HOLLYWOOD, CA — In a surprising strategic pivot, the production team behind The Chosen is reportedly considering lowering the show’s production value in order to better appeal to its original target demographic: American Christians.

After gaining widespread acclaim—even from atheists, agnostics, and former spell-casting witches—studio executives began to worry that The Chosen might have become too good.

“We just never expected so many non-believers to relate to a Jesus who’s compelling, Jewish, and emotionally nuanced,” said Blake Henderson, a spokesperson for the studio. “It’s starting to look a little… mainstream.”

While critics praise the show’s historical accuracy, character depth, and genuine human emotion, longtime fans of low-budget Christian media have expressed quiet concern.

“Where are the bad wigs? The continuity errors? The dramatic conversions that happen during basketball games?” asked one anonymous focus group participant. “This show doesn’t feel like it was edited on a church youth pastor’s laptop in 2003.”

In response, The Chosen team is exploring several changes to intentionally downgrade the show for Season 6. Proposed changes include:

• Replacing the entire cast with volunteers from a local homeschool co-op.
• Swapping out sweeping orchestral scores for acoustic covers of Oceans.
• Rewriting Thomas’s character arc to include a subplot about giving up dating apps.
• Making all Roman soldiers inexplicably speak with vaguely British accents.

Dallas Jenkins, the showrunner, defended the possible changes. “We just want to make sure the show remains spiritually safe,” he said. “When I heard that people who don’t even go to church were binge-watching The Chosen, I knew we had a problem.”

Marketing materials for the next season have already been updated with the tagline: “Still about Jesus. Just… not as well-made.”

Early reactions are mixed. Some longtime Christian filmgoers are relieved. “Honestly, I was starting to feel convicted,” said Glen, a church sound tech who has strong opinions about end times prophecy. “But if they add a musical number about spiritual warfare, I’m all in again.”

Meanwhile, a new faction of The Chosen fans—dubbed “The Chosenites”—has begun archiving older seasons before they’re downgraded. “We’re just trying to preserve the good stuff before the CGI demons come back,” one Reddit user posted.

The studio maintains that the downgrade is not a step backward but a “return to our roots.”

“We’re not saying The Chosen is too good for Christians,” Henderson clarified. “We’re just saying we don’t want excellence to become a stumbling block.”