Bingeing The Bible: How a low-budget TV series about Jesus Christ inspired streamers to look to the heavens

George Xanthis doesn’t believe in divine intervention, but when you’re just another Australian actor in Los Angeles, juggling rejections and crashing on a friend’s couch, it’s easy to find yourself in the market for a miracle.

It was 2018 when Xanthis, who left home with a few credits to his name, decided to chance his hand in Hollywood. It’s a well-worn path, but as is the case for so many wide-eyed dreamers, the bright lights soon dimmed and reality kicked in. “I didn’t have much money to my name, and I was sleeping on my friend’s couch”, says Xanthis. “After a few months of doing that, you really hope things might change.”

Australian actor George Xanthis stars in The Chosen, a prestige drama about the life of Jesus, which has garnered more than 280 million viewers worldwide.Credit: Alex Coppel

And then salvation arrived in the form of a script. “My managers told me it was a series called The Chosen set in first-century Galilee, and I was auditioning to play a man named Simon, a fisherman on the run from the Roman government,” explains Xanthis. “So I thought, ‘Oh, cool, historical drama’.”

As it turns out, this wasn’t just any Simon, but Simon, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus. And The Chosen wasn’t just any historical drama, but the first multi-season show about the life of Jesus Christ. “Looking back, that foreshadows the show’s success for me,” says Xanthis, who was eventually cast as another disciple, John.

“I had no idea I was auditioning for a show based on the Bible because it read like a high-end HBO prestige series.”

Even in the land of prestige TV, where series such as Succession, The White Lotus and Game of Thrones are met with critical and commercial acclaim, the success of The Chosen is remarkable.

Created in 2019 by Dallas Jenkins, son of bestselling Christian novelist Jerry B. Jenkins, the series faced an uphill battle. Jenkins hardly had any runs on the board, and the cast was largely unknown. In addition to Xanthis, American actor Jonathan Roumie scored the plum role of Jesus. A quick scroll through Roumie’s IMDb profile reveals single-episode arcs in a few big TV series – Law & Order, NCIS, The Good Wife – but The Chosen was his first lead role.

(From left) Shahar Isaac as Simon Peter, Jonathan Roumie as Jesus, George Xanthis as John the Apostle, and Paras Patel as Matthew in The Chosen.

The biggest hurdle was that no major studio signed on to produce. Instead, The Chosen was crowdfunded by fans, with prospective viewers raising more than $10 million for season one and a combined $30 million for seasons two and three.

To date, The Chosen, which was initially released on YouTube but is now available to stream on Amazon, Netflix and Apple, has been watched by more than 280 million viewers across 175 different countries.

“From very humble beginnings, we are now the highest crowdfunded project of all time because nobody in Hollywood wanted to make this show,” explains Xanthis.

It’s a sin Hollywood is now desperately trying to atone for, with streamers and studios racing to turn scripture into scripts. Last year, Netflix signed a deal for faith-based entertainment that will begin with a Tyler Perry-produced modern-day retelling of the biblical story of Ruth and Boaz. It also released Mary, a biopic about the mother of Jesus that included the Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins as King Herod.

Dallas Jenkins, creator of The Chosen, as the New York City premiere of the show’s fifth season.Credit: Jason Crowley/BFA.com

Meanwhile, earlier this year, House of David premiered on Amazon Prime. Set in Israel in 1000 BC, the series depicts David’s rise, tracing his journey from shepherd to the battle against Goliath.

So, what should be made of this religious revival?

Donald Trump’s return to the White House might have something to do with it. A self-described non-denominational Christian, Trump has put religion at the centre of his political platform, famously claiming he was “saved by God to make America great again,” following an attempt on his life last year.

According to Washington Post exit polls, Trump had support from all major religious groups, including 58 per cent of Catholics and 82 per cent of white evangelical Christians.

Hats reading, “God, Guns and Trump” and “Jesus is my saviour, Trump is my president” are sold at a campaign rally.Credit: AP

“Well, 30 thirty per cent of our audience don’t identify as religious, and that’s where we break through: We present it as a historical drama you can enjoy regardless of your beliefs,” says Xanthis.

The mainstream success of The Chosen has helped turn the cast into household names, and #blessed them with opportunities.

Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus, now boasts over two million followers on Instagram, where he advertises a paid partnership with the prayer app Hallow. Subscribers to the app can hear him read scripture alongside other high-profile believers, including Mark Wahlberg and Chris Pratt.

Last month, Roumie appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to promote the series’ new season, and was recently the subject of an extended New York Times profile.

“Jonathan is a very close friend. Ironically, we almost have a Jesus and John relationship. I ask him for a lot of advice and learn from how he’s navigating this ride,” says Xanthis.

“His experience is on another level, though, fans will treat him like a religious icon and forget that he’s an actor. He does have a great story about [Hamilton creator] Lin-Manuel Miranda coming up to him and saying, ‘Hey, are you Jesus from The Chosen?’”

Closer to home, Xanthis received his own rock star reception during a recent trip back to Australia.

Born and raised in Earlwood in Sydney’s south-west, Xanthis was christened Greek Orthodox, so playing John the Disciple has been big news in the parish.

“Father Gerasimos Koutsouras from the Greek church in Rose Bay reached out and wanted to talk to me about what I’ve learnt about John as a person,” says Xanthis.

“I was raised Greek Orthodox but am not that religious any more,” he laughs. “But Father told me that didn’t matter as long as I connected to the stories in my own way, which was nice to hear.”

Xanthis is back in Dallas, where filming is under way for the show’s sixth season. A sign of the show’s success, the first two episodes of the fifth season, which cover the Last Supper and Judas’s betrayal of Jesus, were given a worldwide cinematic release.

The movie premiered in Times Square, New York, on February 14. Its portraits were photographed by famed Vanity Fair magazine photographer Annie Leibovitz, who is also a fan of the series. The rest of the season will be available to stream later this year.

“Seeing it on the big screen was pretty incredible,” admits Xanthis, who attended the Sydney premiere at the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park. “We’ve come a long way from a tiny TV show created by the fans.”

Or sleeping on a couch.

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