It seems as if the world of Hollywood has been taken by storm lately, with strike after strike occurring as writers and actors alike deal with recent changes to the film industry, mainly due to streaming services and the advancement of A.I. Joining the WGA (who have been on strike for over two months now), theSAG-AFTRA strikebegan at midnight on Thursday, July 13, and doesn’t look to be ending any time soon. With countless productions getting shut down over this, at least one television series has been given the green light to continue production despite the strike:The Chosen.
Created by filmmakerDallas Jenkins, who also happens to be the son of authorJerry B. JenkinsofLeft Behindfame,The Chosenstarted with a Christmas special in 2017 titled “The Shepherd,” which became the series' proof-of-concept during development. From there, the first half of Season 1 was crowdfunded and later released in April 2019, with the back half released later that November. Now in production on its fourth season (Jenkins has seven envisioned),The Chosenis still going strong. The showwas picked up by The CW to be aired this summer, and the filmmakers behindThe Chosenhave recentlymade a distribution deal with Lionsgateto expand the series' reach.
RELATED:The 10 Best Episodes of ‘The Chosen’, So Far
What Is ‘The Chosen’ About?
If you’ve never heard aboutThe Chosenbefore now, you may be wondering what this series is all about. Well, in short, it’s a historical drama about the life and cultural impact of Jesus Christ (played masterfully byJonathan Roumie, who recently starred inJesus Revolution) through the eyes of the people who followed him. As the series progresses, Jesus reveals himself to others, namely the twelve disciples made up of fisherman Simon Peter (Shahar Isaac), religious disciple Philip (Reza Diako), tax collector Matthew (Paras Patel), political zealot Simon (Alaa Safi), his future betrayer Judas Iscariot (Luke Dimyan), and seven others.
Given the subject,The Chosenhas a pretty expansive cast that also includes the likes of Mary Magdalene (Elizabeth Tabish), the Roman centurion Gaius (Kirk B. R. Woller), and wavering Pharisee Nicodemus, played by none other thanErick Avari. For the first two seasons, Jesus works to start and build his ministry as he performs divine miracles from the shadows, eventually revealing himself publicly by the end of the second season. In the third season, we watch as Jesus shares his power with his disciples, who then go out and do the same. While the crucifixion is impending, there’s still a lot of New Testament ground to cover before the series gets there.
Unlike most media projects about Christ,The Chosen(which is the first multi-season series based on Jesus and the larger biblical narrative) makes its characters relatable, with real human issues that they’re forced to deal with, repent of, and overcome. Likewise, Jesus himself feels more rounded and three-dimensional than other live-action versions, though Roumie (a devout Catholic himself) fights to remain faithful to Scripture.The Chosenhas taken the world by storm, so it’s no surprise that this show of all television series would be given the go-ahead to continue production amidst a strike as big as this one.
Why Is ‘The Chosen’ Still In Production During the Strike?
Prior to the strike, Jenkins and his team worked hard to secure the go-ahead to continue filming despite SAG-AFTRA’s impending strike, but after not hearing back from the union before the strike officially began, they were forced to temporarily shut down. The seriestook to Twitteron July 13 to share the tough news with fans, explaining that they were unlikely to secure a waiver at this point. “God handles the rest,” Jenkins said, opening the door for one more miracle. Then, one came. On July 16,The Chosenannounced thatthey had been granted the exemptionafter all and that production on Season 4 would continue immediately.
To be clear, the series didn’t go behind the union’s back. Rather, they applied for an exemption generally granted to indie films not associated with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), and, given their strictly independent nature, they too fit the bill. Though the show does employ SAG actors, the series' penchant for crowdfunding allowedThe Chosenthis coveted exemption, thus preventing any halts in production. According toThe Hollywood Reporter, who deemedThe Chosenthe first television series of its kind to attain this sort of exemption, production on Season 4 had already begun in Utah when they submitted their paperwork.
But why isThe Chosenof all shows allowed to continue filming? Well, most television series are funded by a big-name studio associated with the AMPTP, whereas, despite working with SAG actors,The Chosenis an entirely independent production. Instead, the show receives its funding 100% from donations and private investors. When the series began, Angel Studios (then known as VidAngel) developed a model of “equity crowdfunding” that allowed the audience to technically own a portion of the project. Using this model, the first season ofThe Chosenwas funded by fans-turned-investors before switching over to a more traditional crowdfunding model for subsequent seasons.
To this day, the series is still funded entirely independently of Hollywood via the fans of the show. Whether throughThe Chosen’s official store, their"Pay-it-Forward" platform, or continual crowdfunding techniques, the series continues to be backed entirely by those who watch it. Thus, without any direct studio involvement (thus bypassing a huge reason actors are going on strike in the first place),The Chosenqualifies as an independent production and has been exempt from the greater impact of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
‘The Chosen’Is The Number One Crowdfunded Media Project of All Time
Because ofThe Chosen’s crowdfunding model, and the fact that it’s a series entirely about Jesus, the show quickly became the largest crowdfunded media project of all time, raising over $10 million just during its first season and beating out former title-holderMystery Science Theater 3000. Ever since,The Chosencontinued the independent faith-based winning streak thatMel Gibsonfirst claimed withThe Passion of the Christback in 2004, which itself is still the highest-grossing independent film of all time.
“The vast audience for high-quality, faith-based entertainment—all too often overlooked and underserved by Hollywood—made a loud and unmistakable statement that they’re so eager for content that resonates, they are willing to fund it into existence…,” executive producer Matthew Faraci toldFox Newsback in 2019. Of course,The Chosenisn’t the only highly-successful production produced by the independent Utah-based Angel Studios, especially as of late. In 2023, Angel Studios’ human trafficking thrillerSound of Freedom, which starsJim Caviezel, became a massive box-office success, pulling in over $90 million on a $14 million budget.
But beyond the scale ofThe Chosen’s impressive funding capabilities, the series aims to reach at least a billion with messages of hope, faith, and salvation through Jesus Christ. Through the non-profit Come and See Foundation, every episode ofThe Chosenis being translated via dubbing into 100 different languages and via subtitles into more than 500. “We’ve come alongside Dallas Jenkins to fulfill the mission to reach the first 1 billion people with an experience of the authentic Jesus throughThe Chosen,” Come and See CEO Stan Jantz told theColorado Springs Gazette. Hoping to beThe Jesus Filmfor a new generation,The Chosenis expanding its reach as far as possible.
Where Can I Watch ‘The Chosen’?
Unlike most television series, you don’t have to pay to watchThe Chosen. Due to the series' crowdfunding and Pay-it-Forward model, fans have already paid your way to watch this historical drama about the life of Christ. The entire series can be watched for free onThe Chosen’s websiteand the series' app, which is available on the Apple Store and Google Play for mobile users and on Roku, Amazon Fire, and AppleTV for streaming devices. In addition to watching the entire series, these mediums also give viewers free access to the official after-show, the Bible Roundtables, official series documentaries (such asLoaves & Fishes: The Making of Season 3), and more bonus material.
On occasion,The Choseneven releases its content theatrically. The first was for a Christmas special in 2021 titledChristmas WithThe Chosen: The Messengers. This special release included an exclusive episode of the series as well as musical performances highlighting the Nativity story. According toThe New York Times, the special earned $13.5 million at the box office, setting a new record for Fathom Events, who distributed the project. Additionally, the first two episodes of Season 3 debuted in theaters ahead of their digital release andout-grossed various Hollywood features during its opening weekend, includingBlack Adam. Likewise, the two-part Season 3 finale was released in theaters in early 2023, makingover $5 million worldwide.
But if you’re interested in watching the series live on television, then we have some more good news for you. On July 16, the same day the SAG-AFTRA strike began,The Chosenpremiered on The CW. Despite the fact that it can easily be viewed elsewhere,the series raked in 520,000 viewersduring its 90-minute premiere, beating out summer airings ofRiverdale,Nancy Drew, and other CW staples.The Chosencontinues to air Sunday nights at 8/7c on The CW, which will be airing all three seasons on television.
