“The Chosen” on the CW Network on Sunday night drew about a half million viewers for its premiere episode, outperforming other CW shows that aired during the same time slots the previous week.
According to TV Line, “The Chosen” averaged 520,000 viewers.
The first episode’s viewership was pegged as “a far mightier audience” than the 200,000 viewers who viewed “Riverdale” and the 400,000 people who watched “Nancy Drew.” Viewership for “The Chosen” was also considerably greater than what “Gothan Knights” (235,000) and “Superman and Lois” (174,000) drew on the CW the previous Sunday during the same time slots.
TV Insider reports that the faith-based series has “converted a mass of impassioned viewers to rival any ‘Yellowstone’ or ‘The Walking Dead’ fanbase.”
The Angel Studios original began as a crowdfunding project in 2019 and has now grown into a global phenomenon. It has been streamed by over 500 million people. Its new distribution partnership with Lionsgate is continuing to expand its reach worldwide, including its new partnership with the CW.
The show’s creator, Dallas Jenkins, took to Instagram with a photo of Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus on “The Chosen”.
Roumie was on the cover of TV Guide that week.
Brad Schwartz, president of Entertainment for The CW Network, predicted the show will expand its audience even further.