A few months ago, I put together a list of faith-based movies and tv shows you and your family could watch for free on different streaming platforms.
In the comments, there were many people who were disappointed “The Chosen” didn’t make the cut.
To be honest, I had never heard of “The Chosen,” and at first glance, I wrote it off as another cheesy tv show that was trying too hard to bring the Bible to life. I sighed. I didn’t want a new faith-based show that lacked quality.
After reading comment after comment of praise for the show, I decided to look into it. According to the director, Dallas Jenkins, this “is the first-ever multi-season TV show about the life of Jesus.” It is also the largest crowd-funded TV show of all time, which means this series is supported by people who believe in its mission. How cool is that?
I was intrigued, but to be honest, I was still skeptical. I only starting watching “The Chosen” to see how bad it was, but in the end, I was very impressed.
Here are 3 reasons why you should watch “The Chosen.”
1.) The story
I think storytelling is the most important aspect of a movie or a tv show.
I hate when a movie sets aside its story and only focuses on the message. While the message is important, if the plot is weak then the movie feels more like propaganda and less of a story.
Movies don’t have to be heavy-handed to get their point across. I don’t watch a movie because I want to be preached at. Instead, I watch a movie because I want to be inspired or entertained. Because movies are mostly a visual medium, I enjoy them the most when they are able to show a powerful and honest story where I have to peel back the layers to find the meaning behind it.
Luckily, “The Chosen” does just this.
Not only is the story powerful and emotional, but it takes its time and lets us get to know the characters in a way that’s real, honest, and relatable.
In the first episode, we meet Mary Magdalene who suffers from demonic possession. Unlike other retellings where Mary shows up just in time to get healed and then disappears for the rest of the story, “The Chosen” takes us through her journey of being a forgotten outcast.
We feel her pain, rejection, and sorrow, and at the end of the episode when she is healed you can’t help but feel overjoyed.
“The Chosen” does an incredible job of telling the stories of those who Christ surrounded himself with, and I can’t wait to see what characters are introduced next.
2.) The acting
Bad acting can make even the best stories feel cheap, but the actors in “The Chosen” do an incredible and believable job.
All too often, in many Christian series, white actors are cast to play Jesus and his band of followers, but not here. In “The Chosen” the actors actually look like they could be from ancient Israel which is a refreshing change of course.
3.) The passion behind the series.
You can tell that this show is a passion project for the creators.
Dallas Jenkins, the director, isn’t new to filmmaking. He landed a big movie contract with a production company that created “Get Out,” “Insidious,” and “Sinister.” They contracted Dallas to make 10 faith-based films over the next several years.
So he created and directed the Christian film “the Ressurection of Gavin stone” but it flopped. Dallas Jenkins was quickly let go of his contract, but over the next several months he started developing his idea for “The Chosen.”
After assembling a team, his partners decided to fund the move through crowdfunding. Dallas was apprehensive. Crowdfunding works with reboots of established projects because people are already invested in those stories. Who in the world was going to fund a brand new tv show that didn’t even have a pilot?
To everyone’s surprise, they brought it 5.7 million dollars which wasn’t only enough to fund the entire first season, but it broke the record for the largest crowd-funded tv show of all time.
Here’s how you can watch it for free.
With season 2 being released later this year, now is the perfect time to catch up on season 1.
You can watch it for free with their mobile app. You can also watch it on Netflix, Peacock, and Amazon Prime if you have those streaming services.
7 Things The Chosen TV Show Retaught Me About Jesus
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Seeing positive reviews for The Chosen is like having a stranger describe a close friend as a wonderful person to know. The overall concensus has been that this is a quality, Spirit filled series that brings a renewed faith to those of us who have felt distanced from our Lord. It’s that, and more. Watching it sent me racing back to my Bible to learn more and that same reaction has been reported by thousands of others. Finding it to watch during these trying times has been an enormous blessing. Thank you for agreeing!
So excited & grateful I found this email today from Waynation about the Chosen TV series!! I downloaded the Chosen app & am going to try to hook my phone up to our Smart TV & get to watch the 1st season on episodes on Jesus’ life & ministry!! The scenes I was able to see on Waynation were intriguing & right away captivating!! The characters/actors are really captivating & interesting!! So Excited to see the 1st episodes!!❤️🇺🇸❤️
I appreciate this thoughtful review of The Chosen. We, too, were skeptical of the content, but now we love it.
Can’t use a ‘mobile app’. Any suggestions for a desktop?
you can watch on your computer using Pureflix with a week free trial and VidAngel for free.
YouTube has all the episodes, now. You can also Google “The Chosen” to get the episodes straight from their website.
Query it on You tube.. There should be 8 shows plus a show called “The Shepherds” which was the original film before the series. I’ve been a Christian for a long time and I am so grateful for a renewed view of Jesus and His ministry on earth.
The first 4 episodes are on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=craeyJdrCsE
http://www.thechosen.tv
Unlike on the free mobile app, you may hit a payment wall here. But it can be lifted by any PIF-option starting at $14.99 .
I watched it on UTUBE
Then I ordered the entire 1st season to help fund the making of season 2.
If you have a PC, you can download an app called “Bluestacks” that allows you to load apps to your computer. I don’t know if it was our internet or the age of my computer, but the video playback was a bit clunky/sluggish (audio was fine).
Otherwise, you can also purchase the DVDs or watch through a streaming service like PureFlix or VidAngel.
To borrow a quote from singer, Britney Christian, I thought this show would be like most Christian productions: “cringe worthy.” I was so wrong. This is best show I’ve seen, Christian or otherwise. Thanks for bringing your skepticism into this review. That is how many of us felt before we saw it. Now with more than 40 million views around the world, is is becoming a phenomenon.
Last night I watched a video with Dallas Jenkins who was upset about some comments given regarding Season 2, Episode 3. So to Dallas I would like to say, forget the negative comments. There have been tons of negative comments about the Word of God and He handles it with His Grace and Mercy. You are doing a phenomenal job! I’ve purchase a few extra copies of Season 1 to hand out to friends and most are extremely thankful and have become dedicated watchers. Great job brother! Thank you!!
The most recent update on season 2: https://youtu.be/Px-FPr–nRQ
it was are good show