'Paradise' season 2 didn't need a three-episode premiere, but by the end I'm excited to see where Hulu's thriller goes next

Sterling K. Brown in "Paradise" season 2 on Hulu — (Image credit: Hulu)

Tom's Guide Verdict: "Paradise" season 2 premiere

Rating: 3/5 Stars (Episode 1: 3/5; Episode 2: 2.5/5; Episode 3: 3.5/5)
Verdict: "Paradise" season 2 kicks off with a three-episode premiere that often feels wasted. The first two chapters are largely disconnected and lack propulsion, but in the third episode, we finally get back to the twisty thriller that made this show so great in season 1.
Premiere date/time: 3 A.M. ET on Monday, Feb. 23
Where to watch: Stream "Paradise" on Hulu

"Paradise" season 2 was one of my most anticipated returning shows of 2026. Season 1 was a well-crafted, twisting thriller that delivered a few stunning moments and a simply incredible episode of television. So it's safe to say my expectations were high as I hit play on the first episode of season 2's three-episode premiere.

But by the end of the third episode of the three-part premiere, I was feeling reinvigorated. While the first two episodes were heavy on backstory and heartstring-tugging drama, episode three returned "Paradise" to a gripping thriller with stunning twists delivered to leave you wanting more.

'Paradise' feels too much like 'This Is Us' for much of the season 2 premiere

The first three episodes of "Paradise" season 2 have some overlap, but they are almost entirely disparate stories.

Episode 1 centers around Annie (Shailene Woodley), a woman from Tennessee who survives the apocalypse totally separate from what we experienced in season 1. It's essentially an origin story for the character, only tying into our main narrative at the very end.

Paradise Season 2 | Official Trailer | Hulu - YouTube

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Episode 2 picks up with a more familiar face: our protagonist, Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown). This is a character we shouldn't need to do much of an origin story for, yet that's precisely what we do for about half of the episode.

Frankly, these two episodes feel more like "This Is Us" than "Paradise." There are some post-apocalyptic thriller elements (though none of the political thriller we got in season 1), but each episode is primarily focused on a tragic love story. I get that people liked "This Is Us" a lot, and for what it tries to do, it does it well, but it's far from a thriller series. Choosing to go that route nearly derails all the momentum we built in season 1, which had some sappier, melodramatic moments but largely stuck to being a propulsive thriller.

Thankfully, episode 3, while still separate from the other two episodes in terms of its story, returns us to a propulsive thriller.

This episode focuses largely on what's happened in the bunker since Xavier left to find his wife at the end of season 1, specifically Julianne Nicholson's character, Samantha (codenamed "Sinatra"). It feels right at home with the tone set in the series premiere, where we learned the President (James Marsden) had been killed and everyone was living in an underground bunker. We even get a shocking twist at the end, though I won't spoil it here.

Verdict: 'Paradise' season 2 gets off to a slow start but I can't wait for what's to come

If episode 3 of this three-part premiere had been the same as the previous two, I'd have been terrified that
"Paradise" season 2 was already doomed to fall short of season 1. Honestly, I was dreading watching more of the season after the credits rolled on episode 2.

But I'm glad I stuck with it (admittedly, not that I had a choice), because by the end of the three-episode premiere, I'm confident that season 2 will at least deliver a compelling story and shocking twists on par with the first season, even I ultimately don't rate it as a contender for one of the best shows of the year.

"Paradise" season 2 premiere final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.

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