As technology has advanced, many companies have moved to online marketing. With Catholic Faith declining 31% in the last 30 years, have Catholic businesses been set up to fail?

In order to compensate for the decline, a Catholic TV program called The Chosen has managed to increase their viewers by over 200,000 people per month by making a series with short episodes that viewers can watch anywhere.

The Historical Drama series is most commonly streamed on Peacock or Prime Video, but they are slowly beginning to stream their show on Netflix, however, only one season can be found on Netflix so far. Almost every episode of the series can also be found on YouTube, if one is looking to watch the show entirely for free!

The Chosen is the very first television series to ever be completely about Jesus and his lifetime on Earth!

There are currently three seasons of the show, with season four confirmed to be coming by late 2024. Currently, the show is planning for seven seasons, but as popularity increases, the director explains how an eighth season might not be a bad option.

The Chosen was able to be created completely by crowdfunding, as 15,000 generous followers donated a combined total of 10 million dollars to the show. The money was used entirely for recreating a variety of Bible scenes and glimpses of Jesus’ life.

This crowdfunding campaign was the most successful in the history of television, significantly beating Mystery Science Theater 3000, who received 5.8 million dolars in crowdfunding, by 4.2 million dolars.

The first episode was released just a few years ago on December 24, 2017, meaning that the show still has time to grow as a platform.

As of now, 5,611 people have rated the show and it has received an extremely positive response as its rating averages to approximately 4.9/5 stars!

The show is an American Christian series directed by Dallas Jenkins. The Historical Drama does stay true to many details found in the New Testament, however, like all major shows, the series does add and emphasize certain biblical scenes for entertainment purposes.

Major Characters in the cast include: Elizabeth Tabish(Mary), Shar Issac(Simon Peter), and Jonathan Roumie(Jesus).

In an Interview with The Chosen directors, Jonathan Roumie, who stars as Jesus, explains how “For me, it was hard to fulfill such a huge responsibility to portray someone as influential as Jesus, but I was ready to take on the challenge.”

The Director claims to have chosen Jonathan Roumie(Jesus), for his “Soft-spoken voice, charismatic personality, and partially because of his looks.”

Jonathan Roumie has long, brown hair, a stereotype that many expect Jesus to have, which helps the viewers connect with Jesus on an even further level.

The Chosen series differs from other faith-based films because it truly captures Jesus’ relationships with the people that he meets and their emotions while talking to Him.

The T.V Series depicts real characters without concealing their flaws and uses the characters to prove how God can transform all the negative in people.

Sophomore Matt Korvalin, who attends a parochial school in the Bay Area, explains how, “In religion class, we were asked to watch episode three, from season one of The Chosen series, “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” I was touched by the message, and was inspired to continue the series. I recently finished all 3 seasons, feeling fulfilled and waiting for season 4.”

In today’s world, over 49% of the material on the internet goes against the Christian religious teachings in some way. The Chosen is one of the few series that combats this popularity.

Korvalin explains how “I was so happy about the series, that I recommended it to my entire family and my local parish, who seemed to have similar reactions about the show.

What makes The Chosen Series so unique, is the ability to take biblical scenes and transform them into lively, engaging performances.

Currently, 44% of Catholics claim to “rarely or never” read the Bible. The most common explanation to this data includes “The content in the Bible being too complex to understand.” The Chosen series is a way to visualize biblical events, and see another way that someone interpreted scripture.

Ultimately, The Chosen series is a biblically accurate, priest approved, and engaging T.V Series that brings the Bible to life. Whether a teacher is using it to inform their students, a church is using it to teach their youth groups, or one is just watching the series for personal enjoyment, The Chosen is a charming series that is open to children all around the world with wishes to grow in their faith journey with God.