As “The Chosen,” Season 4, continues its theatrical run, the show’s team shared surprising new numbers about who’s watching the popular show about Jesus’ life. Over half of viewers of the Bible-based dramatic series are “either practicing Christians or cultural Christians,” according to Katherine Warnock, the show’s vice president of original content.
“And then about 30% were either curious about Christianity or just no Christian faith,” she added. “And we were deeply surprised by that.”
Speaking recently to Christian Headlines about a survey her team conducted, Warnock also highlighted interesting insights about the viewership’s age.
‘The Chosen’ Embraced by Younger Viewers
“We were also surprised about the level of Gen Z and younger that were consuming our show, because our core audience is definitely millennial and older,” Warnock said. “But just to see not only the balance between female 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.”
She noted that the show’s creator, Dallas Jenkins, and the writers want all demographic groups “to be introduced to the authentic Jesus,” who appealed to “all types of people and worldviews.” But hearing from non-Christians and agnostics who’ve been moved by “The Chosen” is especially touching, Warnock said.
In an April 2023 interview with Peer magazine, the exec said “The Chosen” team has a “huge passion for Gen Z” and has been shocked yet encouraged by young people’s positive response to the series.
“We have not only evangelicals, Catholics, Protestants, Baptists. We also have Agnostics, [Atheists], Buddhists, Hindus, even Satanists writing us every day going, okay, ‘This show is changing my life,” Warnock continued. “This is helping me overcome depression, suicidal ideation. This is helping me—even though I’m not a Christian, I’ve now become a student of Jesus.’ That’s pretty extraordinary.”
When asked why younger audiences are drawn to “The Chosen,” Warnock pointed to the show’s “humanity and the authenticity,” adding “the playfulness, it’s intimate, it’s playful, it’s dynamic, it’s disruptive.”
‘The Chosen’ Season 4 Continues Its Theatrical Run
Speaking to CBN last December, Warnock explained that she grew up Catholic but didn’t get “hooked” on religion until a college track teammate invited her to a Spirit-filled church. Following that encounter with the Holy Spirit, she said, her anxiety and panic attacks disappeared.
RELATED: ‘I Loved the Super Bowl Ad’—‘The Chosen’ Creator Dallas Jenkins Defends He Get Us
While teaching high school, Warnock continued seeking God and felt called to missions. Then while serving in Africa, she felt called to Hollywood. Eventually she left a job at MGM to join Jenkins and his staff at “The Chosen.”
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://churchleaders.com/news/470887-the-chosen-half-viewers-christian.html&media=https://churchleaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/the-chosen-2.jpg&description=Only about half of the viewers of "The Chosen" are “practicing Christians or cultural Christians,” according to Katherine Warnock, the show’s vice president of original content.){kind=link}