This article first appeared in Our Sunday Visitor magazine. Subscribe to receive the monthly magazine here.
The fifth season of “The Chosen” brings audiences into some of the most sacred days of the Christian calendar with new intimacy and scale. Released in theaters this spring, “The Chosen: Last Supper” centers on the dramatic events of Palm Sunday through Holy Thursday. But for series creator Dallas Jenkins and the cast, the goal is not only to dramatize Scripture but to draw viewers into the mysteries of Christ’s suffering, love and mission.
“This is Holy Week, and it’s got some of the biggest Bible moments in the world: the triumphal entry, the Last Supper, the turning of the tables in the Temple, Judas’ betrayal,” Jenkins told me at a red carpet event outside Dallas before the premiere of Part 1. “And so what we wanted to make sure we do, as always, is that — set against this big backdrop with a lot of impressive effects and production value — it’s still personal.”
As the narrative of Jesus’ final days unfolds, Jenkins emphasizes the humanity behind these sacred moments. “In the Last Supper, Jesus gives us a lot, right? He’s got a ton of truth bombs. But we don’t want to make it sound like he’s giving a speech to a Rotary Club. It’s got to sound like and look like and feel like what it really was: a man sharing with his closest friends and deepest followers that he wasn’t going to be with them for very much longer.”
Connecting viewers personally to these events remains a core ambition for Jenkins and the production team. “This isn’t just about honoring a moment. This is about putting ourselves in that moment and deepening our relationship with God because of it,” he said.
‘Pain and joy, darkness and light’
Actress Elizabeth Tabish, who plays Mary Magdalene, echoed this sentiment by reflecting on how her character’s journey prepares viewers to encounter Christ through suffering. “Because she has gone through so much darkness and possession and pain — and in the way that ‘The Chosen’ depicts her, through assault and PTSD — she understands what grief feels like, what loss feels like, what fear, true fear, feels like,” said Tabish. “There’s a deep understanding of the complications of pain and joy, darkness and light … an understanding that some things must happen, that the Crucifixion is inevitable.”
Mary Magdalene’s character arc, she noted, culminates in this season. “We see in Season 5, she’s not thinking about her past at all. She’s not even thinking about herself. She’s thinking about Jesus and how to help him. And I think that’s a really beautiful progression.”
Tabish recalled one of her favorite scenes: a dinner with Jesus and the women who follow him. “It’s not the Last Supper, obviously, but it is a dinner with him where they get to share with him how much he means to them. And I think it’s a really special moment where we can pause and thank Jesus for what he’s done. … They’re really focused on giving to him.”
‘Bigger than us’
Providing another perspective, actor Paul Ben-Victor, who portrays Herod Antipas, discussed the complexity of his character in the new season. Herod, he said, is a man driven by fear: “I think he’s terrified. … The crowds are saying there’s a new king in town. ‘Excuse me? This has to be a joke. Who is this guy?'”
Ben-Victor, who has a lot of experience playing heavies in shows like “The Wire,” doesn’t see the men he plays, including Herod, as villains. “They’re not villains to me; they’re just another great role,” he said. “But this is the best. This character is just one of the best ever written for me that I’ve ever had the honor and the pleasure to play.”
Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus, told me that he hopes the authenticity of the show will lead to deeper faith for its millions of fans. “I think as long as we stay true to the Gospel and commit every ounce of strength and artistry that we possess as participants in this show, we can’t go wrong,” he said.
“We all — the majority of us — feel like the show is bigger than us, that God is using it in a way that will draw people closer to him, in the way that it has in the last seven years we’ve been making the show.”
“The Chosen: The Last Supper” becomes available on Amazon Prime Video on June 15, 2025.
