The series stars Jonathan Roumie as Jesus as well as Shahar Isaac, Elizabeth Tabish, Paras Patel, Noah James, and George H. Xanthis, among large cast of others.

Seasons 3 and 4 initially premiered in movie theaters before being released to various streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Facebook, YouTube, and others.

Set in 1st century Galilee, the first season chronicles Jesus starting to build a group of disciples and his ministry,[6] inviting people with different backgrounds to study under him.

As he continues to perform miracles, including healing the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda, while preparing for a significant sermon, Jesus additionally calls John the Baptizer's disciple Philip, the architect Nathanael, and the Zealot Simon Z.

Returning to Capernaum, the third season portrays the increasing popularity of Jesus, which troubles different societal and political groups, including the Romans and the Pharisees.

[8] Following the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus sends his twelve apostles, two by two, to preach and perform miracles without him, leading to the disciples facing their biggest challenge yet.

After multiple miraculous occurrences, the season closes in the Decapolis and at the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus feeds thousands with loaves and fishes and then walks on the water.

[16] Expanding on that idea, he came up with the concept for The Chosen as a multi-season story arc about the life of Jesus that could build a backstory based on cultural and historical context.

[24] In March 2024, Jenkins announced a delay in the streaming release of season 4 for legal reasons stemming from a dispute between The Chosen, LLC and Angel Studios, noting that the production costs of the series were proving the previous method of crowdfunding to be unsustainable.

[25] The show also raises revenue through licensing to other streaming platforms and TV networks, video and merchandise sales, and limited premiere runs in movie theaters.

[4][26] In 2023, former DreamWorks executive Mark Sourian was hired to lead development of an entertainment universe with future films and shows based on the original series.

In contrast with typical Bible-focused productions, Jenkins has given more depth to his scripts by adding backstories to various characters from the gospels without contradicting material that is present.

Acting as consultants are Messianic rabbi Jason Sobel from Fusion Global Ministries; Catholic priest and national director of Family Theater Productions Father David Guffey; and professor of New Testament at Biola University Dr. Doug Huffman.

After searching online for suitable locations, the producers settled on the existing Capernaum Village in Pooleville, a venue that offers both film set rental and live experiences for tourists.

The set was originally built to authentically replicate most of the primary locations of the ancient city in order to film scenes for the LDS Church's Bible and Book of Mormon videos.

[45] To compose the music for the series, creator Dallas Jenkins called on a longtime friend, Jars of Clay vocalist and songwriter Dan Haseltine.

[2] In The New York Times, Ruth Graham points out that themes within the storylines include "complex relationships, suspense, political intrigue, and charged emotional moments".

[26] Writing for Vox, Aja Romano points out there is an underlying theme of racial tension as shown in the relationship between Jews and Samaritans of the time.

[47] Actor Jordan Walker Ross, who plays Little James, has scoliosis and minor cerebral palsy, causing him to walk with a limp, a disability that he was asked to hide in previous acting jobs.

[50] The producers have since made the free-to-watch model permanent, and generate revenue through a variety of channels including theatrical releases, streaming platform and television network deals, merchandise and media sales, and pay-it-forward viewer contributions.

[64] Jenkins later announced via video livestream on YouTube that legal arbitration had concluded and the first episode of season four would be released through the show's app on June 2, 2024.

[67] In February 2025, Jenkins announced a deal with Amazon MGM Studios to distribute theatrical releases of season 5, branded The Chosen: Last Supper, beginning in March 2025.

[4] The Atlantic's Chris DeVille noted that its success so far has arrived "not in spite of its insularity, but because of it", concluding that "for the most part, the series seems to be finding its fans among the converted".

The creators have received an array of criticisms, including the production's association with the LDS Church[88] and accusations of injecting Mormon theology into the scripts.

[89] Dallas Jenkins has refuted the claims in interviews and livestreams, stating that The Chosen has no Mormon influence in its writing, scripts, or theology and insists the show is "conservative evangelical".

[90] Other criticism has been from pastors and viewers who believe the writers have taken artistic liberty too far with what is and is not written in the Bible,[91][92] as well as those who say the show violates the second of the Ten Commandments about creating images of God.

[93] Jenkins and VidAngel initially focused on social media to promote their idea for the show by releasing the short film The Shepherd on Facebook.

[26] In 2022, as part of the producers' Easter marketing campaign, 48 of the 70 billboards for the show nationwide were changed to appear as though they had been defaced or vandalized with phrases like "The Chosen is boring" and "Chosensux.com".

[105] To complement its crowd-sourced fundraising model, The Chosen generates revenue through merchandise sales including T-shirts, hats, books, and DVDs.

[115] Another companion series in development will feature adventurer Bear Grylls in six unscripted episodes taking The Chosen cast members on physical journeys through the wilderness as they share their personal stories.