My brother got me watching The Chosen. After a few episodes, Sparky wanted to dress up as a pharisee. Being a godless heathen, Sparky doesn’t know that most of the pharisees are jerks. We compromised by letting him cosplay as Sparkidemus as an homage to Nicodemus.
Nicodemus was the top pharisee, and defended Jesus. He was a man of conviction and principle, and rich, all qualities that appeal to Sparky. Nicodemus in the TV show looks like this.
The Chosen is actually a good TV show. I am a man of science and the Earth, not a man of faith, so not predisposed to be a fan. There are several things that make it worth watching.
It isn’t about Jesus. The Chosen focuses on everybody else. The characters come across as actual people who have lives, problems, personalities and skepticism. Some are particularly good. Matthew is portrayed as an amoral tax collector on the autism spectrum. His interactions with the occupying Roman is fun to watch. The Romans are depicted as humans doing a job. Matthew, being a tax collector, has to regularly interact with a couple of Roman officers. They have kind of a POW camp friendship.
Jesus is portrayed as a complete person. He isn’t moping around or earnest all the time. He can bust chops with the guys. He is also the Son of God. There isn’t any X-Files bullshit where there could be a plausible explanation. The miracles are metaphysical and Jesus knows what he’s doing.
I was raised a Catholic, but never devout. With any understanding of the Bible, watching The Chosen is fun because the viewer recognizes names and situations. With even a vague recollection, so the show puts all the pieces together and answers questions I didn’t know I had. I find myself trying to guess what’s going to happen next.
It’s an easy watch, so I’d give it an 8/10.