THE CHOSEN Season 4 Is About Hope: ‘Don’t Have To Tolerate Darkness’

Published: January 23, 2024

THE CHOSEN Season 4 Is About Hope: ‘Don’t Have To Tolerate Darkness’

By Movieguide® Contributor

The stars of THE CHOSEN recently gathered to celebrate the Season 4 premiere of the show and share their thoughts on the upcoming episodes.

“We’re getting a little more serious, but there’s a glimmer of hope,” Luke Dimyan, who plays Judas, told Movieguide®. “I’m really happy that, not only has this show been so brave to tackle such hard subjects, but even braver to do so while following it with a very strong message that it’s going to be okay in the end.”

Alaa Safi (Simon Z) also commented on THE CHOSEN’s message of hope, saying, “That’s how we can contribute to the world in this specific time — to do what we do to the best of our ability and with all the love that we can.”

“What it hopefully does for people is cause them to self-reflect and every individual to realize, ‘You know what, I don’t have to tolerate the darkness in the world. I can turn on my light,’” Nick Shakoour (Zebedee) said. “And if every single person decided to do that, then the world would be a much different place.”

Watch the rest of Movieguide®’s Teal Carpet interviews here:

The cast and crew of THE CHOSEN have been teasing what viewers can expect from Season 4, with many hinting at darker storylines.

“I won’t lie, Season 4 has as much sadness as joy,” the show’s creator, Dallas Jenkins, told Deseret News. “It starts with the death of John the Baptist, which shouldn’t be a big spoiler, and it ends with us much closer to Holy Week. One of the main things that Jesus finds sad is that his disciples seem to be focused on the wrong things, such as their place in the group, even while he’s trying to tell them what’s to come.”

He continued, “It’s easy to forget that in the Bible, Jesus tells the disciples he’s going to die multiple times. And for some reason, it doesn’t register. They just keep saying, ‘OK, interesting, not sure what you mean, but can we get back to the conversation about who’s the most important in the group and where we all fit?’ We explore Jesus’ growing sadness that the human race just isn’t understanding his timeline or priority list.”

Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus, told Newsweek that “tensions are mounting” on all sides in THE CHOSEN’s story — from Jesus’ struggles with the Romans to his relationship with the disciples.

“We see all these relationships go through a rigorous testing process this season,” he added.

Movieguide® previously reported on THE CHOSEN’s Season 4 premiere:

THE CHOSEN Season 4 hits theaters on Feb. 1, and the cast and crew of the hit Christian TV series took to the Teal Carpet to reflect on the show.

While this season is expected to be darker than previous seasons, Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus, told Movieguide® why it’s important to have a “glimmer of hope.”

“Because that’s the example Jesus gave us. He gave us the example of His life as a proof of a reason to hope,” Roumie said. “And I think by people connecting to Him however it happens—whether through Bible, through church, through a television show—that gets them to go to church, gets them to open the Bible, all of that leads back to the evidence of hope.”

THE CHOSEN’s creator and director, Dallas Jenkins, explained why the show doesn’t hold back when it comes to difficult topics.

[We don’t] shy away in this season from the bittersweet, from the pain, the suffering,” he said. “I think if we ignore that or gloss over it or imply that Jesus just makes everything okay, I think we’re not being honest…however throughout this season, you also see Jesus saying, ‘Stay with me…if you stay with me if you keep your eyes on me, there is a conclusion to the story, and it is joyous, and it is peace, and it is all the things that I promise, it just isn’t now.’”

Season 4 will premiere in theaters Feb. 1.