It’s impossible to have a spoiler alert when everyone knows how the story ends.
That doesn’t mean a writer can’t add a few surprises along the way. This might be why the faith-based series “The Chosen” is so popular. If you’re familiar with the Bible and the life of Jesus, you’ll see a great deal you don’t expect.
‘The Chosen’ Reads Between The Lines
Katherine Warnock, vice president of original programming at “The Chosen,” said exploring what might have happened is what sets the series apart.
“That’s what we feel makes the series so special, that it’s not a blanket retelling of the Biblical stories,” she said. “Our writers, every time they get together and map out each season, they’re diving into the scripture.”
While writers rely on scripture as the foundation, they seek guidance from religious experts.
“We have a number of Jewish scholars from around the world who also weigh in on our scripts. Scripture being our accountability, what in between the lines of scripture would be possible?” she said.
Viewers will notice that the Bible’s heroes are portrayed as more down-to-earth and relatable to our times. Disciples have drinks at what passes for a pub while Jesus has a subtle sense of humor.
World building is important as well, as viewers get an idea of how people of that time period might have lived day to day. We get a look at a market, several homes, and how a tax collector dealt with the public. Ms. Warnock talked about a few characters that have been fleshed out as their home life and relationships are explored.
“We know Simon is married. What would his wife be like? What would her life be like? Let’s explore that from a historical perspective, never disagreeing or opposing scripture, but only creatively enhancing it,” she said.
She calls “The Chosen” a creative historical drama.
“The hard part is making sure it is staying true to the scripture. But that’s actually kind of the fun part. How do we also paint the picture of what life was like?” she said.
“Creatively enhancing” is an accurate term in this case, as contemporary slang sometimes works its way into the dialogue. Ms. Warnock wants to humanize the characters in a way that makes them more relatable to modern times: “We’re looking for what would be historically possible, yet what would speak to people today.” She calls it a “bridge through history.”
As for big surprises, the series also takes artistic liberties with the character of Matthew.
Faith-Based Stories Are Getting Popular
Ms. Warnock previously served as the head of faith and family content at MGM Film Studios, where she worked with producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. She thinks Hollywood might be waking up after seeing so much interest in faith-based productions.
“We’re seeing an evolution in Hollywood where more than ever before, faith content is being seen as a viable market, but also I see studios wanting to embrace and make faith content,” she said. “I’ve never seen this level of openness to faith content. There’s new hope for Christian and faith-based content.”
“The Chosen” is scheduled for seven seasons with eight episodes each. So what’s coming up in season four?
“We see the consequences of following Jesus. We see the enemies of Jesus and his message start to conspire,” Ms. Warnock said.
There’s also the internal conflict of those closest to Jesus.
“We see the disciples struggling to keep up, grappling with the ramifications of what it means to follow Jesus,” she said.
Bottom line, Ms. Warnock simply hopes viewers see the son of God in a different light.
“We’re taking Jesus down from the stained glass windows, this faraway God. … We’re showing him not only as fully God but fully human,” she said.
