When I was growing up, we attended church every weekend. I also attended a private school. 

Basically, we studied the Bible six days a week. 

We watched countless movies depicting the books of the Bible, the stories, and the teachings of Jesus Christ. If you watched any of those movies in the nineties like I did, you are probably groaning right now too. They were always so old. 

They definitely never held the attention of a bunch of kids. Oh, how I wish we had some of the technology we have today. It would have saved me hours of boredom.

Nowadays, we have so many options. Movies and shows are just not what they used to be (in a good way), and we can actually enjoy watching historical films without rolling our eyes. I mean, I’m sure now that I’m grown, I could at least hide my eye-rolling. 

The Chosen

As parents, we don’t get unlimited free time to watch our own shows or movies, so being intentional with our time is also pretty important to us. 

For my husband and I, it’s been a while since we have found a show that we have really gotten into. Enter in “The Chosen.” 

When our friends told us about it, we weren’t sure what our thoughts would be. After watching the entire first season, I can definitely say that we are hooked. 

What Is The Chosen?

The Chosen is releasing Season Two now, the first episode aired on Easter Sunday. From here on, they will keep releasing the episodes as they are edited (so no official timeline yet, follow their website or social media for updated releases). 

This project has also been completely crowd-funded, which is amazing in itself (and Season Two has already been completely funded). They are aiming for a seven-season production, which is a challenge, but worth it if it comes to fruition as the first season has! 

Director and creator Dallas Jenkins and his team have done a great job giving us an insight into Scripture with different points of view.

Quick plot line for you: The Chosen is based on the biblical events of Jesus Christ (and the other main biblical characters as well) and follows the Scripture. 

What surprised us the most was that it is so well-written that we found ourselves laughing along and found it oddly relatable (something you may not feel when reading the Bible on your own). It doesn’t feel like you are watching those old-school biblical movies (thankfully); it feels like you are watching a compelling drama. 

The characters are as relatable as they are familiar, giving the viewer a connection to the show they may not have expected. 

Season One

The first season gives you a look into Jesus from the eyes of the people that knew Him on Earth. It gives you an almost ‘behind the scenes look into all the stories you grew up reading in the Bible (or learning about in Sunday school), but from a much more compelling viewpoint. 

You get  a little better footing in regards to understanding the stories because it is put into historical context. The first season is mainly centered around the early time of Jesus Christ before He became well known. It gives you inside into some of the first disciples, as well as Mary Magdalene. 

The first episodes center around the ‘supporting’ characters of Christ, exploring their backgrounds before intersecting with Jesus Christ. From that point, we follow Christ as He begins his early ministry. You will see Him do the miracles you have read about countless times in Scripture, like helping a leper and turning water into wine. 

Why You Should Watch The Chosen Too

Listen, I would never claim to know every detail of the Bible and the stories I have grown up reading. But after doing a little research, I have found that this series is incredibly close to the Scripture. 

If you are looking for a way to get a better understanding of the historical context of the Scripture, this is the way to do it. I do not know about you, but I would much rather see and hear the stories acted out on screen versus reading about them (and sometimes not understanding what I am reading). 

It helps that we can connect to the characters visually and emotionally, something that is not always possible from reading.

Overall, if you are looking for a family-friendly Christian show to watch, I think this is a really good place to start. It is available online to stream for free (see link below), which makes it even more convenient (it is also extremely easy to download and watch, no hassle or subscriptions). For us, it is something we feel happy about watching, feeling as if we are learning more about Jesus Christ as we watch it.  

Download the app here, to watch the show for free.