Netflix's new drama Unchosen has attracted a stellar cast including Christopher Eccleston and Siobhan Finneran, but the result is a disappointing, by-numbers thriller that fails to make the most of its talent.
Set in a Christian splinter sect called the Fellowship of the Divine, the show follows a cult led by Mr Phillips (Eccleston). The community shuns modern technology, which it calls 'pipelines of pornography and sewage to our souls', and enforces strict gender roles. When a child goes missing during a thunderstorm, a handsome stranger (Fra Fee) rescues her, sparking a chain of events that exposes hidden tensions.
The script is workmanlike, with clunky dialogue such as 'Regulations are the word of God. Even when the heart says otherwise.' Characters feel like chess pieces, and the plot—involving forbidden yearnings, power struggles, and escape attempts—never becomes truly thrilling. Despite the strong performances, the show fails to break new ground.
Eccleston is well-suited to playing a cult leader, while Finneran brings depth to her role as Mrs Phillips, a woman nursing a semi-secret sorrow. However, the overall effect is undemanding fare that may leave viewers wishing they had chosen other ways to spend four hours.
