially suspicious fisherman. “Little James,” or “James the Lesser,” has a physical disability. Matthew is portrayed as being on the autism spectrum. These unique characters in the show help viewers conceptualize and personify these historical figures as real people, just like us.
While their interactions with each other are honest, intriguing, and even appropriately humorous, those same disciples act as proxies for us in the ways they interact with and respond to Jesus. They struggle with Jesus’ hard sayings, just like we do. They grow spiritually as they begin to understand Jesus’ actions and character, just like we do. They ask Jesus selfish questions, just like we do.
Finally, a notably weighty story element that the show conveys so powerfully is this: The disciples question Jesus’ power when He sovereignly performs miracles for new or non-believers but doesn’t do the same for them, just like we do
The Chosen’s richness shows up in several creative ways.
First, Jesus’ humanity is portrayed with sensitive accuracy. In one episode, after a particularly long day of ministering to the multitudes, Jesus returns to His and the disciples’ camp that night, not floating on an angelic cloud or sporting a golden aura, but rather stumbling into camp, utterly exhausted and hardly speaking to the disciples before collapsing with fatigue in his tent. A bone-weary Jesus is the perfect portrayal of our orthodox Christian belief that Jesus was indeed fully human.
One creative story device employed so well by The Chosen is showing, rather than telling about, Jesus’ parables. “Powerful” doesn’t do justice to the scene in which arrogant, irreverent Roman soldiers load down the disciples with their military gear, even roughly placing a helmet on Jesus’ head, conscripting them to tote their gear for a mile. The humbling Romans quickly become the humbled after Jesus insists that He and His friends carry that gear an extra mile. Before the end of that second mile, the soldiers had reclaimed their gear and awkwardly expressed genuine gratitude to Jesus and His group.
Finally, to The Chosen Creator Dallas Jenkins’ credit, when actual biblical events are presented as part of an episode – for example, the Sermon on the Mount, for which Jesus is seen doing sermon prep in the show – the story uses only biblical quotations for the dialogue. The common vernacular and banter are set aside as the Bible itself is enacted with the very Word of God alone.
Thankfully, The Chosen has much greater production values than the Christian I endured as a teen. Images from poorly acted, barely lit, and often graphically violent shows – including the likes of Here’s what happens if you miss the Rapture! – still remain burned into my brain.
Even the quality content I personally helped produce in the '80s Christian scene is worth comparing, as most of our programs were limited to talk shows or hand puppets because we couldn’t afford good writers or more than a single, talented actor.
Yet, the production of The Chosen is a whole different caliber of quality. The writing is thoughtful, creative, honest, and humorous, with just the right amount of contemporary language. The casting is unique and appropriately challenges stale, preconceived stereotypes, with well-trained actors who are engaging, relatable, and moving, making the audience feel something.
In fact, my pal and Chosen cast member Steve Shermett, who portrays “Rabbi Josiah,” shared a story with me about nearly ruining a scene; as a character collapsed, Steve thought he was actually fainting and almost rushed over to help. Indeed, the good actor fooled the good actor!
Poet Malcolm Guite recently noted in a Christianity Today article, “Art helps us remove the film of familiarity and find new ways of glimpsing and telling the truth.” This series does just that; it helps personify Jesus and the important individuals around him, all while telling a story that challenges, moves, and allows its viewers to better conceptualize this profound biblical narrative.
My best suggestion: Go watch The Chosen, especially now, in this time of reverent remembrance of what Christ has done.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Skynesher
Dr. Earl Waggoner is the Dean of the School of Biblical & Theological Studies at Colorado Christian University’s College of Adult & Graduate Studies.