COVER STORY 32 MARCH 2026 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition The Chosen, a groundbreaking historical drama based on the life of Jesus as seen through the eyes of those who knew him, has become a global phenomenon with more than 250 million people viewing at least one episode worldwide since the pilot premiered in 2017. Beginning as the largest crowdfunded production of its day, The Chosen raised more than $11 million from 16,000 people to produce Season 1 and quickly transformed actor Jonathan Roumie as the face of Jesus around the world, endearing audiences to the human side of Jesus and that of his disciples as imagined by Dallas Jenkins, creator, director and founder of 5&2 Studios. Season 5 is now streaming and focuses on the biblical events of the Holy Week before Easter, following Jesus’ final days from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem to his betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane with scenes from the Last Supper interspersed throughout. It’s theatrical release in May 2025 as The Chosen: Last Supper reportedly made more than $35 million in theaters, and the series continues to break records. Recognized in February by Guiness World Records, The Chosen is the most translated streaming series, with Season 1 now available in 125 languages, surpassing their previous record of 86 languages in September. In a recent interview, Roumie said, “The Chosen has changed the way I live my life. Three months before I booked the role on the show, I went through a deeper spiritual conversion… but when you’re living your life for Christ, culturally that’s an unpopular thing, so it can be lonely and difficult to explain to people. For Christians, they’ll say, ‘You’re Jesus!’ And I remind them, only on TV — but I’m Jonathan right here and now.” From crowd-funded project to global platform During ChosenCon, a gathering of thousands of superfans at the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina on February 19 – 21, Jenkins announced plans to release the first six episodes of Season 6, which depict the moments from Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane through his crucifixion, in fall 2026, streaming on Prime Video and in The Chosen app. “The finale of Season 6 will be a supersized episode released as a global theatrical event all over the world in dozens of languages all at once in early 2027,” Jenkins added. Roumie described the filming of Season 6 as “traumatic,” saying, “This is the hardest thing I ever did in my life, and it continues to affect me in ways I did not anticipate.” The scene he said affected him more than any other was the scourging, beating and crowning of Jesus, then being raised on the beam. “Hanging on that beam was catastrophically horrible, and I can’t even think about it without weeping. All I can think of saying is ‘Lord, I’m so sorry I did that to you, that I put you there. How can I be better? How can I serve you for the rest of my life?’ And that’s what I live my life trying to do.” In a post on Ash Wednesday, Roumie said, “For me, Lent is a powerful opportunity to deepen my devotion through a season of intentional fasting, prayer and reflection.” He invited viewers to participate in a Journey to Holy Week by watching one episode of The Chosen each day leading up to Easter. A spiritual resource For those looking for a deeper understanding of the Scriptures, The Chosen series can help transport viewers back into the cultural time period of the Bible. Omar Aleman, of Aleman and Associates, said it has been a game changer for his men’s Bible Study. They began using a three- to four-minute clip from the The Chosen as an introduction to help set the stage for each lesson, and “nothing has helped us get into the Word more.” He said The Chosen has helped make the Scripture feel more personal and relatable. “They see the apostles and the people around Jesus as fallen people, just like themselves,” Aleman said. Instead of thinking of the apostles as these perfect spiritual giants, they now see them as people who failed, struggled, and grew — just like us. It helped them move from just studying Scripture to actually seeing themselves in Scripture.” Aleman said it is the humanity of Jesus that really hit them—"how He laughed, how He got angry, how He suffered” that changed how they related to Him. “For instance, I don't think any of them thought he had a sense of humor,” he added. Calling themselves Brothers on a Mission, Aleman said, “Because we’re 12 guys, we joke that we’re the twelve apostles. And, of course, I'm always Peter because I say things I shouldn't say and I'm always in trouble. It actually helped bond us as a group.” It also created a The Chosen: Millions Are Watching Jesus’ Story in a New Way Shelly Pond Good News Editor t g C S f w l g oi s a m “ t i E Tt h pi t m n h S p t e t h w t w w Triumphal entry of the Messiah with disciples, from The Chosen, Season 5 Simon and Andrew fishing, from The Chosen, Season 1 Jesus walks with his disciples, from The Chosen, Season 4
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