(Opinion) There’s seemingly no stopping “The Chosen.” It feels like only yesterday the series was a crowdfunded faith-based Jesus show from the director of “The Resurrection of Gavin Stone” and backed by the small, independent Angel Studios.
Now, the star who plays Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) is doing guest spots on Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show,” “Good Morning America” and “The View.”
At the same time, iconic photographer Annie Leibovitz makes “The Chosen” posters that are splashed on billboards in Times Square. Showrunner Dallas Jenkins is doing interviews on The Jordan Peterson Podcast. His production company is launching a whole “Chosen Universe” of sequels and spinoff projects. And Amazon is officially partnering with the series in a wide-ranging exclusive deal that involves future projects.
“The Chosen” is a rare faith-based project beloved by Christians and non-Christians, Catholics and Protestants, political conservatives and liberals. It’s been praised by figures like Paul Schraeder, Bishop Robert Barron and Greg Laurie.
The evangelical-Catholic crossover appeal is certainly helped by the fact that Jenkins is a an evangelical and Roumie a Catholic. It’s also a testament to the seriousness with which filmmakers take quality storytelling and fidelity to quality biblical interpretation. (Jenkins’ round tables with his Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish biblical consultants are sometimes even more interesting than the show itself!)
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Having written about “The Chosen” since the very beginning, there’s something particularly gratifying about the series’ success. I’ve both praised “The Chosen” and criticized it.
For me, the show has been nowhere near perfect. But it’s always been good, and light years ahead of where most faith-based film industry content was. And its success was repudiation of two very common claims: It’s not true that (as non-Christians would say) it is impossible to make a quality creative work about Jesus that would satisfy Christians; and it’s also not true that (as Christians would say) non-Christians will hate a Christian thing no matter the quality simply because it’s, well, Christian.
That said, as the show’s profile rises and more people discover it, so do the stakes. Can “The Chosen” live up to the unimaginable hype?
The fifth season premiere is great, and the best opener to a “The Chosen” season yet. Everything good about the series is here, and most of the weaknesses I’ve critiqued over the past four seasons are all but absent.
Season 5 — titled “The Chosen: Last Supper” (not to be confused with Chris Tomlin’s Jesus movie “The Last Supper”, which also premiered in theaters this month) — picks up right where last season left off, following Jesus and the disciples as He marches into Jerusalem during Holy Week, exciting his followers and forcing his enemies to act. As Jesus’ disciples anticipate what this means for Him and them, Jesus prepares himself for the grim fate that he knows awaits him.
‘Actual cinema’ quality
One of the first things that stands out about this season is how much more cinematically confident it feels compared to previous years.
While earlier seasons were well-made and often excitedly experimented artistically — such as with the second season’s one-shot and the third season’s black-and-white silent opener — these opening episodes aren’t as flashy, but they are clearly crafted by filmmakers who have honed their craft over time.
Every filmmaking choice — from when to hold a take versus when to cut, when to stay close and when to pull back, to how to pace and light everything — shows a team that has spent the last several years refining their skills. This is the first season opener where I had a “film bro” moment and thought to myself, “This might actually be cinema.”
This season also benefits from a brilliant format that makes it stand out. The entire story takes place over a single week and each episode (that I’ve watched so far) opens with a scene from The Last Supper, incorporating pieces of Jesus’s famous words from that night.
Normally, I’m not a fan of when “The Chosen” opens its episodes with flash-forwards, as I feel it slows down the momentum. But here, it works. First, the scenes are so moody and dramatic that they effectively build tension. Second, there’s so much to cover with Jesus’s Last Supper that this was probably the only way to fit it all in.
And “slow” is definitely not a criticism that can be leveled against the premiere. From the opening scene through both episodes, the show maintains its energy. Right from Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, you feel the palpable sense of danger and excitement. Jesus is proclaiming his kingship, which sets him on a collision course with the ruling powers in Jerusalem.
When Jesus tells the Pharisees that if he stopped his followers from proclaiming “Hosanna,” the stones would cry out (Luke 19:40), and then keeps riding like a boss, you share in the disciples’ pumped-up enthusiasm.
Jesus balances goodness and authority
By far the most impressive aspect of the premiere is its portrayal of Jesus. Roumie and the writers’ treatment of Jesus has always been the show’s secret weapon. I have mentioned that this show has created the “gold standard” for portraying Jesus on screen, balancing the goodness and authority of his divine nature with the warmth and likability of his human side.
However, the first season focused (with some exceptions) on how Jesus appeared through the disciples’ eyes, and later seasons didn’t delve much deeper into his character to the point where he sometimes almost felt like a parody of himself. Last season, though, made progress by showing Jesus’s grief in anticipation of the cross and his anger at his disciples for not understanding.
This season, the weight of Jesus’s impending death is front and center, and both the writers and Roumie nail it. The actor brings new depth to his portrayal of Jesus, showing layers of fear, resigned gloom and growing resolve all at once, as Jesus prepares for his Passion. The writers give him ample time, both in public and in private, to explore how Jesus sees Himself and how others perceive Him. His interaction with the newlywed couple is a particular highlight, as are his visions of Jerusalem in the future.
The dynamics among the apostles are more fluid and fleshed out than ever before. After five seasons, the disciples truly feel like a cohesive group. I can now easily distinguish each of them — and they feel like a real family whose interactions I love watching.
The scene with Peter after he’s finished preaching made me laugh several times and made it clear that these are friends and brothers. Peter and Mary are particularly well-developed in this season” Peter balancing his growth with his tendency to mess up, and Mary’s closeness to Jesus helping her gain insights that others miss.
These two episodes also place Jesus’s final antagonists front and center, giving each of them dynamic, varied personalities that play off one another. Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas and Herod each represent different factions of the ruling powers against Jesus: The Romans, the Jewish religious leaders and the Romanized Herod, respectively. They give the audience different perspectives on the forces arrayed against Jesus and offer a glimpse into humanity’s potential rejection of Him. Each antagonist is handled with deft complexity.
Framing the season as one long week allows the opening to breathe while keeping the story focused. Extended conversations can unfold without feeling rushed. At the same time, everything is tied to a clear goal and timeframe, so nothing feels lost or meandering.
Finally, the build-up to Jesus turning over the tables in the temple is a welcome one. Some versions of this event, like in films such as “The Last Temptation of Christ” treat it almost as an impulsive outburst of rage, a break from his usual kind character.
However, “The Chosen: Last Supper” presents it as a deliberate act by a man making a statement, one he is reluctant to make because he understands the consequences. This portrayal is not only theologically more plausible — why would we believe in a savior who loses control? — but also more narratively exciting. It allows the moment to serve as a climax in the tension that has been building for five seasons.
This latest installment of “The Chosen” is a testament to how the faith-based industry can evolve in quality and how both Christians and non-Christians will embrace it when it does. It also demonstrates how individual faith-based creators and audiences can grow when given the freedom to do so. With the Season 5 premiere, “The Chosen” is no longer just good faith-based TV — it’s simply good TV.
“The Chosen: Last Supper, Part One” (Season 5, Episodes 1-2) will be in theaters nationwide on March 28. Part Two (Episodes 3-5) will be released April 4 and Part Three (Episodes 6-8) will follow on April 11. Click here for details.
This commentary, which originally appeared at Religion Unplugged, does not necessarily reflect the views of The Roys Report.
Joseph Holmes is an award-nominated filmmaker and culture critic living in New York City. He is co-host of the podcast The Overthinkers, where he discusses art, culture and faith with his fellow overthinkers.
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12 Responses
My husband & I were so grieved by this article. We love what you are doing, Julie & pray for you, but this article will be leading people right into the One World Church. Dallas Jenkins has stated many times that the Mormons believe in the same Jesus as he does. The Chosen Jesus actually quotes from the Book of Mormon. The chosen is bringing all religions together. We have asked people that are watching the series to ask Jesus Christ what He thinks about all this
& pray for discernment. This article is leading people astray.
I don’t watch the series but there’s a contradiction in this article: yes, Jesus was (rightleously) angry at the disciples’ failure to understand. He was mostly angry FOR them and AT Satan because Satan was blinding them.
And so it’s easy to accept that he was also righteously angry at the selfish profiteering in the Temple.
(The victims were Gentle believers arriving in the city).
He was (is) in no sense whatsoever one-dimensional.
A parent who is angry with their child for purposely harming someone (for example) is demonstrating love.
Love is in no way one-dimensional either.
Neither is kindness defined as “being soft”.
Ephesians 4:26 says “Be angry but do not sin”.
Righteous anger is holy. It’s very different from carnal, selfish anger.
An example is Jackie Pullinger apparently feeling “anger” when she first saw the circumstances God’s image-bearers were living in in Kowloon’s Walled City in the 1960s.
Thank God she did. It was anger borne of deep comPASSION and it bore enormous amounts of fruit.
If the world loves this show that means it is not based on accurate biblical doctrine or the world would not like it. Sin and repentance will not be dealt with in a straightforward manner.
“If the world loves this show that means it is not based on accurate biblical doctrine or the world would not like it.”
Truth, it is a relief to see others waking up to this nonsense, and they no longer preach personnel responsibility of our choices, repentance to God for forgiveness.
I am really not sure what this has to do on the Roys’ Report. Please think twice! If you are friendly to a deeply unbiblical and in that sense antichristian picture show as The Chosen, which is undermining people’s trust in the written word (and nothing but the written word), you have no business to criticize churches or ministers and their ministries who are doing the same in their respective ways. I have just one further recommendation: please read (again) Neil Postman’s timely book Amusing Ourselves to Death and you will fully understand what I mean by this comment.
I have never seen The Chosen. The out-takes from earlier seasons that I saw did not seem at all Biblical. I did not want non-Biblical concepts in my mind. I did not think it was presenting the gospel to the public in an accurate way.
All the criticism of The Chosen seems to be coming from people who have never actually seen The Chosen. Or have only seen a few outtakes of previous seasons. That doesn’t strike me as helpful or intellectually honest. I realize that some people disagree with the show’s very existence as a violation of the second commandment. If that is the case, just say that. Rather than branding something you have never seen as unbiblical.
“I realize that some people disagree with the show’s very existence as a violation of the second commandment.”
It is a violation of one of God’s commandments, and God has the final word, not man’s opinion, or the culture:
Ex 20:4
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
The show is based on 5% of the scripture (per Dallas Jenkins), the rest is made up, thus presenting a false message, and a false likeness of Jesus. When you have Christian’s claiming “this is what Jesus really is, and what I think of when I pray”, they have substituted a man’s portrayal of Jesus, with Jesus.
Jesse Stone’s essay about The Chosen, which The Roy’s Report reprinted on October 22, 2024, answers the questions raised by some on this site. Stone was a consultant for the series.
Last summer women in my neighborhood watched the series and were interested in learning more about Jesus, so we started reading the Gospel of Luke together. We are now sisters in Christ and attend church together. God is so Faithfully Wonderful.
I think this is the point of the show. So many statements made about The Chosen are born out of a legalistic (Pharisaic) approach to scripture. Meaning people are so focused on the letter of the law that they don’t make room for the Spirit of the law. It makes me sad. All those who make these nonsense claims about any Mormon association with the show should read Dr. Doug Huffman’s response to the question, “Is The Chosen produced by Mormons?” That will at least provide them with some facts. Lots of straining gnats to swallow camels in my opinion. God bless your Bible Study and may God grow these women friends of your to be fearless Jesus followers!
Please give an example of the Commandments written in “the spirit of the law”, so we have an understanding of what you mean.
Sure. It’s a metaphorical phrase but i’m happy to be specific. Before I do that it’s important to note Jesus death and resurrection completely fulfilled the law, which Paul makes very clear that we have never been able to keep (Romans 3:20). And the law is way bigger than the 10 Commandments, but for argument’s sake I’ll stick with those. In regard to keeping the Sabbath Day holy, Jesus made it clear that healing the sick was more important enough than following the Pharisees bad interpretation of the existing Levitical law. I responded to Cathie because I was so grateful that some ladies in her neighborhood watched The Chosen, became interested in who Jesus is, started digging into Scripture and ultimately found faith in Christ. The letter of the law is that maybe some details in The Chosen are inaccurate. It’s an artistic rendering of the life of Christ. If those inaccuracies aren’t essential to faith in Christ, then I don’t worry about them. And if the end result is people escape a future separated from God, then I’ll will give thanks for that all day long. Christians need to stop nit-picking everything based on what their favorite social media influencer says and start looking at the world through the lens of salvation as the goal. That’s how I view a lot of comments on this page. I’m always open to being wrong as well, which is why I listen to feedback… and I welcome yours…