by Jennifer Wead

“Have you seen The Chosen?” is not a question you would have had to ask the more than five thousand people who arrived at the Orlando World Center Marriott last weekend for ChosenCon 2024. The hotel/conference center was fully dec’d out in teal and black (the official colors of The Chosen). Actors and crewmembers wandered about the concourses interacting with fans. Various panels entitled “Gates of Hell: The Devil’s in the Details” and “Welcome to Bethany” drew long lines of fans waiting to enter the conference rooms to hear behind-the-scenes stories.

This is the second year for ChosenCon, and based on the fan response and slate of upcoming projects announced by Dallas Jenkins during the convention, the studio does not appear to be easing up on the pedal any time soon. 

The first season of The Chosen debuted in 2019 and has been steadily growing in resources and fans since then. It is notable for being mainly crowdfunded. The studio is continually raising the qualitative bar on the landmark series, and has witnessed tremendous growth amongst fans and production resources over the last year. Contrary to how one may think a Biblically-inspired show may be received by mainstream Hollywood, it is continually receiving accolades from those in and, perhaps more surprisingly, outside of the faith. More and more celebrities and influencers are commenting favorably about the show, such as superstar Blake Shelton and even the hosts of The View.

My first experience with The Chosen goes back to its first season. I had seen some of the advertisements on Facebook but just thought it was probably another sub-par faith-based project. It wasn’t until my cousin and author told me I should take some time to actually sit down and watch it that I relented. I have been a believer for many years, but I generally had two expectations when it came to this kind of media, either (1) it would be, as stated earlier, sub-par and cheesy or (2) it would be a complete misunderstanding or misrepresentation of Scripture and Christianity. 

Needless to say, I spent the entire first episode waiting for something to disappoint me. Nothing really did. In fact, it touched me. So, I gave the next episode a chance. And the next. And the next. Each episode not only faithfully recreated iconic moments in the Bible but also did it in a way that defied expectations. The characters seem like real people and not just stained-glass window paintings. In general, The Chosen gives backstories to many of the characters. While we may not know the actual true-life activities of all the people written about in the Bible, The Chosen tries to fill in plausible stories. This is all done in an effort to make the well-known stories in the New Testament hit harder. Furthermore, they will often tie in flashbacks to the Old Testament. The stories also seem to surprise me. You may wonder: How can a Bible show be surprising? There shouldn’t be any spoiler alerts! It is not always what is happening but more of how it happens that can surprise you. 

However, while the show did assuage my initial misgivings, it was really the people involved that converted me into an actual fan. I try not to mindlessly accept everything that people write about the Bible or other faith-based media, so I felt that I would need to discover the motivations of this group of creators before I gave it my allegiance. What I found was authenticity. The creator of the show, Dallas Jenkins, was honest and humble about the writing process and always answered questions about why he and his co-writers (Tyler Thompson and Ryan Swanson) adapted stories in a certain way. He didn’t shy away from hard questions but he was also not the sort of person who would be blown about by every opinion. Dallas sees his job as pleasing God first. He also was clear from the beginning—in fact it is stated in the very first episode of the show—that this is not the Bible, nor is it meant to be a replacement of the Bible. 

I have been to two ChosenCons, participated in the filming of the Feeding of the 5,000 and nothing I have seen has made me think otherwise. Every actor, crewmember, and writer are passionate about the project, even though many of them come from different faith backgrounds. They tear up in gratefulness when speaking about the project and try to make genuine connections with the fans. Every actor I spoke with was thoughtful and passionate about portraying their character in the right way. They spoke of finding purpose and fulfillment in their part. Some of the crewmembers are getting to be just as famous as the actors themselves (at least among the fans who came to ChosenCon).  

The producers of The Chosen are just as passionate about sending their show out to fans around the world too! The Come and See Foundation is dedicated to funding the show as well as getting it translated into 600 languages (they have around fifty to sixty now, which makes it the most translated show of all time, surpassing Baywatch, the previous record-holder).  Outside of the US, some of their biggest markets are Brazil and Latin America. 

The Chosen is four seasons into their planned seven season run. Season five has already been filmed and is in post-production. Season five centers on Holy Week with Season six dealing with the crucifixion and season seven the resurrection. On Friday night, Dallas announced a rebranding of their studios as 5 & 2 Studios with plans to create more relevant faith-based content, which include a children’s animated show (The Chosen Adventures), a Bear Grylls adventure show (The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls), shows about Moses and Joseph, and, finally, the much-anticipated show about the Acts of the Apostles (The Way of the Chosen). Of course, with the Bible being as lengthy as it is, there is no shortage of material from which they can pull in the future. 

As someone who grew up with a dearth of well-written faith-based material but who always appreciated a TV show that could pull you in, it is exciting. If the quality remains the same, they will be able to continue growing as they have. I have enjoyed every episode I have watched, and it is truly hard to pick a favorite. So, my final question for you is: “Have you seen The Chosen?”