On November 15, fans and followers of Angel Studios’ popular crowd-funded series The Chosen streamed into the historic Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia to see the first two episodes of Season Three on the big screen. The much anticipated event was a fundraiser for Camp Hoblitzelle, the 1,200-acre Salvation Army camp in Midlothian, Texas, which has welcomed the production to its site and permitted construction of a first-century town, based on the city of Capernaum, on its sandy hills.
Thousands of generous and excited supporters were joined by media representatives, as well as cast and crew, for the “Teal Carpet Premiere” of Season Three, just three days before the episodes open in theaters nationwide. In all, more than 3,000 movie goers lined up for The Chosen’s most emotional and consequential season to date. (“Why teal?” you ask. If you’ve seen the series, you may recall those fish swimming in a circle during the opening, and how the teal-colored fish reverse course, leaving behind the circling school of fish to follow Christ.)
And if audience reaction is any indicator, “The Chosen” will continue to excite its viewers in the coming year. The enthusiastic crowd in the Fox Theatre cheered, applauded, laughed, and cried, rising to their feet often in tribute to series creator Dallas Jenkins and his creative team.
The popular series will open in theaters nationwide on November 18, just three days after the “Teal Carpet Premiere.” In most venues across the country, the showing of the first two episodes back-to-back is scheduled for four days; but that may change and additional showings may be added, if the episodes draw a lot of viewers. Once the theater showings end, “The Chosen” will be streamed on their own Chosen app and through other streaming services such as Amazon Prime, Roku, Tubi, YouTube and more.
Moviegoers can find local show times and reserve their seats through Angel Studios’ website. Tickets may be available at the theater, as well; but reserving your seat in advance will secure a place, should your local theater sell out.
Season Three begins where Season Two left off. Last season, viewers watched Jesus (played by Jonathan Roumie) summon Matthew (Paras Patel) to help him finalize a very important speech. The autistic Matthew’s keen organizational skills helped Jesus to structure what would become an important message to 5,000 followers on a hillside near the Sea of Galilee.
As Season Three gets underway, we hear and experience a sermon that sets the world on its head — the Sermon on the Mount — and we see its impact on the lives of the disciples and all who hear it. Hearing Christ’s teaching on forgiveness, Andrew (played by Noah James) is inspired to apologize to Mary Magdalene (Elizabeth Tabish) for having been critical of her. Matthew visits his parents, from whom he is estranged, to proffer his apology; and his parents, who were among the crowds gathered on the hillside and who heard Jesus’ message, apologize to their son for having rejected him. Families and friendships are strengthened by Jesus’ teaching.
But while Season Three repeats some familiar circumstances (we see the disciples’ good-natured banter and their occasional squabbles), there are some important new developments. Simon becomes more of a leader – calming the disciples down, and telling them what to do. Jesus invites Judas Iscariot to join his group of followers, bringing their number to twelve. Jesus officially calls the twelve his “apostles” and explains that he will soon send them out two by two – to preach his message, to heal the sick, and even to drive out demons. There is doubt on their faces, as they learn their role in spreading the Gospel; but coming together in a circle, they realize that they can approach their important mission with confidence and faith.
There are some problems evident in Episodes 1 and 2 which are not yet resolved: The twelve need to learn more, before they go out to spread the Gospel in the world. Thomas’ (Joey Vahedi) desire to marry Ramah (Yasmine Al-Bustami) may go unfulfilled, as he becomes one of Christ’s apostles and devotes himself to spreading the word. And how will Simon and Eden (Shahar Isaac and Lara Silva), deeply in love and drawn to one another, learn to live apart as Simon follows Jesus, then continues on his own to preach the word to a struggling world?
The answers to these and other, still unasked questions will come to light, week by week, on your television or your computer screen.
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a good thing so far. hope they don’t screw it up.
I am a certified old coot, and I would LOVE to see this production in toto, from season one episode one to the ending – in my home.
So far this seems impossible.
You are an interesting old coot. Keep speaking out,.
“The autistic Matthew’s keen organizational skills helped Jesus to structure what would become an important message…”
Artistic license, I’m assuming. Matthew wasn’t autistic, and having good organizational skills does not make one autistic.
This is a dramatization, not a documentary. Not unlike the tv series about the Revolutionary War, called Turn, which was fabulous and inspired deeper interest in the Revolution among those who watched. Of course some small dramatic license was taken during this filming of The Chosen. That being said, I have not seen anything represented that I ( Catholic and quite conservative) have thus far found out of line or disrespectful. Jesus is portrayed with seriousness and some level of emotion, gentle, empathetic and kind. The apostles are portrayed as the kind of men they likely were…workmen a little rough around the edges, loyal, protective of Jesus. The “what if” approach used in filming has only enhanced the product. Those who refuse to give it a fair run are the ones who lose out.It worth noting that the director gets input from a Jewish Rabbi, a minister and a priest in an effort to remain accurate and theologically correct in what is being portrayed.
LJ,
I am highly orthodox and am also a very big fan of the TV series. I highly recommend it. Nevertheless, I’ve cautioned myself, my wife, and my son that the show is based on fact with a lot of fiction mixed in. I find the fictional elements to be both thought provoking and plausible. Nevertheless, there is a danger that people will take some of the fiction as fact.
Terence,
There might be a nuance to your post that I’m missing, but you will be able to view all three seasons in your own home in about a month. You can stream them at the following link or you can purchase all three seasons on DVD.
https://www.angel.com/watch/the-chosen
Terence, it is now possible to see all of Seasons One and Two in your home. Many different outlets: YouTube, Amazon Prime, the Chosen app, and about 50 more ways. Keep trying!
You can stream ALL episodes from season 1 and 2 on U tube for free now.
Maranatha
The Catholic church should be encouraging folks to at least consider viewing of this series. Evangelization is the duty of both the church and Catholic members. While I admit some episodes are embellished the series as a whole promotes Christianity. Here in southern Ontario I see absolute no mention of the series in any church bulletins or websites. Why? This bewilders me. In fact I have yet to encounter a single individual here that has even heard of the series. This needs to change. Lets endorse something positive for a change instead of all the negative events in this world. Thank you Kathy for your coverage of this series.
CatholicTV has been airing episodes since last year, maybe before. I wonder if you’ll be able to get it there. If not, you can go to their website.
Bishop Reed and the staff are doing a wonderful job there.
God bless you.
Please put a spoiler alert in your writing…I’m seeing this on Monday and you’re writing gives away too much!!!!
Count me among the fans of this series. Today I paid to see the first two episodes of season 3 at the movie theater. It was worth the small amount of money to go. There were probably 35 people there, quite a lot considering this was noon on a weekday.( Often when I attend movies at that hour I am actually alone, or with no more than 4 other people.) It was wonderful to see these characters on film again, and to see the developments in the story line. My one quibble is that I wish that the actor playing Jesus (Jonathan Roumie)had been given more screen time, as he is wonderful in his portrayal. If you have not seen this series you are missing out on something special. The Chosen has a free AP which you can download to your phone to watch the series in order, for free. If you wish to buy the DVD’s to watch at home, go to Amazon, or to the Chosen web site where it can be purchased. I will say that I am aware that SOME parishes have been giving the series some press in their parish bulletins, and also the Catholic Faith Network,EWTN, has been showing the first and second season on their station.My own priest cannot be persuaded to watch the program. This series is so good, it is most certainly his loss.
We need ideas on how to get your priest to watch this. And how to get parishes to show it at a family movie night.
Kathy I thought this Season could be viewed on Amazon Prime. Am I right?
Right now, you can see Seasons One and Two on various platforms. (The Chosen’s executive producer Derral Eves told me that there are more than 50 platforms including Amazon Prime, Tubi, YouTube, and a whole lot of platforms I know nothing about!