Have you heard of The Chosen yet? If you have, you’re in good company. Popularity for The Chosen is soaring—for good reason. If you’ve already watched it—you understand why.

I’ve been watching since late 2019 and have enthusiastically told everyone I know they should watch it, too. Admittedly, maybe to the point of obnoxiousness, but seriously—the show is AH. MAZ. ING. All the hype about it—trust me. It’s accurate.

For those who haven’t heard yet, The Chosen is a crowd-funded television series based on the Gospels. You can watch it for free on the app, or if you’re a subscriber to PureFlix, you can find it there, too. It’s recently become available on DVD and BlueRay. If I’ve missed an available platform, just go to watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen. They will tell you all the ways you can access it.

And when I say “free,” technically, that’s not true. Online streaming has a cost, and to make it accessible, those who have watched it for free have done so because contributions made to the program are designed to “pay it forward.” It’s a really cool concept.

The series has been carefully researched using the Bible and support from Bible experts—including Messianic Rabbi Jason Sobel of Fusion Global Ministries; Dr. Doug Huffman of Talbot School of Theology; and Father David Guffey, a Catholic priest representing Family Theatre Productions. These consultants bring a wide range of expertise to the table, including a thorough understanding of Jewish tradition and Biblical history. “It’s a combination of historical context, Biblical context, and artistic imagination,” according to writer/director Dallas Jenkins.

So what’s it about? Jesus. It’s an opportunity to take the Gospels and begin to put flesh, blood, and emotions to the people who interacted with, and were changed by, Jesus. I can tell you for myself—I have a whole new level of appreciation for Jesus’ miracles, as well as the reactions of the disciples. These were imperfect men who were products of their culture who followed the perfect Son of God. It’s fascinating to watch these Biblical stories take place in such a tremendous way—unlike any other Biblical movie/show I’ve ever seen.

The actors who star in the show have the look and feel of Jewish people—the actor who plays Peter, for instance, is an Israeli actor. Their accents aren’t British, which is huge in my book—since that seems to have been the trend in every other faith-based show or movie I’ve ever watched. It just feels natural. Yes, there are some creative backstories applied—but nothing that would be contradictory to Scripture. Any creative backstory used is based on “it could have happened,” but doesn’t take away from the heart of the Gospel. For instance, Matthew the Tax collector is portrayed as if he were on the autistic spectrum. That probably wasn’t the case, but it’s an artistic license, and personally, I love it. Fiction or not, the way Matthew is being depicted, with all his mannerisms and response, have made him one of my favorite characters.

As of this publication, the second season has been released. Those who are interested in watching should start back even further than Season 1. The pilot is called The Shepherd and is a 30-minute short episode based on the birth of Jesus from the shepherds’ perspective.

Season One episodes include: “I Have Called You By Name,” “Shabbat,” “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” “The Rock on Which It is Built,” “The Wedding Gift,” “Indescribable Compassion,” “Invitations,” and “I Am He.” Season Two has not been completely released, but episodes one and two are titled “Thunder” and “I Saw You.”

Y’all, I’m the worst when it comes to spoilers (I will always read the last page of a book first). So I’m going to stop before I give too much away—it’s entirely possible, since I really want to tell you about each and every character I love.  And tell you all about my favorite episodes. But I hope you’ll take the time to discover The Chosen for yourself. It’s blessed my life so much.