Paradise is a post-apocalyptic thriller unlike any we’ve seen

📺 Wildcat is down: With its time and setting initially undisclosed, Paradise — created by This is Us’ Dan Fogelman and starring Sterling K. Brown — begins with Xavier (Brown), a secret service agent, discovering US President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) dead in a pool of blood in his living quarters.

What ensues is a lockdown of the presidential residence and a flurry of panic-induced decisions that threaten to loom over the entire cast of characters. Yet this isn’t your average whodunnit, as the final act of the first episode reveals that the entire show is taking place in a colossal underground bunker designed to simulate real life. Why? Well, the world outside is a nuclear wasteland.

Following the shocking reveal in the premiere, viewers are then properly introduced to the Colorado bunker — a multi-tn-USD project designed to provide shelter to the world’s richest, smartest, and most powerful individuals. With a population of 25k residents, the bunker — led by ruthless tech b’naire Samantha Redmond (Julianne Nicholson) — had proved a paradise for its residents until the president’s murder threw it off its axis. We watch as Xavier goes head-to-head with dangerous people to get to the bottom of the president’s murder.

What we loved: Paradise is a masterclass in storytelling — if you’re familiar with Fogelman’s work in This Is Us, you’ll know exactly what you’re in for. The show follows a non-linear narrative, with the episodes seamlessly switching between present-day events and flashbacks, giving each and every character detailed backstories that added emotional depth and helped us understand their motives — and more importantly, showed us how the world ended.

Not a single skippable scene: With brilliant performances from Brown, Marsden, Nicholson, and Divergent’s Shailene Woodley — who makes her appearance in season two — alongside stellar dialogue and writing, Paradise proved itself as one of the most well-rounded productions we’ve seen lately. Despite the back-and-forth storytelling, pacing is on point, and you’ll find yourself clicking “next episode” one second into the credits.

The verdict: It’s an apocalyptic drama, sure, but it’s so much more than that. Paradise eschews cliché fight sequences or whodunnit tropes in favor of a more human approach, one that prioritizes its characters without losing the plot. And the cherry on top? Everything comes together perfectly, with no plot holes left in sight. If you’ve been looking for a show to binge over the weekend, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not choosing Paradise.

WHERE TO WATCH- You can stream Paradise on Disney+. Watch the trailer on YouTube (watch, runtime: 1:45).