‘Paradise’ Is Restoring The Feeling Of Must-See TV
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Getting viewers to stick around for an entire season is tough for most shows in today’s streaming world. I mean, who wants to sit there, week after week, dying to know what happens next when you could just binge the whole season in one go once it’s done? That’s the easy choice for most casual TV watchers these days, and honestly, I can’t blame them — with a new show dropping every other week, it’s hard to keep up.
But right now, one exceptional series is giving viewers a reason to stay on their toes and keep coming back for more.
“Paradise,” Hulu’s twisty political thriller that premiered in late January, is all anyone can talk about on the internet streets. It stars Sterling K. Brown as lead secret service agent Xavier Collins, who’s tasked with protecting a former president (James Marsden) in a seemingly serene community. However, things get complicated when Collins discovers the president has been assassinated in his own home, putting him at the top of the suspect list. Thus, the murder mystery begins.
That initial twist immediately grabbed viewers during the series premiere (within the first 10 minutes, might I add). However, the show’s deeper, more complex premise is what’s gaining the attention of more and more folks.
See, the peaceful community where the president resided is actually a secret underground dome (built inside a mountain in Colorado) of 25,000 residents who took cover after an apocalyptic disaster wiped out (most of) the world. The genius behind the elaborate bunker is tech entrepreneur Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond (Julianne Nicholson), who turns out to be more sinister than anyone could’ve imagined. And this is where the real action kicks in as a high-stakes investigation into what’s happening in the manufactured city unravels secrets of Collins, Sinatra, the president and the world’s past.
The intricacies and big swings of “Paradise” are not unusual for those familiar with creator Dan Fogelman’s work: the acclaimed, multi-layered NBC drama “This Is Us” (which Brown also starred in). The heartwarming family tale made its mark for following 2-3 storylines within a single episode, and “Paradise” is no different.
Every week, a new reveal — whether another dead body or insight on what’s still lurking beyond the dome — leaves viewers’ heads spinning in a good way. Such was the case with the latest episode, “The Day” (don’t worry, no spoilers here), where a flashback finally divulges what exactly brought the world to its end and forced those remaining underground.
As with every chapter of “Paradise” yet, viewers took to social media to obsessively analyze (and applaud) the episode, pose theories and speculate on what’ll happen next. That’s an experience that’s been far and few between since weekly television’s cable domination of the early aughts. With the unstable nature of the streaming era and grossly shorter season orders, it’s been hard for viewers to get 100% committed to a show without fear of cancellation dampening the action.
But that doesn’t appear to be the case with “Paradise.” Hence, fans have already lauded it as one of the best TV shows of the year so far.
The good news is there’s even more “Paradise” headed our way after the season finale airs on March 4 — the show has already been picked up for a second season. There’s no telling how things will end or who will be revealed as the president’s murderer. But unlike most shows that end with a dramatic cliffhanger (and no certainty that another season will follow), Fogelman doesn’t plan on leaving viewers waiting with bated breath.
“I get frustrated by television shows that titillate and keep you guessing and have twists and turns, but then don’t give you the answers at the end of your first break going off the air,” he told The Hollywood Reporter after noting plans for a three-season arc.
“I want to provide a complete meal by the end of the episode for the audience that’s invested,” he added. “Any question that people have after the first couple of episodes should be answered at the end of the eighth episode. Then a new question and journey will start that takes us into the second season.”
It’s refreshing to see a show like “Paradise” take off as quickly as it has, especially with a weekly release schedule on a streaming platform. Its very existence is flipping that model on its head by building an audience as invested as any primetime cable drama’s loyal fanbase (RIP ABC’s TGIT).
In a world where we’re used to binge-watching everything, “Paradise” proves that suspense and a well-timed release can keep us hooked week after week. That alone is a promising sign of changing times.
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