The Chosen Is A Hugely Popular TV Show With Its Own Streaming App But You’ve Likely Not Even Heard Of It

As far as TV shows are concerned, most people will feel that they’re pretty clued up on the best ones out there.

Whether you’re talking about older classics such as The West Wing or The Sopranos or you’re looking at the newer blockbusting shows such as Game of Thrones or Succession, the chances are that you’ll not only have watched every episode but maybe even done so more than once.

There is, however, one TV show out there that is one of the most popular ever made, yet the majority of people will never have heard of it.

More than 200 million people have watch The Chosen, but what is it about and why is it so popular?

The Chosen: What’s it all About?

Created by Dallas Jenkins and first released on Christmas Eve 2017, The Chosen is described as a ‘Christian historical drama’ that looks at the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It is billed as being the first ‘multi-season series’ on the subject, with plans to branch out into other areas in the future.

Primarily set in Galilee and Judaea in the first century, the series takes Jesus and the people who met him as its focus. As the seasons progress, different aspects of Jesus’ life are looked at in closer detail, with the production company using the bible as its guide in terms of what happens in the different seasons of the television show.

This is unreal.

Made entirely from shards of glass and plastic, this incredible portrait of Jonathan Roumie as Jesus was crafted by a fan in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. pic.twitter.com/64tYBuR7NJ

— The Chosen (@thechosentv) October 4, 2024

It came about when Jenkins released a feature-length film called The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, with the film failing to live up the expectations of the studio that had financed it. Jenkins wanted to consider what to do for his next project, spending time binge-watching various TV series and realising that none had been made about Jesus that allowed people to watch them in the same way.

Having already written the script for a short film called The Shepherd, he realised that he could expand on that and make it into a multi-season TV show with various different arcs that looked at the life and times of Jesus and those that followed him.

Streamed on Their own App

Given the popularity of The Chosen, which has a rating of 9.2 out of ten from more than 51,000 reviews on IMDB, you would be entirely within your reason to wonder why it is that you haven’t heard of it. The answer is that the producers mainly use crowdfunding to finance the making of the show, which means that there is no major production company behind it.

Unlike shows on the likes of the BBC, HBO or Sky, there is no huge advertising campaign or major media spin behind it to attract an audience. Instead, The Chosen is watched courtesy of word of mouth, with those that love it telling others within their religious circles all about it.

@apnewsentertainment Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in the hit series, “The Chosen,” says the historical drama and Jesus’ compelling character are drawing audiences with diverse views on religion. #jonathanroumie #thechosentvseries #thechosenseason4 ♬ original sound – AP Entertainment

In fact, you can’t even watch it on a television station. Instead, the production company streams the TV show for free on its own application. It is financed via a ‘pay it forward’ system, asking people to pay money for it if they are able to in order to give others the chance to watch it.

It is a system that works, with supporters of the project pouring money into it to such an extent that it became the most successful crowdfunded film or TV series in the history of the medium. More than 108 million saw at least some of the show via the app and various streaming platforms, according to analysis carried out by the show’s producers.

Is it Worth Watching? Crowdfunded Shows Usually Aren’t

Just because something is popular doesn’t automatically mean that it is good, and the fact it was crowdfunded might make it sound a bit cheap and nasty. There is no question that The Chosen is being made with a focus on an audience that already believes in its message. If you are a religious person then you will no doubt be keen to watch it because it will give you the chance to revel in the life and times of Jesus, perhaps learning stories that you didn’t know before.

If you are of another faith or are agnostic or atheistic then you are unlikely to take anything from the show other than whether or not you think it is well made. It is a show that is, in many ways, preaching to the already converted.

From an artistic point of view, of course, that doesn’t really matter. It is a well-made piece of work irrespective of its subject matter and there will doubtless be many people out there who would like to watch it for that reason alone. Whether you find yourself fitting into that bracket is something that only you will know.

One thing that cannot be argued with, however, is the fact that they have opted for a unique method of production and of getting the show’s name out there to a wider audience, which may well be emulated by other companies in the future that feel that they have an audience that they can target.