I just finished watch the first season of this TV series on dvd and thought it was outstanding. It is rated 9.6 on IMDB. It is about the disciples and Jesus. I will warn you it is not like the Gospel of John film which was based strictly on John’s Gospel. The Chosen is faithful to the scriptures, but it adds some historical fiction to amplify and tell a story of the surrounding chosen disciples. For example, The character of Peter’s wife is added to the story. It is a fact that Peter was married, so her character is added as historical fiction. I was a little uncomfortable at first, but none of the peripheral characters or their dialog or actions contradict the scriptural story, nor replace scriptural statements. This is a TV series about Bible events, not Scripture itself. I thought it is far more scriptural than Christmas, relax. 

The director made a short pilot about the shepherds in the fields when Jesus was born. Consequently, and upon the basis of this work he submitted a pay it forward page on Crowdfunding. It broke all records and has supplied enough funds for season two and perhaps more by now. There is an episode in Season two about the calling of Nathaniel who must have had some sort of experience, prayer, or vision of God under a fig tree. In this story they added more about Nathaniel and had him praying scripture, “God, look upon me”. When Yeshua meets him and said, “I saw you under the fig tree”, Nathaniel knew it was remote where no one was visible for miles, and it was God’s answer to his prayer. At this Nathaniel confesses Yeshua is Messiah. It is similar, perhaps less dramatic, for every Believer when we encounter Yeshua in Faith, believing without seeing, but knowing the One who knows us. 

Always the actor playing Jesus in any film is critical to our acceptance and/or tolerance of the film. Jesus of Nazareth (1977) had Robert Powell, a picture of the historic Catholic Christ; The Jesus film (1979) was Brian Deacon who looked like the image from the Shroud of Turin; The Visual Bible: Matthew (1993) had Bruce Marchiano, who is just too happy for my thinking; the Gospel of John (2003) had Henry Ian Cusick, who was more personal, less stoic and my personal favorite; The Passion of the Christ (2004) was Jim Caviezel, the battered and suffering Christ. The Chosen (2017) has Jonathan Roumie who looks more Jewish than some of the others, as do all the actors with settings that appear more primitive than some of the earlier works. 

The power of all these films lies in the person of Yeshua, Messiah His actions and words in Scripture. Give it a look and I think you will be encouraged and come away with some fresh perspectives, as well as events pictured in scripture.