The Chosen has become one of the most notable underdog success stories of the past decade of television. Produced by Angel Studios and entirely crowdfunded from its inception, the program has reached tens of millions of viewers worldwide. Its viewership ranks with the elite of modern television. As recent seasons have transitioned to premiering on the big screen, it regularly ranks in the Top 5 in its special event screenings. It's suitable for a production that's entirely crowdfunded and sans any A-list Hollywood names.
Season 4 was released in three multi-episode blocks in theaters throughout February 2024, with the episodes to be later made available on the Angel Studios streaming app. This release style makes The Chosen incredibly innovative in bucking industry trends.
Actor Jonathan Roumie as Jesus has become one of the most recognizable actors to play Christ on the screen. Arguably the most iconic "TV Jesus" since actor Jim Caviezel played Christ in The Passion of the Christ nearly 20 years ago, Roumie's Jesus is known for being played differently than past iterations. While most adaptations play Christ relatively straight and stoic, Roumie lets His humanity shine through. He cracks jokes. He enjoys playing games with his friends.
His warm relationship with his mother is a series highlight. And yet, he is still uncompromising in being the Jesus of the Bible: the wise teacher, the redeeming savior. While this isn't the first adaptation to paint Jesus as less cold than some adaptations have, it's probably the most successful at doing it without losing the sense of his divinity.
Season 4 of The Chosen finds the cast firmly comfortable with their characters. It allows the show to play with some of its established dynamics. There's a big twist in this season that has already created quite a stir among the fans. I'd like to know more about that in a bit.
It's difficult to shock viewers when adapting a story as widely known as that of Christ. Even those who don't know scripture well likely know more or less where the story of Jesus is going. The Chosen has thrived in dramatizing those offscreen moments that scripture doesn't cover. While many individual scenes are detailed in scripture, there's very little of the day-to-day. And The Chosen has succeeded in imagining what walking with Christ would've been like. Yes, that includes the famous moments we all know: raising Lazarus, walking on the water, feeding the multitude, and so on.
But these day-to-day interactions give context to those moments that add to a richer understanding of character. While this adapts a well-known biblical account, it still strives to present an exciting narrative. Sometimes, that means including fictionalized events not recorded in scripture.
Back to the twist. It's in including these fictionalized flourishes in the lives of Christ and the apostles, which contain characters created solely for this narrative, that The Chosen finds an opportunity to pull off its first colossal shocker. The reaction to this has been mixed, with some criticizing the twist as taking away from the focus on the biblical events, while others praise its tackling of the complex issues and questions that Christians face when examining the life and work of Christ. I fall on the latter side of things. A series like The Chosen still needs to work within the confines of its own "characters" that it has developed. They need to feel like real people within this narrative, which sometimes means imagining things not recorded in scripture. What happens doesn't necessarily contradict scriptural events.
On the contrary, given what we know about the Gospels, it will surely make some future moments meaningful. That said, this moment does remind viewers that they are dealing with a TV show. Being familiar with many common TV tropes, I saw the twist being telegraphed a bit before it played out. But I do applaud The Chosen for having the guts to take a real risk while, at the same time, keeping sight of what the real mission is. This twist reverberates throughout the rest of the season and likely for the remainder of the series. As such, it's an exciting turning point that will add a degree of unpredictability to subsequent episodes. Something that is needed if an episodic adaptation is to continue at the same quality.
With seven seasons planned, Season 4 serves as a midway point. However, the season also feels like it's turned the clock ahead the most. While Seasons 1 to 2 took their time in establishing Jesus and his apostles (it took two whole seasons even to get all of the apostles adequately introduced), this season feels like it's cranked the speed to 11 in barrelling quickly toward the pivotal events of the Gospels. This also seems to mean some critical moments in the Gospel might not be included or be somewhat glossed over. Something is unfortunate, given the intricate development of supporting faces in the life of Christ. A few important moments feel more ambiguous than they should. But overall, these criticisms are relevant to the show's enjoyment.
Even though this season contains a few pivotal moments that truly shake the status quo of the series, it is also difficult to shake the feeling that a lot of it feels like a setup for the next few seasons. The season focuses heavily on getting everyone where they need to be for the big passion moments we know are coming. Some of the pacings may be a tad awkward, but I can't deny that it excited me to watch the next season and will handle the most crucial part of the know-how, The Holy Bible. The next few seasons will undoubtedly be exciting and determine how well The Chosen will be remembered years later.
Random Asides
I enjoyed them using scenes with King David to parallel what is going on in the New Testament timeline. Likewise, a flashforward scene years later offers some interesting context to the main narrative. I continue to be impressed with this cast of relative unknowns. Roumie continues to be a relatable and likable Jesus while increasingly leaning into the more serious side of Christ. Likewise, some of the cast finally get some material this season to give them opportunities to show their range as performers, such as Joey Vahedi and Thomas. And, of course, standout actors from past seasons, Paras Patel, Shahar Issac, Vanessa Benavente, and Elizabeth Tabish, continue to impress.
J.J. Francesco is a longtime contributor to the NRT Staff. He's published the novel 'Because of Austin' and regularly seeks new ways to engage faith, life, and community. His new novel, 'When Miracles Can Dream,' is out NOW!
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