Paradise was one of the surprise TV hits in 2025. Sure, it had the team-up of This Is Us showrunner Dan Fogelman and his Emmy-winning star Sterling K. Brown. The premiere managed to pull off another surprise in the vein of This Is Us, too, revealing that this political thriller was actually a post-apocalyptic sci-fi show. What made Paradise Season 1 enthralling was its complex characters, intriguing worldbuilding, and game-changing twists that kept viewers on the edge of their seats. Thanks to a renewal and quick turnaround production, Paradise is already back for Season 2. With the initial mystery of President Cal Bradford’s (James Marsden) murder solved, there was some skepticism about whether the second season could maintain the same momentum. However, those fears should be quickly diminished. Paradise Season 2 preserves the show’s emphasis on character-driven story while embracing even more post-apocalyptic thrills.
What Is ‘Paradise’ Season 2 About?

Sterling K. Brown in Paradise.Image via Hulu

When we last left off with Secret Service agent Xavier Collins (Brown), he’d learned that his wife Teri (Enuka Okuma) might still be alive on the surface after a major doomsday event decimated much of the world. He’s left his children — Presley (Aliyah Mastin) and James (Percy Daggs IV) — in the care of fellow agent Nicole Robinson (Krys Marshall) to find Teri and bring her back to Colorado, but he’s not sure what remains of the world after surviving in the bunker. Meanwhile, with Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond (Julianne Nicholson) barely holding on after Jane (Nicole Brydon Bloom) shot her in the throat, there’s chaos brewing by a power vacuum left in her absence; as this is happening, Bradford’s son, Jeremy (Charlie Evans), is beginning his own revolution. If Paradise Season 1 operated as a political thriller, Season 2 leans more into a post-apocalyptic series in the vein of The Last of Us or The Walking Dead, with Xavier’s season arc resembling a road movie as he encounters survivors who shape his understanding of the world that remains. Rich character flashbacks continue to highlight the backstories of characters that could be present for the entire season or merely one episode. Paradise previously pulled this off in Season 1 with episodes like “Agent Billy Pace,” and Season 2 is unafraid to redirect your attention away from Xavier and Sinatra to new characters via their own compelling stories.
‘Paradise’ Season 2 Introduces Strong New Characters

Speaking of new characters, part of what makes Paradise Season 2 work is additions like Annie (Shailene Woodley), Link (Thomas Doherty), and Gary (Cameron Britton). These newcomers help to build a tapestry of the world that was left behind and how people have found ways to endure. Although they’ve been living across the country, their surprising connections to the overall story have massive implications for the Colorado bunker. Not only are these three fascinating characters, but the actors who give them life are exceptional. Woodley’s Annie is a reclusive yet resourceful survivor, and her emotionally devastating performance is a reminder of how talented the Big Little Lies star is. Meanwhile, Doherty balances the line between a dorky, sweet guy and an intimidating leader who holds more cards than he realizes, which puts him on a collision course with Sinatra. As for Britton, if you’ve watched Mindhunter, you know exactly what he’s capable of as an actor; he brings that same presence he had as Ed Kemper to his Paradise character, despite Gary having very different motivations.

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It’s time to explore outside the bunker.

Besides these new faces, Paradise Season 2 also does a welcome job of fleshing out Xavier’s missing wife, Teri. While she lingered like a ghost over Xavier in the first season, Season 2 sees Teri fully formed in the narrative. Enuka Okuma shines, giving Teri a loving warmth and a resilient spirit to reunite with her family against all odds. Teri and Xavier complement each other well, thanks in large part to Brown and Okuma’s excellent chemistry.
‘Paradise’ Season 2 Struggles To Balance Its Expanded Scope

Sarah Shahi in Paradise.Image via Hulu

All that said, Paradise Season 2’s greatest strengths also contribute to its greatest weakness. Now that the story has expanded, the show alternates between Paradise and the surface world, with entire episodes set solely inside the bunker, outside the bunker, or without any familiar faces. This results in certain storylines being sidelined for one to two episodes at a time. One example sees Former Vice President Henry Baines (Matt Malloy) attempting to establish his authority while Sinatra is recovering, but it hardly holds any weight compared to everything else that’s happening. As the season continues, these seemingly disconnected storylines do eventually converge, but the development of certain characters does suffer in the process, particularly for those in the bunker, like Jeremy, Robinson, or Dr. Gabriela Torabi (Sarah Shahi). Although not every returning character earns the same attention, Paradise doesn’t abandon the story or the style of Season 1. There’s still depth to explore with Bradford beyond the grave, particularly through his role in the bunker as a leader and a man trying to keep hope alive — and yes, there are still plenty of ’80s rock needle drops.
Sterling K. Brown Anchors ‘Paradise’ Season 2 With a Riveting Performance

Brown’s layered performance from Paradise Season 1 earned him an Emmy nomination, and while Season 2 trusts its audience enough to shift the story’s focus away from him, Xavier remains the heartbeat of the series. Brown maintains a determined intensity in Xavier’s search for Teri, but thanks to flashbacks, he gets to explore the character’s softer side, the man Xavier was when he met his future wife. It’s that compassion that bleeds through his present-day guard in his encounters with those on the outside. As hardened as Xavier was in Season 1, courtesy of his own grief, he hasn’t lost his innate trust in the goodness of humanity. Despite being an outsider to people like Annie and Gary, Xavier is more willing to ask strangers for help, and his inability to grasp the new order of things often leads him into conflict, but Brown achieves new depth for the character with every microexpression, and it’s riveting.

Fogelman and Brown ambitiously bring Paradise to the next level with Season 2, and, by and large, they succeed. Even with a heavier emphasis on life after the apocalypse, the show’s political thriller themes remain as timely as ever, and the stakes are elevated with twists that connect the season’s characters in surprising ways. Previously, Brown discussed a three-season plan for the series, and if things go according to plan, then Paradise Season 2 is a worthy middle chapter that stands strong while setting up an explosive Season 3. Paradise Season 2 premieres February 23 with its first three episodes on Hulu.