The Brilliant Binge-worthiness of Dallas Jenkins' 'The Chosen'
Aimee Herd-Opinion : Apr 9, 2021
The Chosen
Dallas and fellow writers, Ryan Swanson and Tyler Thompson seem to have honed-in on a wonderful technique of depicting the accounts of Jesus and His Disciples' lives in a way that both draws the viewer in, and also respects the information provided by the Bible.
Director Dallas Jenkins' experiment of presenting the "first-ever multi-season show about Jesus" has definitely proven to be a roaring success with "The Chosen." (Image: Creative Commons / The Chosen)
What began with a short Christmas film Jenkins produced for his church at the time, has become a beloved, binge-worthy re-telling of the life of Jesus and those whose lives He touched and changed.
Using crowd-funding to pay for all aspects of the series' production, "The Chosen" is now the #1 highest crowd-funded project of all-time, according to Angel Studios (formerly Vid Angel).
"Season 1 was fully funded in November 2019—a whopping 75,346 people contributed a total of $10,000,000 in record time ... Season 2 was fully funded in November 2020. This time 125,346 people contributed a total of 10,000,000. 86% of people who funded Season 1 also funded Season 2..." -from the Angel Studios site for "The Chosen."
I confess, I've watched Season 1 of "The Chosen" all the way through about 5 times, and in anticipation of the recently released first episode of Season 2, I watched the last 3 episodes of the first season once again.
It's. That. Good.
Click here to watch the trailer for Season 1
After viewing the recently released episode 1 of Season 2 of "The Chosen," Facebook user Linda Jarvis commented, saying, "People are hungry for God ... this series has brought Him more to life—more realistic ... and the lives of those He chose ... they were everyday people like us ... they had families, jobs, problems ... this has given them life ... they were no different than we are now..."
Indeed! The writing, the acting, the directing is all so real, believable and creative. Perhaps the best part about the series is that it's not in any way hokey—as some good-intentioned films about Jesus have been perceived.
Dallas and fellow writers, Ryan Swanson and Tyler Thompson seem to have honed-in on a wonderful technique of depicting the accounts of Jesus and His Disciples' lives in a way that both draws the viewer in, and also respects the information provided by the Bible.
As a review in Movieguide puts it: "THE CHOSEN is designed to live in perfect balance between faithful Biblical storytelling and imaginative exploration. The show contains incredible historical, Biblical and theological accuracy while still maintaining a sense of wonder and creativity." (Image: Creative Commons / The Chosen)
Another refreshing departure from the norm in film and TV is the innovative way that "The Chosen App" has brought the series to all, making it completely free to watch with no fee or subscription, as the app connects to other devices, and the viewer's smart TV.
Those who choose to "pay it forward" or buy merchandise from "The Chosen" generate income for future seasons.
At the time of this writing, Season 3 is already 12% funded, and the finished Season 2 is being released on the app as each episode is ready.
If you haven't yet watched an episode of "The Chosen," I recommend you download the app, and carve out some time to sit down and start with the first of Season 1—but, a warning: you'll probably want to watch more than just one episode.
That's why fans and show creators have coined the phrase: "Binge Jesus." Frankly, I can't think of a better binge! (Except the Bible itself, of course) Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here
Click here to learn more about "The Chosen," and to download the app.