3 Reasons ‘The Chosen Adventures’ Is Perfect for Your Family
Television
Audio By Carbonatix
By Michael Foust, Crosswalk.com
Abby is an energetic, inquisitive nine-year-old in first-century Galilee who loves exploring every topic and asking every question that comes to mind.
Do fishermen ever catch … turtles?
Do fishermen ever catch … sharks?
And most importantly: Why did God make wasps?
Her parents adore her curiosity and her zest for learning, but they don’t always have the time—or the answers.
“I’m a fisherman -- not a rabbi,” her father reminds her.
One day, though, Abby and her friend Joshua encounter a man from Nazareth who welcomes her questions. He is warm and approachable. He is knowledgeable, too, offering facts and wisdom as if he had divine insight.
His name: Jesus.
He even offers advice. It is better, he tells Abby, to listen rather than to talk without pause. He then reminds her: The Bible wants us to obey our parents.
“I guess I could listen more,” she says.
It’s all part of the new Prime Video animated series The Chosen Adventures, which launched Oct. 17 and includes 14 episodes.
Here are three reasons your family will love it:
Photo credit: ©5&2Studios/TheChosenAdventures
1. It Includes Voices You Know
The Chosen Adventures is produced by 5&2 Studios—the same company behind The Chosen—and blends familiar voices from the hit series with a wave of fresh talent, including several who have openly shared their faith in Jesus.
Jonathan Roumie once again voices Jesus, joined by Elizabeth Tabish as Mary Magdalene, Noah James as Andrew, and Paras Patel as Matthew.
At the center of the story, though, is a core cast led by Roumie alongside newcomers Paul Walter Hauser (Inside Out 2) as Sheep, Yvonne Orji (Insecure) as Pigeon, Romy Fay (The Wingfeather Saga) as Abby, and Jude Zarzaur (Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw) as Joshua. Together, they form the heart of the series.
Hauser, who broke through with his acclaimed performance in Richard Jewell, opened up about his faith last year in a series of I Am Second videos.
“Maybe it's that verse about, you know, not being ashamed of the gospel,” he told Crosswalk, referencing Romans 1:16. “I was always more afraid to not speak up about God than to speak about God.”
Dallas Jenkins, the director and creator of The Chosen, is an executive producer. Ryan Swanson, a co-writer on the live-action series, is the series's showrunner.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Shane Anthony Sinclair/Stringer
2. It’s Fun, Funny, and Fast-Paced
Each episode of The Chosen Adventures kicks off with Abby dashing out her front door, brimming with excitement -- and from there the adventure unfolds at a brisk, thrilling pace. Viewers follow her, along with her animal companions Sheep and Pigeon, and sometimes her friend Joshua, on lively journeys through the region.
The series blends humor, heart, and biblical insight (more on that below), with plenty of levity. In Episode 1, Abby becomes fascinated with the purpose of wasps. In Episode 2, she delights Sheep and Pigeon with her own puppet show, featuring a doll and a hand-carved wooden horse.
The wise-cracking duo of Sheep and Pigeon supply much of the comic relief—similar to Timon and Pumbaa in The Lion King, Manny and Sid in Ice Age, or even R2-D2 and C-3PO in Star Wars.
Each episode runs about 11 minutes—a sweet spot for young viewers with shorter attention spans, while also making the series easy to binge for older kids and families. It’s the best new streaming series for families.
Photo credit: ©5&2Studios/TheChosenAdventures
3. It’s Gospel-Centric
Each episode of The Chosen Adventures highlights a biblical theme and gives children a practical lesson or two to carry into daily life. In Episode 1, youngsters are reminded of the commandment to obey their parents. In Episode 2, viewers (along with Abby) catch a glimpse of the Genesis account of creation and the importance of the day of rest. Abby even gets an answer to her question about wasps.
“Every animal has a purpose, even if you don’t understand what that purpose is. Wasps can sting, but fig trees need them to grow fruit,” Jesus tells her.
Parents, too, are likely to discover something new. In the second episode, Abby and her family frantically try to prepare food for the Sabbath before the sun sets—offering a reminder that the biblical Jewish calendar was dramatically different from the one we follow in the modern West. Jenkins told Crosswalk his hope with The Chosen Adventures is simple: that audiences will “know and love Jesus a little bit more” than they did previously.
Fans of the new series may want to spread the word and invite their friends to watch. That’s because a second season will only happen, Jenkins said, if the first season connects with audiences.
“I'd love for The Chosen Adventures to last for a dozen seasons,” he said.
“[But] let’s get through Season 1. Let’s hope that people enjoy it.”
Entertainment rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Family-friendly rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/FatCamera
