As Lent draws to a close, Dallas Jenkins and his crew at 5&2 Studios have released the fifth season of The Chosen in theaters. The new season, titled The Chosen: The Last Supper, focuses on the time leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion — that is, on events surrounding the Last Supper, Judas’ betrayal, and Jesus’ heartfelt prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The mood of these events is somber and the cinematography excellent, as it has been throughout The Chosen’s earlier seasons, which skillfully enhances that mood with candlelit scenes and a concentration on the emotions of Jesus and his followers.

Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie, as Jesus, meets the challenge of emotion. Though he has yet to carry the cross, by his demeanor, he is already shouldering the weight, and his eyes reflect fear and apprehension of the events to come.

The Eucharist is front and center: Jesus clearly defines himself as the “Bread of Life.” In Episode 6 of The Chosen: Last Supper, Jesus breaks the bread and passes it to the apostles, and then drinks wine and shares it with them. Of the bread, he says, “Take and eat it. This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And when he drinks the wine, he says, “Drink it, all of you, in remembrance of me.”

People sitting in the theater this week (or later this summer, watching in their homes) will interpret this differently. Catholics and Orthodox will recognize the words of transubstantiation and will understand that these words and this action are repeated in every Mass and Divine Liturgy. Protestants may have a different idea, believing that Jesus was only speaking metaphorically and that the bread and wine are only a symbol. But the problem, then, is with the interpreter and not with the lessons imparted by The Chosen.

The significance of the Eucharist was addressed in the previous season of The Chosen, too, as Jesus explained, in the Bread of Life Discourse, found in John 6:35-58, the importance of the Eucharist as the source of true nourishment. Jesus identified himself as the “Bread of Life” and taught about the necessity of receiving him for eternal life. (Roumie recited the discourse last summer at the National Eucharistic Congress last year.)

5&2 Studios released Season 5 in theaters in three installments: Part 1 (Episodes 1 and 2) was released on March 28; Part 2 (Episodes 3, 4 and 5) was released on April 4; and Part 3 (Episodes 6, 7 and 8) was available for viewing on April 11. In June 2025, about two months after its theatrical run, the series will be streamed on Amazon Prime and then on The Chosen app.

From the perspective of this viewer, I must say that Last Supper is highly emotional. We are brought to tears by the tears of Jesus, as he faces his impending torture and death. As we laughed with Jesus in the early episodes, so we are drawn to experience his fears and his sadness; and with that, we achieve an even deeper appreciation of his gift to us. Thank you, Dallas Jenkins, for drawing out our compassion and strengthening our faith.

As a fan of The Chosen from its inception, I’ve worried that it will be harder to love once it leaves the early years of Jesus’ ministry, when he laughs and heals the sick and prays with young children, and it instead veers toward tragedy as Jesus knocks over tables in the Temple and suffers a brutal death. That still worries me: Will The Chosen’s massive audience of 280 million worldwide viewers, happy due to Jesus' good-naturedness, still want to watch when the series turns the corner to focus on Jesus’ scourging, crucifixion and death?

Apparently, I need not have worried. As of April 2025, according to Wikipedia, The Chosen has grossed more than $100 million in its theatrical releases. Its continuing box-office success seems to prove that The Chosen's fans intend to stick it out, to embrace the suffering along with the joy, even as the next two seasons focus on death — just like believers accompany Christ in Holy Week.

One of the concerns expressed by some Catholics is that the show may not adhere to Catholic teaching, created, as it is, by evangelicals, and filmed on property owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah, and by the Salvation Army in Texas.

That concern seems largely unfounded. Creator Jenkins has offered bullet points to show that this isn't true. “The show isn’t based on any religious tradition or particular faith perspective,” he stated. “It’s based on the stories in the Gospels and history.”

One script consultant is Father David Guffey, who is a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross and national director of Family Theater Productions.

Through the years, there have been many attempts to bring Christ to the screen, but few have achieved this level of emotion and raw encounter. I think of Jim Caviezel’s portrayal of Jesus in The Passion of the Christ; but now, The Chosen joins that production at the apex of spiritual programming. It’s hard to imagine how Season 6, on the Crucifixion, will hurt our hearts.

But we also know the Resurrection lies ahead.