Introducing the new show Homestead: Angel Studios was eager to launch another serialized drama series for its platform after the success of the popular series The Chosen. Homestead's feature-length first episode will be released this holiday season in theaters. Angel Studios hopes to use the theatrical exposure to help the series reach a wider audience like The Chosen.

Homestead is set on the property of a wealthy American farmer who hires a former military mercenary to fortify his property into a sanctuary in the wake of a nuclear attack on the United States. The series is an apocalyptic drama and a story of Christians coming together as a community. The initial first episode has a gripping opening sequence. But the pacing throughout the rest of the movie/episode reminds you that this is merely the opening chapter of a longer story. 
 

I'm interested in seeing where the story takes these characters. The premise of a group forming a homestead to survive the nuclear apocalypse is compelling. The show touches on more complicated questions, such as who gets to be a part of the community and what measures are justified in keeping some out. 

The show also gestures to some of the more practical aspects of being an autonomous community amid a nuclear apocalypse. In this first episode, the arc to these questions feels too choreographed. There is a lot of meaty drama to be had in digging deeper into these questions. But the answers provided felt a bit on-the-nose and routine. Hopefully, subsequent episodes will challenge these questions in more surprising ways. 

Performance-wise, actor Neal McDonough is the most affecting as the lead character. Lesser-known actors populate the rest of the cast. The acting is solid, for the most part. However, with the standard set by fellow Angels Studio production, The Chosen, I think a standout hasn’t yet emerged to elevate this material to the next level.