(RNS) — Seven years since first airing, the mega-hit biographical Jesus drama “The Chosen” is a full-fledged franchise. The evidence? An annual multi-day convention (Chosen Con), merch (hoodies, coloring books, jewelry), the fandom (over 308 million viewers) and now, a spinoff show (“Joseph of Egypt,” expected in 2027), even as the original series is about to go into its sixth season.

Available on its app as well as streaming, “The Chosen” is a Bible show designed to be viewed on demand. Created by evangelical Christians, it’s also upfront about its agenda to point viewers to Christ.

But the impact of “The Chosen” is perhaps best encapsulated in its catchphrase: “Binge Jesus.”

“‘The Chosen’ really set the standard for what it means to make a biblical TV series,” said Michael Iskander, star of “House of David,” a show about the king of ancient Israel and Judea whose second season comes to Prime Video March 27. “It’s the first of its kind, completely crowdfunded … and to see the fandom that it has built, it’s only things like that that allow for shows like ‘House of David’ to exist.”

“The Chosen” has become emblematic of a growing Bible-based trend. On Wednesday, Wonder Project, the studio behind “House of David,” announced a three-part companion special, “The Old Stories: Moses,” expected this spring. In addition to its own upcoming spinoff, “Joseph of Egypt,” “The Chosen” has inspired “The Promised Land,” a Moses-era sitcom whose first season debuted last year on YouTube.

Joining them are Fox Nation docudramas “David: King of Israel,” a four-episode series that ended this month, and “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints,” which will air its Easter episode on Jesus’ mother Mary this Friday. Still making the rounds on Netflix is the 2024 Moses docudrama, and Kevin Costner’s story of Jesus’ birth from last Christmas continues streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

The Bible has long been a top draw — in 2014, the History Channel biopic “Son of God” earned $70 million, and before that Mel Gibson’s 2004 “Passion of the Christ” grossed over $620 million worldwide.

But the recent suite of shows has been more sustained than previous series offerings, and more spiritual. “It’s certainly shown the viability of the genre when it’s done for an audience that is very committed to the Bible, not just as a work of literature or as something you can be a fan of, but something that is actually an important part of your faith,” said longtime film critic Peter Chattaway, of “The Chosen.”

That shift is thanks in part to the advent of streaming platforms, which have changed how Biblical shows are made: Their larger budgets, bigger sets and serialized, character-driven storytelling. They aim to be both true to Scripture and genuinely entertaining. In many cases, they’re not afraid to add extra-Biblical characters and plot lines to ramp up the dramatic tension.

The streaming model also makes it easier to gauge the appeal of faith-based content. “I think streaming is part of this evolution of choice in media that is allowing a genre like faith to really come into its own,” said Jonathan Towers, vice president of development for FOX Nation. “We’re in a universe where people are able to, so to speak, vote with their devices.”

Believers at the helm

These bingeable Bible shows are more attuned to their faithful viewers because they are being produced by people who know them. Dallas Jenkins, creator of “The Chosen” and an evangelical Christian, said his faith informs the way the show makes Christ approachable — not in a controversial, “The Last Temptation of Christ” sort of way, but by showing a Jesus who cracks jokes and has emotional range.

“Overwhelmingly the No. 1 comment I hear is that the show feels ‘human,’” said Jenkins, son of bestselling “Left Behind” author Jerry B. Jenkins. “Previous projects have often felt stiff or formal or emotionally distant, the characters feeling like icons as opposed to human beings.”

Like “The Chosen,” “House of David” is led by a Christian team with complete creative control. “Many people on the show are deep believers, and many people come back to their faith, or renew their faith, or discover their faith in a much more profound way as a result of working on the show,” said Jon Erwin, the founder and chief content officer of Wonder Project and executive producer for “House of David.” The audience, he said, senses “when the creator of the show or movie comes from a place of deep belief and conviction.”

The Christian sensibility comes through in other ways. Though the show is based on the Hebrew Bible and grounded in Jewish context, it’s ultimately pointing viewers to Jesus. Similarly, Towers, who oversaw “David: King of Israel,” said the story makes clear the role David plays in the New Testament as Jesus’ ancestor. That’s key, he said, because Fox Nation’s audience is “unabashedly pro-religion, pro-Western culture, pro-Judeo-Christian values.”

“Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints,” which includes narration and discussion from the Oscar-winning filmmaker, is informed by Scorsese’s Catholic faith. In the upcoming Mary special, Scorsese describes Jesus’ mother as born without sin. The episode includes a scene where the risen Jesus appears to his mother; though extra-biblical, it’s a moment supported by the ideas of the 16^th century Catholic priest St. Ignatius of Loyola.

“It doesn’t disavow the Gospel in any way, but it’s kind of a humanistic approach,” said show creator Matti Leshem. “She’s a real woman, and she’s going through real problems and real trauma.”

The willingness of box-office giants such as Costner and Scorsese to lend their names to Bible content is a bonus. Though dramas like “The Chosen” cast actors for their fit and skill rather than mainstream fame, the show’s success has made a star of “The Chosen’s” Jonathan Roumie. The Jesus actor now has 3.5 million followers on Instagram and has spoken at the “March For Life,” starred in a Superbowl ad and been profiled in the New Yorker.

His Catholic faith is central in his public persona; some Instagram videos of him praying have been viewed nearly 100,000 times. Iskander, who converted to Catholicism from Coptic Orthodoxy last year, is following in “The Chosen” star’s footsteps; like Roumie, he’s spoken at evangelical powerhouse Liberty University and been featured on the Catholic prayer app Hallow.

“I look up to him in every way,” Iskander said of Roumie. “I don’t think as Christians, we should be quiet about our faith. Obviously, I’m not shoving it down anyone’s throat. I would never do that. But at the same time, I love my faith, and it comes first before anything.”

An expanding market

This era of Bible shows might all be using the same source material, but the projects aren’t interchangeable. “David: King of Israel” is a straightforward, close read of David’s story, plus commentary. “House of David” takes a fantastical, action epic “Game of Thrones” approach to the Hebrew tale and includes plot lines inspired by, but not explicitly in, Biblical texts. “The Chosen” is a drama with comedic moments. “The Promised Land” reimagines the story of Moses and the Israelites as a workplace comedy.

“Playing with the genre, sort of expanding our sense of what these stories can be and finding new ways into the stories, that’s what I would hope to keep seeing going forward,” said film critic Chattaway.

The executives behind these projects believe the demand for faith-based projects is only accelerating. At Fox Nation, Scorsese’s “Saints” became the most-viewed series on the platform and is credited with growing the subscriber base to more than 2 million. “House of David” earned more than 44 million viewers across 240 countries, landing in Prime Video’s list of top 10 most-watched shows for several weeks.

Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten, CEO of Wonder Project, said that, while faith audiences used to be treated as niche, these days studios are recognizing their demand for broader, more sophisticated content.

“We love big action movies. We love rom-coms. We also want stories that reflect our faith and values with honesty and craft. Give us that, and we show up — in a big way,” she told RNS.

For the directors and creators behind these shows, there’s a spiritual reason for their success — by pointing to Christ, they say, their shows are meeting a hunger for belief, meaning and redemption that can’t be filled by the average binge-watching session.