“Paradise,” Hulu’s latest thriller series, isn’t quite heaven on earth. You may want to tune in for powerhouse performances from the likes of Sterling K. Brown, or to see what emotional devastation “This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman has up his sleeves this time. But the show suffers from trying to be a bunch of other things oversaturated in our television landscape: A murder mystery, a conspiracy thriller and a high concept sci-fi twist critics have been asked not to spoil.
In the seven of eight episodes provided to critics, we primarily follow Agent Xavier Collins (Brown, who is also an executive producer) as head of the Secret Service when he stumbles upon the dead body of President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) at his residence in a suspiciously picture-perfect neighborhood. The pilot is propulsive as we flash between Collins’s attempt to gather as much evidence as he can before reporting the incident and their shared past — how he was recruited to the Secret Service and what occurred over the weeks leading up to the President’s death.
Here “Paradise” begins to establish an episodic structure reminiscent of “Lost” by focusing in on a character and their flashbacks, slowly filling in the gaps on their working relationship to the President and to the town itself. That said, this is not an ensemble cast like “Lost,” with certain characters getting a more in-depth look at their backstories than others. Julianne Nicholson turns in a resonant performance that is at times gutting to watch as Samantha Redmond, a wealthy woman who plays a pivotal role in the town. She’s reeling from the death of her son, and gutting therapy scenes with Dr. Gabriela Torabi (Sarah Shahi) are a reminder of why Nicholson snagged the Emmy for “Mare of Easttown” back in 2021. Her performance doesn’t let up here either.
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Marsden is also fantastic as a lively, young President who is forced to make impossible decisions throughout the season. Despite his death in the pilot, he’s weaved into flashbacks consistently and his scenes with Brown crackle with chemistry. All three actors shine in the first two episodes written by Fogelman himself. At times their scenes reach emotional heights reminiscent of “This Is Us.”
Both Brown and Nicholson’s two opening episodes make for a strong start. Unfortunately, it’s when the show pivots more toward conspiracy stories and cliché villain plotlines that “Paradise” begins to feel less than blissful.
The central murder mystery frankly isn’t all that interesting nor does the show treat it with much urgency. It takes until the fifth episode to find out DNA samples taken from the crime scene never made it to the lab — what?! What’s everyone been doing this whole time? — Instead of plot momentum, the murder has more emotional resonance with the characters and their journeys as they each grieve and mourn the past. There were barely any convincing red herrings. As the show reveals its antagonist, “Paradise” begins to skew corny with line readings like “I’m not a monster,” and tired “Die Hard” references.
Then there’s the twist-sized elephant in the room, which is challenging to critique without spoiling, but is inherent to the show’s plot and plays a role in the later conspiracy. Revealed at the end of the first episode, it does shine light on why the show’s production design looks and feels a certain way, and adds a layer of intrigue to what otherwise might have been a dull mystery. An impactful and tense Episode 7 fills in the twist’s context and answers some big questions — but so late in the season, it’s mostly inconsequential at that point. On the scale of twists on television this ranks far below anything from “Mr. Robot” or “Black Mirror,” hovering somewhere around the reveal from “Sugar” — and can be pieced together early on the pilot if you’re paying close attention. Adjust your expectations accordingly.
“Paradise” is going for a little bit of “Lost” and “Station Eleven,” but fails to rise to the storytelling or emotional heights of either. Luckily, the performances by the cast of acting veterans holds it all together, even when the plot starts to feel convoluted. It’s a shame some of the supporting cast don’t get the same emotional exploration as the leads. Namely Krys Marshall, who plays a special agent in the President’s service and doesn’t get much to do for the first seven episodes — despite being revealed early on to have a big connection to the President. This is particularly unfortunate when we know what the actress is capable of from her time on “For All Mankind.”
Somewhere beneath the conspiracy is actually a fairly strong family drama — a genre that, given how expensive it is to have kids or buy a house in real life, has fallen out of fashion in the television landscape. But what Fogelman and his writers do so well is explore the emotional world of family — whether this is Collins’ relationship with his late father, Bradford’s challenges bonding with his son and, of course, mourning a loved one. We barely scratch the surface of one minor character’s traumatic past before they’re killed off midseason; a missed opportunity. Maybe this is yearning for something the show simply isn’t.
It’s hard not to compare “Paradise” to the dozens of other murdery mystery thrillers that seem to dominate streaming services at this moment, whether in the category of detectives or spies. “Paradise” is still worth tuning into for solid performances by the lead cast and occasional high concept thrills. But it’s hardly distinguishing itself from a relatively mid selection of shows being offered to us in the genre.
“Paradise” premieres on Tuesday, Jan. 28, on Hulu.