Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Chosen’ Season 4 on Prime Video, Featuring The Continuing Adventures of Jesus, His Apostles, And Their Followers

Season 4 of The Chosen , now streaming in full on Prime Video , originally premiered incrementally in both theaters and through The Chosen ’s branded app. ( This September , the latest installment will also join the first three seasons on the CW.) So there’s more than one way to catch up on all the first century action. But with Season 4 and a series renewal already in place, Chosen creator, director, and co-writer Dallas Jenkins is also shepherding the series toward the inevitable, which is the death and resurrection of its main character. Toward that end, season 4 features plenty of pretty heavy moments from the Bible, and not every character from scripture brought to life in the show is gonna make it out of this one alive.

Will There Be A Season 5 of ‘The Chosen’?

Opening Shot: In a flashback to 4 BC, Mary (played as a younger woman by Sara Anne), already with child, travels alone through the Hill Country, where her elderly cousin Elizabeth (K Callan) lives with her rabbi husband Zechariah (Tony Amendola). When Mary knocks on their door, the child in Elizabeth’s womb leaps for joy.

When Does ‘The Chosen’ Season 4 Finale Air?

The Gist: While this flashback sets up one of the more famous passages from the Gospel of Luke – that is, the miraculous birth of John the Baptist – in the present day of The Chosen season 4, John (David Amito) is fully grown, fully fake bearded, and fully in the custody of King Herod Antipas (Paul Ben-Victor) and his wife, Queen Herodias (Shereen Khan). At their palace, an instructor works with Salome (Briar Nolet) to perfect a ceremonial dance full of flips and precise movements. For Herodias, it’s imperative that the dance is flawless, because it will help achieve her revenge on John.

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Turning point moments from the Bible have been popping up in The Chosen pretty steadily as the series has progressed. Last season began with the Sermon on the Mount, followed Jesus (Joanthan Roumie) as He proclaimed himself the Messiah and began to heal the sick, sent His Apostles out on the road to spread the word of their Lord, and concluded with the blessing of the loaves and the fishes, one of the Bible’s biggest miracles ever. Which by season 4 puts the story in a somewhat precarious place. Basically, while word spreads about Jesus’ growing follower count and influencer status as a miracle worker, the trials of John the Baptist fulfill the prophecy that he has prepared the way for his cousin. Jesus is about to make his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. But of course, that also means he and his followers will be challenged mightily.

As the apostles Simon Peter (Shahar Isaac), Andrew (Noah James), Little James (Jordan Walker Ross), Big James (Abe Bueno-Jallad) and his brother John (George X. Xanthis) work to press olive oil and prepare for more preaching, Thomas (Joey Vahedi) hopes Jesus will bless his impending marriage to Ramah (Yasmine Al-Bustami). Judas Iscariot (Luke Dimyan) expresses how glad he is to be a follower of Jesus, but is also frustrated over the financial and charitable opportunities their movement leaves on the table. (Careful, Judas…) And Joanna (Amy Bailey), a wealthy woman whose husband sits in Herod’s court, races to bring terrible news to the disciples. John the Baptist was beheaded, his head was placed on a silver platter, and it was delivered to Queen Herodia, just as she demanded. It’s a tragedy. But it’s not the end of troubled times for Jesus and his followers.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? In Testament: The Story of Moses , scripted portions combine with expert commentary in what Netflix calls a “docudrama.”  And Mysteries of the Faith explores some of Catholicism’s most holy relics.

Our Take: With its success, The Chosen has been able to move a bit beyond its crowdfunded roots, with somewhat more grand production design and less of the school play quality that occasionally limited the look and feel of its earlier seasons. But what hasn’t changed since the beginning of this series is the humanity its ensemble cast brings to well-known characters from biblical and religious history, and that is sure to keep us hooked as Jesus, his apostles, and an ever-growing group of his disciples face more and more adversity. As Jesus himself, Joanthan Roumie has an easy charm that mixes powerfully with reverence, as Judas Luke Dimyan strikes the right balance for such a polarizing figure – he controls for the character’s base flaws while still giving him emotional depth – and the apostles are free to bicker about the lack of shekels being brought in by Zebedee’s (Nick Shakoour) oil press business, not just forced by the material’s historical arc to stand around and wait for their Lord’s next decree. The Chosen presents the life of the central figure in a major world religion with an unabashed adoration for the teachings of Christ. But it’s also increasingly capable of existing on a level of dramatic storytelling with a historical bent. This balance will only get more important as the chapters and verses of the gospels begin to collide with the realities and demands of episodic television.

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: “We must find Jesus and tell him!” News of John the Baptist’s fate has reached the twelve apostles, who weep with sorrow. But they won’t have to look far for their master. He has just arrived in Capernaum, and has already rent his garments at word of John’s execution.

Sleeper Star: Barnaby (Aalok Mehta) and Shula (Anne Beyer) offer The Chosen a bit of levity with their quiet encouragement and good nature. Later, they will also represent more of an opportunity for Jesus to heal those who believe.

Most Pilot-y Line: John the Baptist might be in chains, but he knows his role in salvation is playing out perfectly. “The blind see, the lame walk. The hearts of the fathers are turned to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just. The way of the Lord is prepared.”

Our Call: STREAM IT. As it moves through the major moments of Jesus’ adult life, The Chosen is benefitting from the natural chemistry of its cast as it picks up steam as a historical drama, not just as a high-profile media parable for all the true believers.

Johnny Loftus ( @glennganges ) is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift.

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