It’s been over a month since Dallas Jenkins revealed that The Chosen Season 4 streaming release date would be delayed due to legal issues. Now, there is a promising update about when to expect new episodes. Read on to learn the latest news about when The Chosen Season 4 is coming to streaming.
Created, directed, and co-written by Jenkins, The Chosen first premiered in December 2017. Set in Judaea and Galilee in the 1st century, the series follows the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth and centers on the people who met and interacted with him. Jonathan Roumie plays Jesus Christ, while Shahar Isaac, Elizabeth Tabish, Paras Patel, Noah James, George H. Xanthis, and more also star.
The Christian historical series started as a crowd-funded streaming project. The show found immense success across various streaming platforms, including Prime Video, Peaco*ck, Netflix, and The CW. By the end of 2022, 108 million people worldwide had watched at least part of one episode, according to a study by independent consultant Sandy Padula.
In October 2023, the show announced at the The Chosen Insiders Conference that Season 4 will receive a full theatrical release. The series tested theatrical debuts for two Christmas specials and a few Season 3 episodes, which brought in a whopping $40 million at the box office, per the show’s distributor, Fathom Events.
“Every time we’ve dipped our toes in the theatrical waters, viewers have overwhelmingly told us they want more,” Jenkins said in a statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “After seeing the Season 4 episodes, we knew we’d be doing our fans a disservice if we denied them the chance to see them all on a big screen with others they can laugh and cry with.”
When Is The Chosen Season 4 Coming To Streaming?
There is finally good news about The Chosen Season 4. During a livestream on April 21, Dallas Jenkins announced a general streaming timeline for The Chosen Season 4. The creator said The Chosen will release episodes in four to seven weeks, dropping two new episodes each week.
With this timeline in mind, new episodes of The Chosen Season 4 could arrive on streaming sometime from late May to the beginning of June.
“One of the main reasons you could be here is because of Season 4,” Jenkins said in the video. “It was in theaters for a time—you could see the whole season in theaters. Then, because of the streaming delay, we put it back in theaters at a discounted rate.”
Jenkins continued, “We’re doing everything that we can to give Season 4 to you as early as we can, as cheaply as we can. But unfortunately, there are some legal matters we are dealing with. I can’t get into the details.”
The director explained that while he does not have an exact streaming date, the moment they receive “a decision on the legal matter” they will release new episodes the Sunday after the decision — unless something goes awry legally (which they do not anticipate at this time).
“It should be released to you sometime in the next four to seven weeks,” he said. “It highly likely won’t be longer than that.” Jenkins urged viewers to “please stay tuned” and follow The Chosen’s social media accounts for the latest updates.
“I know that this is no fun. I know that this is highly unfortunate,” he added about the disappointing delay. “No one is more upset about it than I am. No one is more eager to get you the show than I am.” He assured viewers that they will be able to watch the fourth season of The Chosen for free once it’s released.
Jenkins also gave viewers an update on Season 5, adding that filming is underway in Utah. The faith-based series will shoot for six weeks there before moving to Texas — the show’s home base — for the remainder of production. The entire Season 4 cast will return for the next chapter, which will cover Holy Week starting with the events of Palm Sunday. (Here’s everything to know about The Chosen Season 5.)
Just last week, Jenkins released another YouTube video addressing rumors about Season 4’s digital release, including reports that it will take six months to a year, which he said was false.
“I’ve seen a few things online of people saying, ‘Oh man, you know it could be six months.’ Or ‘I don’t even know if it’s going to come out this year.’ That is not the case,” Jenkins clarified in the the video. He continued, “It will be well before then. I can’t give you an exact date but we are hopeful that it will be sometime in the near future. It’s not going to be three months. It’s not going to be that long. It will be shorter than that.”
The two latest streaming updates from Jenkins come after the creator announced in March that the digital release of Season 4 had been delayed due to legal issues.
“I have always told you that I’m going to be as upfront with you as possible, honest with you at all times, sharing as much information as we’re able to share, good or bad,” he said in a livestream shared to Facebook on March 10. “And unfortunately yes, as is reflected in the title of this video, I do have some bad news to share with you.”
“We cannot release Season 4 to streaming now,” he said at the time. “And there will be a delay longer than we anticipated and hoped for. There are some legal matters that we are dealing with right now that are hopefully being resolved.”
The creator added that he could not “share any more details” about the legal situation. “The goal is to have them resolved so that we can, long-term and short-term, better serve you, ensure the show remains free forever and gets to over a billion people, and also allows us to be sustainable forever,” he explained.
While the legal issues are getting resolved, Jenkins said they are “coming up with ways that we can get this show to you quicker.”
How To Watch The Chosen Season 4 Episodes
The Chosen Season 4 is currently unavailable for the general public to stream. Based on Jenkins’ April 21st update, viewers will likely be able to watch the first two episodes of Season 4 from home sometime around late May to early June (pending any additional legal issues).
Season 4 debuted in theaters in February and March in three groupings “for a truly singular viewing experience,” according to The Chosen’s website. Episodes 1 through 3 were initially released on Feb. 1-14, 4 through 6 on Feb. 15-28, and the final episodes, 7 through 8, premiered on Feb. 29. The Christian series received an extended theatrical release at a discounted rate before the Easter holiday.
Once The Chosen Season 4 is released, you can stream the series on The Chosen TV, mobile apps, broadcast, and cable TV. Season 1 of The Chosen is available on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, while The Chosen TV houses Seasons 1 through 3.
As of April 22, there are only two ways to watch episodes of Season 4: in churches and prisons. The Come and See Foundation announced that churches and prisons could host free promotional screenings of The Chosen Season 4 starting on March 13.
Episodes 1 through 4 are currently available for viewing in churches and prisons. The in-person screenings must be hosted for free, and any livestreams containing content from Season 4 will be copyrighted and blocked, according to the website.
“For the first time, a full season of The Chosen will be made available to churches and prisons before it starts streaming,” Jenkins said in a press release. “This is exactly why we're working with Come and See. They share our hearts to get this show free to as many people as possible, and they are willing to try new things to do it. We can't wait to see people experience this in community.”
“By making the first two episodes of Season 4 available to churches, we’re leveraging technology and resources right at our fingertips. By collaborating with our ministry partners, we are creating a new resource for discipleship so that fans of the show can experience it together in their own church communities,” added Stan Jantz, CEO of the Come and See Foundation.
What Is The Chosen Season 4 About?
The fourth season of The Chosen will cover “significant biblical events” like “the death of John the Baptist and the raising of Lazarus from the dead,” the director told USA Today. “These moments are better watching with a crowd and on the big screen.”
Roumie, who portrays Jesus Christ, spoke in-depth about the plot for The Chosen Season 4. “Tensions are mounting in Season 4 and Jesus is dealing with not just tensions amongst his disciples, but among the authorities, the Roman authorities and the Jewish authorities,” the actor told Moviefone.
He continued, “So, everything is just in a pressure cooker and it’s really starting to build, and we see the pressure of that start to leak out in a few places and certain storylines take certain turns. I think people are going to be blown away with what we’re doing this season. It’s our most mature season thus far. For me, it’s the beginning of the end. So, I think we’re easing people into it as best as we can but hold onto your hats.”
The official description for Season 4 of The Chosen reads: “Clashing kingdoms. Rival rulers. The enemies of Jesus close in while His followers struggle to keep up, leaving him to carry the burden alone. Threatened by the reality of Jesus’ growing influence, religious leaders do the unthinkable—ally with their Roman oppressors. As the seeds of betrayal are planted and opposition to Jesus’ message turns violent, he’s left with no alternative but demand his followers rise up.”
Stay tuned to learn when exactly The Chosen Season 4 episodes will be available to watch online.
Watch the trailer for The Chosen Season 4 below.
