Almost one-third of the viewers of the Bible-based hit show “The Chosen” aren’t Christians, according to new data that shows the impact and reach of a show that had humble beginnings but is now available on major platforms like Prime and Netflix.
The series launched in 2017 but grew into viral status during the pandemic. It’s currently in season 4 and in theaters. Episodes 7-8 recently debuted at the box office. Eventually, all of season 4 will be available on the free Chosen app. Katherine Warnock, the vice president of original content with The Chosen, shared details of the new survey with ChristianHeadlines.
She said, “We recently had some data come through that showed over half [of viewers] were either practicing Christians or cultural Christians. And then about 30 percent were either curious about Christianity or just no Christian faith. And we were deeply surprised about that.” The faith data wasn’t the only surprising part of the survey, she said.
She added, “We were also surprised about the level of Gen Z and younger people who were consuming our show because our core audience is definitely millennials and older. But just to see not only the balance between females and males watching our show, which is wonderful — because the church is definitely not that balanced at times — and then to see the younger generation but also the non-Christian faith audience come to the table has been a joy.”
Creator Dallas Jenkins and his writing team, she said, have a goal of reaching every demographic. Warnock said, “When Dallas and the writers say, ‘Hey, we want the world to be introduced to the authentic Jesus,’ they mean it.” She noted that Jesus of the Bible attracted “all types of people and worldviews.” Warnock and her team recently heard from a fan of the series who is an agnostic and said he often weeps when watching.
Meanwhile, Warnock confirmed that Season 5 of The Chosen will spotlight Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem for Holy Week. Season 6 and Season 7 will include the crucifixion and resurrection, respectively, she said.