Unchosen – Review | Netflix Series

UNCHOSEN on Netflix is a psychological thriller series with six episodes. This time around, the plot deals with people living in a cult in the UK. It gets dark because even people trying to do good can sometimes end up doing bad things. Both for themselves and others. Read our full Unchosen series review here!

UNCHOSEN is a Netflix series in six parts. It’s a psychological thriller with a cult plot. However, the religious element of the cult itself isn’t the main issue. It rarely is, when you think about it. Instead, the challenges arise when people feel entitled to rule over others. And what happens when something stronger comes along?!

The series has six hour-long episodes, and while this is definitely a psychological thriller, it does also become a character-driven drama at times. If this sounds a little “meh” and boring, I can assure you it isn’t. We’re dealing with assault, murder, punishment (bordering on torture), and even an escaped convict on the run.

Continue reading our Unchosen series review below. Find it on Netflix from April 21, 2026.

An unchosen among the chosen

In Unchosen, we follow Rosie (Molly Windsor), who lives with her husband Adam (Asa Butterfield) and their daughter, Grace (Olivia Pickering), in a secluded area. Actually, it’s not very remote at all, though it is in the countryside. However, they live in a cloistered Christian sect, and cult-living is remote in essence.

They are “the chosen” and not to communicate with anyone “unchosen”. Well, the men are allowed as they are providers working with outsiders, but not the women, who stay close to home as nurturers.

Something changes for Rosie on a fateful day, when her daughter Grace disappears during a sudden rainstorm. A stranger shows up to save her from a terrible accident, and Rosie cannot forget the man that only she and her daughter saw that day. He becomes proof that something good can come from an unchosen.

A fascinating character study

We know that he is an escaped prisoner named Sam (Fra Fee), and we will slowly discover just why he was in prison. As Sam comes into Rosie’s life, the brutal restraints on her life become obvious. She even starts thinking that maybe there is a better life for her outside this religious community.

I don’t want to give away too many details about the plot of Unchosen, as the storyline plays out like a puzzle. You’re given pieces little by little. Some are via flashbacks, while others are from seeing what characters do when they think no one is watching.

It’s a fascinating character study that I enjoyed… even if it was a little slow at times.

Over 2,000 Cults in the UK alone

What I found extremely interesting was the background for this setting. I have always been fascinated with cults and religious sects. As someone who often dislikes religion, while appreciating faith and spirituality, I feel that these religion-based communities highlight exactly what’s wrong with most organized religions.

People want power, and if a book or some “divine rules” can give them power, then few can hold back from abusing said power. With Unchosen, we see the oppressive underbelly of a cult, which in no way goes harder or darker than any true crime documentary about cults. In that sense, real-life always beats fiction.

While researching for this Netflix series, creator Julie Gearey came to discover that there are over 2,000 cults operating in the United Kingdom alone. As in, they are currently active. That’s a staggering number to me, but obviously some are smaller and others larger.

And in this crazy world, people feel a need for guidance. Many who have been brought up with religion will seek answers in whatever worked in the innocence of their childhood, I suppose.

Watch the Unchosen series on Netflix

Unchosen was created and written by Julie Gearey (Intergalactic). I appreciate that she spoke to several people who had escaped cults. Julie Gearey tracked down these people through social media and online forums to ensure a plot grounded in the reality of UK cults. Directors on the series include Jim Loach (Criminal Record) and Phillippa Langdale (The Capture).

The casting of Unchosen is key to it working as well as it does. This is especially important for the three key characters portrayed by Molly Windsor (War of the Worlds), Asa Butterfield (Choose or Die), and Fra Fee (Prime Target).

Fortunately, they absolutely nail their respective portrayals, and I felt the actions of each, as the story progressed, were very organic. Never felt forced. The same applies to supporting key characters played by Siobhan Finneran, Alexa Davies, Aston McAuley (Behind Her Eyes), and Christopher Eccleston (True Detective: Night Country). To name just a few.

If you’re fascinated by cults and true crime, then check this out. No, it isn’t true crime as it isn’t based on anything specific, but it doesn’t feel far-fetched at all. Anyone who watched the Netflix docu-series Trust Me: The False Prophet should want to watch this as well.

UNCHOSEN arrives on Netflix on April 21, 2026.

Details

Creator: Julie Gearey
Directors: Philippa Langdale, Jim Loach
Writer: Julie Gearey
Stars: Asa Butterfield, Molly Windsor, Fra Fee, Christopher Eccleston, Siobhan Finneran, Olivia Pickering, Aston McAuley