Christian Drama Retelling Jesus’ Life Makes History and Shatters Guinness World Record

The Chosen, a drama series about the life of Jesus, has made television history. Its fifth season has now been translated into 50 languages, setting a new Guinness World Record as the most translated season of any streaming show.

Created by Dallas Jenkins, the series is the first multi-season story to focus on the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It shows his life in first-century Judaea and Galilee through the people around him, disciples, Jewish leaders, Roman officials, and ordinary families. Jonathan Roumie stars as Jesus, joined by a wide cast including Shahar Isaac, Elizabeth Tabish, Paras Patel, Noah James, and George H. Xanthis.

The show started in 2019 and quickly became a success. Its first season was funded by fans, turning it into the most successful crowdfunded TV series ever.

During the early days of COVID-19, the episodes were made free to watch, which surprisingly boosted revenue. Since then, the producers have kept the show free, though some platforms have exclusivity deals. Seasons 3 and 4 even premiered in theaters before streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, and Facebook.

By May 2025, the series had earned more than $120 million at the box office and reached an estimated 280 million viewers worldwide. A third of those viewers are not religious, showing the show’s wide appeal.

The translation achievement was confirmed after the release of Season 5 on The Chosen App, which makes every episode available to stream without charge.

On the app, fans can find the show in 36 dubbed languages and 50 subtitled versions, from Hindi and Greek to Albanian and Thai. Prime Video carries fewer language options, but the app gives access to the full list.

Mike Kennedy, vice president of marketing for the Come and See Foundation, which has helped fund translations, celebrated the milestone.

“It’s always nice to celebrate these milestones when you’re on a journey to a pretty big God-sized vision… For Come and See, our mission is to make the authentic Jesus accessible to everyone around the world through The Chosen. So for us to be able to do this, this is a great milestone for us to be able to hit. We’re just thrilled about this.”

The foundation has no plans to stop at 50 languages. The long-term goal is 600, which would allow 95 percent of the global population to watch the series in their own language.

Authenticity has always been at the heart of Jenkins’ vision.

He once explained, “In 2017, I gathered my two co-writers to work on ideas for the show, and I wrote one word in big letters on a big sheet of white paper: AUTHENTIC. We weren’t going to chase stardom or ideas that we thought would result in more ‘success.’ Our job was to be faithful to the character and intentions of Jesus and the Gospels and make the most authentic show we could. Nothing else mattered.”

The Chosen has already won several awards, been adapted into novels and comics, and even inspired companion study materials. With more seasons planned and two spin-offs in development, its reach is only growing.

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