Okay TV lovers listen up! If you haven't been watching "Paradise" on Hulu you are missing out on some seriously twisty drama. The first season just wrapped up and let me tell you the finale numbers are HUGE . Like record-breaking huge. Plus guess what? We are getting a Season 2! Let's unpack all the "Paradise" goodness.
Paradise Finale Scores Big: Season 1 Ends with a Bang and Record Views
The season 1 finale of "Paradise" just dropped and it totally smashed it. Disney announced that the finale episode pulled in a massive 6.3 million views globally in just seven days! That is a season-high folks. People were definitely hooked till the very end. And get this the very first episode of "Paradise" has now racked up a crazy 17.6 million views since it premiered. That's a 151% jump from its initial numbers. Basically "Paradise" is a hit for Hulu. No wonder they are bringing it back for another round.
What is "Paradise" Even About? Mystery Twists and a World Gone Wrong
So what is all the fuss about? "Paradise" is the brainchild of Dan Fogelman the guy behind "This Is Us" so you know it is going to be emotional and have some serious twists. The show stars Sterling K. Brown as Xavier Collins a former Secret Service agent. The setting is this seemingly perfect super-exclusive community called Paradise where all the super-rich and powerful people live. But surprise surprise things are not so perfect in "Paradise".
The story kicks off with a major murder mystery. The President of the United States Cal Bradford played by James Marsden ends up dead and Xavier is right in the middle of figuring out who did it. But the murder is just the tip of the iceberg. "Paradise" is set in a world that is basically post-apocalyptic. Turns out Paradise is not just some fancy town it is a giant underground bunker built after a massive world-ending disaster. Dun dun DUN!
Flashback to the End: Supervolcano Tsunamis and Nuclear Winter Oh My!
In Episode 7 "The Day" we finally find out exactly how the world went to heck in a handbasket. Get ready for some disaster movie level craziness. It all started with a supervolcano erupting in Antarctica. Yeah Antarctica! This mega-eruption triggered a massive tsunami like 300 feet high. Imagine that wave crashing down. Coastlines were wiped out entire countries went underwater. And that was just the start.
Then because of course it gets worse nations started fighting over what little farmland was left. Things escalated fast and nukes started flying. President Bradford in his last act on the surface made a choice. Instead of launching nukes himself he triggered an EMP a world-wide electronic shutdown. So yeah civilization as we knew it? Gone. Paradise the underground bunker became humanity's last stand for the elite at least.
Meet the Players in Paradise: Characters You Need to Know
Let's break down some key people you will see in "Paradise":
- Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown): Our main guy. Former Secret Service agent investigating the President's murder and trying to survive the bunker chaos.
- President Cal Bradford (James Marsden): The deceased president whose murder kicks off everything. He has secrets of his own of course.
- Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson): The mysterious and possibly villainous leader of Paradise. Definitely someone to watch.
- Trent (Ian Merrigan): The town librarian who turns out to be a HUGE surprise in the finale. Seriously unexpected.
- Agent Jane Driscoll (Nicole Brydon Bloom): Another Secret Service agent and potential trouble maker for Season 2 maybe even a villain?
Wait Who Was the Killer?! Fans React to THAT "Paradise" Finale Twist (Spoiler Alert!)
Okay let's talk about the ending. The whole season sets up this big murder mystery with tons of red herrings and shady characters. You have got secret service agents acting suspicious a villainous leader running the bunker even Xavier himself seems like he could be hiding something. But in the finale? The killer reveal is… Trent the librarian. Yes the quiet bookish librarian.
Some fans loved the twist some… not so much. Some felt it came completely out of left field. Like there were no clues pointing to Trent all season. It felt like a twist just for the sake of a twist maybe not totally earned. Others thought it was a clever subversion of expectations a true surprise. Love it or hate it that ending definitely got people talking.
Paradise Season 2: What's Next Beyond the Bunker Walls?
Even if the murder mystery ending was divisive everyone seems to agree that "Paradise" has set up some seriously intriguing stuff for Season 2. The show is clearly about more than just who killed President Bradford. It is about this whole post-apocalyptic world what happened to it and what happens next.
Season 1 ends with Xavier heading out of the bunker to find his wife Teri who is supposedly alive in Atlanta. So Season 2 is likely to explore the outside world beyond Paradise. What is left of the US? Are there other survivor settlements? What happens when the people in the bunker and the people outside finally meet? Will they fight? Will they trade? Will the folks in Paradise try to reclaim the surface? And what about Agent Driscoll? Is she going to be the new big bad villain now that Sinatra is… well you know? So many questions so much potential for Season 2. Despite any issues with the finale most people are definitely excited to see where "Paradise" goes next.
Paradise Season 1: Key Things to Know Before Season 2
- Record-Breaking Finale: Season 1 finale pulled in 6.3M views in 7 days.
- Renewed for Season 2: Hulu is bringing back Paradise for another season.
- Post-Apocalyptic Setting: The story takes place in an underground bunker after a world-ending disaster.
- Mystery at its Core: Season 1 revolves around the murder of President Bradford.
- Unexpected Killer: The murderer reveal in the finale was Trent the librarian surprising many viewers.
- Season 2 Focus Shift: Season 2 will likely explore the outside world and Xavier's search for his wife.