CinemaBlind’s Review – 80%
Paradise is one of the most brilliant and thrilling shows that will leave you wanting more at the end of each episode. Hulu’s new genre-blending series has a mix of murder mystery, conspiracy thriller, political intrigue, and sci-fi.
Created by This Is Us famed creator, Dan Fogelman, the Hulu series is set in an idyllic community housing some of the most influential people in the world. The series follows Special Agent Xavier Collins, the protection detail for the President of the United States, but a brutal murder causes chaos and unease among the residents. Now, Xavier must solve the murder and find the real culprit.
Paradise has an insane premise that will feel familiar to you if you are a fan of shows like The Event, Lost, Heroes, and Manifest. The thrilling new drama series takes some bold swings with its unconventional premise, and thankfully, it hits it out of the park most of the time. The series has some glaring issues, but its inventive story and complex characters make it a must-watch.
Sterling K. Brown‘s leading performance of Special Agent Xavier Collins is an absolute delight and adds a ton of substance to the wacky premise of the series, and his enticing chemistry with James Marsden‘s President Cal Bradford makes for a fun time. While almost all of the actors turn in a serviceable performance, including Sarah Shahi, Jon Beavers, Krys Marshall, Aliyah Mastin, and Nicole Brydon Bloom, I found Julianne Nicholson‘s character of Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond a bit challenging to believe, but that’s a writing problem and not a problem in Nicholson’s performance.
Paradise premiered with its first three episodes, with the rest coming out weekly; in my opinion, people will be hooked from the end of the first episode. Still, this series’ release schedule is a bit disheartening as this kind of series deserves to be binged. I have seen the first seven episodes, and believe me when I say that I can’t wait to see the finale.
In conclusion, Paradise is a risky series that might turn out to be one of the most entertaining series of recent times, but it could also just as easily turn into a massive train wreck, and if you are a fan of risky television shows, then that is the risk, you will have to take. But even if Paradise doesn’t land in the end, Brown’s incredible performance makes the series worth it.