On the first day of writing “The Chosen,” creator Dallas Jenkins set a standard for the series.
Jenkins wrote “authentic” out in large letters and hung it on his wall as a reminder of the direction he wanted the show to take, the creator said in a recent clip posted on social media.
“Everything that we did, we wanted to be as authentic as possible,” Jenkins said. “And that starts with the fact that this is a Jewish show about a Jewish Jesus.”
One reason Jenkins was motivated to write what he describes as an “authentic” biblical drama was because most previous movies and miniseries about Jesus were “lacking” authenticity, he said.
“Not all of them — but occasionally — the portrayal of Jesus reflected the background of whoever was making it," Jenkins said. “So if it was Europeans making it, it was a European Jesus. If it was British people, or if it was American people, it was a British or American Jesus.”
He continued, “We just wanted to get rid of all of those things that sometimes get in between the authentic look at who Jesus was — and that means, first and foremost — we’re gonna really lean into the Jewishness of the story, the prayers, the synagogues, the all of those things are really important to us."
“The Chosen” has reached more than 280 million viewers in 175 countries, as the Deseret News previously reported.
The fifth season of the series was theatrically released in over 40 global territories, including Brazil, Mexico, Poland, Ghana, the Philippines and India.
Jenkins said the show’s historical and cultural accuracy is the source of its growing global footprint and, in particular, its success in countries that “would traditionally be resistant” to a show about Jesus.
“I believe that the authentic Jesus is first and foremost, of course, found in scripture,” Jenkins previously told the Deseret News.
“As much as possible, we want to portray accurately and authentically the cultural, historical and biblical context of his time.”
Is ‘The Chosen’ biblically accurate?
The aim of “The Chosen” is to encourage viewers to turn to the Bible for study, Jenkins said in a recent YouTube clip.
“If people got all of their scriptural beliefs or understanding from our shows, that would be an issue,” Jenkins said, adding, “It would also be bad to replace the Bible with ‘The Chosen.‘”
Jenkins said he hopes “The Chosen” will motivate viewers to “engage with the Bible after watching the show.”
“Now, there may be other concerns that people have, and that’s fine,” Jenkins said. “And I’m really not going to ever get in the way in or in between you and whatever pastor or mentor that you have about this show. That’s between you and God and you and them.”
When does ‘The Chosen’ Season 5 come out on streaming?
The fifth season of “The Chosen” releases exclusively on Prime Video in June. That streaming release will be followed by its release on “The Chosen” app.
Below are the official streaming release dates for “The Chosen” Season 5 in the United States.
- Part 1, Episodes 1-2: June 15
- Part 2, Episodes 3-5: June 22
- Part 3, Episodes 6-8: June 29
The fifth season will be available on Prime Video in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Sub-Saharan Africa, UK, and Latin America in July.
Season 5 will be available to stream for free on “The Chosen” app 90 days after Part 3 debuts on Prime Video on June 29.
Episodes of Season 5 will release on “The Chosen” app over the course of three weeks, following the same release pattern as the theatrical and Prime Video releases.