Paradise starts out predictably enough. Sterling K. Brown plays Xavier Collins, the lead special agent on the Secret Service security detail for the president of the United States (James Marsden). One morning he comes into work to find the president dead. Will suspicion fall on him, who really did it, and why?
That’s a solid enough setup for a thriller show, something Hulu has plenty of. But by the end of its first episode, Paradise reveals itself to be something more: Xavier, President Cal Bradford, and many other people are all living in a massive underground bunker built to house what remains of humanity after much of the planet was devastated by natural disaster. Paradise goes on to become not just the best thriller on Hulu, but also the best science fiction show, easily besting disappointing series like Alien: Earth.
Paradise is addictive in the best way
The end of every episode will have you coming back for more
The first thing Paradise has going for it is its premise. After the end of the premiere episode, you don’t just want to know more about what happened to the president; you want to know what became of the world that drove everyone into this bunker. How long has it been like this? Is there any hope of populating the surface again? Paradise is one of those shows that always has you wanting to watch just one more episode, since you’re sure the answers to your questions are just around the corner.
And Paradise does indeed provide answers, but not all at once. The show makes heavy use of flashbacks, which allows it to drip-feed us information about the characters’ lives and what happened to the world above slowly over the course of the first and second season, which is airing right now. Some may find that frustrating, but the flashbacks are rich in detail and add a lot to the ongoing narrative, so they never feel like a detour.
And flashbacks are something that Paradise creator Dan Fogelman does very well; he’s the guy behind This Is Us, which used a similar structure, only in that case he was making a family drama and here he’s making a post-apocalyptic epic. Sterling K. Brown also worked on This Is Us, where he received a lot of praise for his performance as Randall Pearson. That creative partnership pays off in Paradise, which Brown holds down with an easy confidence he might not have if he wasn’t working with a showrunner he trusted. Brown received an Emmy nomination for his performance, as did James Marsden and Julianne Nicholson; she plays Samantha Redmond, a billionaire who helped build this underground city and who calls many of the shots.
Paradise is headed towards something big
And it won’t take forever to get there
So the acting, writing, and producing talent on Paradise is top-notch. The show makes sure to mix a lot of relatable family drama in with the high-stakes thriller and sci-fi elements. Xavier is a father raising two kids (Aliyah Mastin and Percy Daggs) by himself, since his wife Teri (Enuka Okuma) wasn’t able to get into the bunker before the world above was destroyed. But as we learn as the show goes on, the situation above ground may not be exactly what we’ve been told it is. The show is exploring that mystery more in its second season.
In the way it teases things out slowly, Paradise resembles heady sci-fi dramas from the 2000s, like Lost. By the end, that show wandered far afield of its original premise in a way that left some viewers dissatisfied, but everyone can rest assured that won’t happen with Paradise. Fogelman set out with a plan in mind, and we already know that the show will conclude with a third and final season after this second one is finished.
Fans also won’t have to wait that long to see the whole story play out. Season 1 of Paradise premiered in January of 2025 while this second season kicked off in February of 2026, just over a year later. We can assume that the third season will respect people’s time in the same way. So if you’re just thinking of getting on board this train now, you won’t have to worry about waiting years to see where it ends up.
Paradise uses sci-fi to explore real-world issues
It’s entertaining AND thoughtful
But we don’t have to think about the end of the show right now; Paradise is giving us too many other juicy morsels to chew on. In addition to just being plain entertaining, the show hits on some hot-button topics and delves into some deep themes.
For instance (and without spoiling too much), the end of the world is brought on by climate change, a topic that’s becoming more and more relevant the more time goes on. Billionaires and their families are able to take shelter in the bunker, but most of the rest of humanity is left out to dry, which resonates in a world where the gap between the haves and the have-nots seems to be growing ever wider.
The best sci-fi show on TV is coming back. Here’s what you need to know about season 5:
For All Mankind has quietly become the best, most consistent sci-fi show on TV. Let’s prepare for season 5.
Follow Paradise to the TV promised land
New episodes of Paradise drop Mondays on Hulu. The season 2 finale airs on March 30, with the third season to come out some time after that, probably in early 2027. This series is already very good and shows potential to become even better, so it’s high time to start getting obsessed, before it becomes a proper phenomenon.
- Release Date
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January 26, 2025
- Network
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Hulu
- Showrunner
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Dan Fogelman
- Directors
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Gandja Monteiro
- Writers
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Jason Wilborn
