Becoming The Muse

Paradise Season 2 Review

Paradise is a post-apocalyptic political thriller television series created by Dan Fogelman. Season 1 was released on Hulu on 26 January 2025, with a second season coming a year later on 23 February 26. In March 2026, it was renewed for a third season.

Following the events of the previous season, Xavier Collins goes out in search for his wife Teri, with the plot unfolding via multiple storylines, alternating between Xavier’s travels outside, new survivor stories, and power struggles within the bunker.

The Good

The series expands its scope beyond the bunker, to an outside world, which is surprisingly, none the worse for wear. Most films and TV shows tend to push the narrative that in the event of an apocalyptic-level event, society collapses and the survivors become feral beings, who cannot be trusted and will either stab you in the back or eat you maybe both.

Paradise outside world people are more likely to offer a helping hand than bite you but there’s always exceptions. The series feels similar to The Last Of Us without the zombies and season 2 leans into elements that give it a mystery-box aesthetic, which is giving Lost vibes…. It was never about the bunker.

Sterling K. Brown as Xavier Collins plays a reluctant hero, who simply wants to find his wife, while Julianne Nicholson‘s Sinatra adds gravity to the morally complex leadership role, where hard choices need to be done.

The soundtrack is lit with some classic tracks remixed into cover ballads that really set the atmosphere…

The Bad

You need to catch up on Season 1 before starting on Season 2, otherwise things will be flying over your head… Season 2 is flashback-heavy and can get confusing to keep track of past and present, and you may need to rewatch some scenes to pick up on the significance or consequences of characters and their actions.  

While the scope is expanded, it feels like the show is drifting, with attention spread across various characters off on their own side quests.

This season doesn’t know what to do with Dr Torabi in the first season, she was positioned to be Xavier’s love interest but then it turns out his wife is alive, she used to be Sinatra’s bestie and therapist but now doesn’t quite have a place in the plot.

The Ugly

Mystery Box shows like Lost have a danger of chasing complexity at the expense of coherence and Paradise is getting rather convoluted, for all the answers you get, several new questions come up and now we wait for the third and final season, reportedly already under production.

Final Thoughts

Paradise Season 2 is not perfect, but it’s a thrilling and ambitious swing for the fences with big ideas and shocking twists. It’s the bridge episode of a three-part arc, so hopefully the final season can tie up everything.

Have you watched Paradise? Does it sound like something you would watch?