TV-All | 14 episodes | Animated | 2025
In the Bible, Jesus said: “Let the little children come to me.” In this animated series, that will frequently include Abby, an unusually curious little girl from Capernaum. Indeed, Abby and her wisecracking animal companions learn much more than they expect from their new teacher in showrunner Ryan Swanson’s 14-episode “The Chosen Adventures,” a family-friendly spinoff from Dallas Jenkins’s hit Biblical drama “The Chosen.”
Way back in the third episode of the first season (out of five, so far) of the original live-action “The Chosen,” Jesus Christ met two bright young children named Abigail and Joshua. His one-time lesson in faith and carpentry has been expanded into an entire show for children.
Rather than chronicling the life of Jesus (Jonathan Roumie), the show’s depiction of Jesus largely functions as a supporting character. Jesus often has a relevant sermon or parable to help Abby (Romy Fay) address whatever might trouble her in each episode.
A scene from “The Chosen Adventures.” (5&2 Studios)Children and Animals
In their animated adventures, timid Joshua (Jude Zarzaur) plays second fiddle to Abby. Frankly, Abby spends more time with her two new animal friends, Sheep (Paul Walter Hauser) and Pigeon (Yvonne Orji), who are admittedly not so creatively named.
As New Yorkers would expect, the one-legged Pigeon is a survivor with far more street smarts than either Abby or Sheep. In contrast, Sheep is a lot like a woolly Garfield, who only thinks about eating and sleeping. Yet he has a rather endearing backstory that will be revealed in two later flashback episodes.
Each episode functions like a weekly Sunday school session wherein Jesus, Abby’s parents—Abba (Danny Nucci) and Eema (Zehra Fazal)—or both, help guide her toward a virtuous path in life. For instance, Episode Two, “Give It a Rest,” explains the importance of keeping the Sabbath entirely in terms of the spiritual benefits.
The animal characters in “The Chosen Adventures.” (5&2 Studios)In Episode Three (“Why, God?!”), Abby assumes she has had a no-good, very bad day. Yet when Swanson and director Keith Alcorn rewind to show the same events from Pigeon’s birds-eye perspective, we see the hidden hand of divine providence keeping the clueless Abby safe from an increasingly elaborate chain of goofy, slapstick misadventures, much like an old “Mr. Magoo” cartoon.
Jesus is the only biblical figure to play a significant role in “The Chosen Adventures,” until Mary Magdalene (Elizabeth Tabish) makes a dramatic entrance in Episode 13, “Even the Pigeons,” helping nurse Abby’s winged friend back to health. She is also prominent in the cliff-hanger conclusion, “Seeking Signs,” which finally starts to hint at the great Christian mysteries of faith that made the original series so popular.
A scene from “The Chosen Adventures.” (5&2 Studios)Lighter Tone
Consequently, the tone is much lighter throughout “The Chosen Adventures.” Swanson and writer Andrew Simmons directly address the Roman oppression of Galilee in Episode Five, “Little Caesar.” Yet the writers do so gently by showing how Hilarius Maximus (Banks Pierce), is the bratty son of Cyrius (pronounced “Serious”) Maximus (Julian Grant), the new centurion in town. Hilarius learns empathy and humility from Abby and her pets, both of which his martinet father sorely lacks.
Obviously, there is also a great deal more animal-based humor in Swanson’s animated adaptation. In fact, Sheep and Pigeon supply enough jokes to keep most younger viewers distracted from the Christian content. Plus, the messages imparted in each episode typically build toward widely held common-sense morals, like “mind your parents,” the takeaway from Episode Eight, “Blind Faith.”
By far, the most distinctive voiceover work comes from Hauser (who played the title role in Clint Eastwood’s “Richard Jewell”), as the constantly hungry Sheep. He has a knack for punching up his grouchy one-liners, but he also keenly expresses the ruminant’s inner sadness and insecurity.
Hauser is the biggest star lending a voice to “The Chosen Adventures,” except perhaps “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks, who briefly dubs a fish in “Father Knows Bass.” Orji nicely contrasts with Hauser, providing Pigeon’s snappy rejoinders.
As Abby and Joshua, Fay and Zarzaur truly sound like kids (sometimes to a precocious degree). Fazal and Nucci also nicely express the concern and sensitivity of Abby’s parents. Without question, Roumie has the most challenging voiceover role, but he often delivers reasonably stirring sermons, while conveying Jesus’s warmth during more relaxed moments.
These are bullish times for animated biblical adaptations, with “The Chosen Adventures” following the release of Angel Studios’ box-office hit “The King of Kings.” Both are sufficiently entertaining, so casual viewers never feel like they are being preached at or proselytized to.
Swanson’s first season is appealingly lively and the 12-to-15-minute installments are easily digestible, even for young audiences. Recommended for its family-friendly humor and lessons in responsibility and compassion from an upbeat, positive Christian perspective.
“The Chosen Adventures” is streaming on Prime Video.
‘The Chosen Adventures’
Director: Keith Alcorn
Starring: Jonathan Roumie, Paul Walter Hauser, Yvonne Orji, Romy Fay, Danny Nucci
Rating: TV-All
Running Time: 14 episodes (approx. 15 minutes each)
Release Date: Oct. 17, 2025
Rated: 3 1/2 stars out of 5
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Correction: A previous version of this article misidentified the producer of “The Chosen Adventures.” 5&2 Studios created “The Chosen Adventures.” The Epoch Times regrets the error.
