The fourth season of the Biblically-based television series “The Chosen” began streaming, Sunday, June 2. Although all eight episodes of the new season had been released in theaters beginning in February, streaming availability had been delayed — reportedly by legal disputes.
Created, directed and co-written by Dallas Jenkins, the show is a dramatization of the life of Christ, based on accounts in the New Testament but with fictional embellishments. By viewing Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) through the eyes of his contemporaries, the program seeks to provide viewers with both a fresh take on the Savior’s life and a more intimate experience of it.
The series kicked off with a pilot episode in late 2017, with the first full season arriving almost a year-and-a-half later, after an innovative and successful crowdfunding campaign. The show’s popularity soared, however, when its first eight episodes were made accessible for free during the COVID pandemic.
Estimates of the total audience for “The Chosen” over time vary. But it can safely be said to number in the hundreds of millions.
While critics have debated the quality of the program’s production values, they have generally praised the performances of its cast as well as its writers’ effort to make their sacred source material relevant to contemporary viewers. Script consultants for “The Chosen” have included Holy Cross Father David Guffey, national director of Family Theater Productions.
Beginning with initial livestreams, the series can be viewed via its proprietary app. This season’s second episode will premiere Thursday, June 6, with further installments dropping each Sunday and Thursday through June 27. For more information go to: www.thechosen.tv/en-us
