Paradise

Sterling K Brown and James Marsden are great (as usual), but Julianne Nicholson is incredible.

I remember her being good from Mare of Easttown, which is a terrific show - but she brings another level to her character here.

The scene in episode 2 with her therapist was a masterclass of pent up emotion of a woman who has clearly been broken by her past.

The story is a little odd (IMHO) as it is billed as a thriller, but feels a bit more like SciFi - which is fine but maybe not for everyone.

Looking forward to seeing how it develops but as long as Julianne gets plenty of screen time, it will be worth it.

Finally a SMART engrossing show with strong actors in strong parts. Well written and detailed oriented. They took several plot points from other shows and movies and crafted a smart, edge of the seat mystery. The acting is first rate and the cast is well adept to the roles and 100% believable. I went in with no expectations and the mega twist at the end of the first episode had me sold. Luckily I have Hulu and have seen the first 3 episodes and sorry, no spoilers here but it is a great payoff for those watching with enough plot twists to keep me engaged. Well done to the show runners and actors and hopefully the 3rd act isn't a let down but the way the first 3 episodes ran, I doubt it will fizzle out. Well worth the watch.

This is how you set up a series and hook the audience in. A deliberate slow pace start with a clever story structure, a few mysterious elements and plenty of suspects on the offering table. Plus there is no rush to reveal too much in the first episode, but enough to keep you hanging in there for answers. But it's the big surprise twist at the end that will definitely have you coming back for more, in what seems to be shaping up as a modern sci-fi thriller. To top it all of is the intense presence of Sterling K. Brown that really draws you in, with his silent facial expressions more powerful than words. So I guess this nerdish reviewer is excited...

Sterling K. Brown's performance here, although restrained, is nuanced and intense. I've been watching him since he was on "Army Wives" almost twenty years ago, and he never disappoints.

It's challenging to talk about the plot without spoilers, but in this series, he is the lead Secret Service agent protecting James Marsden, the former POTUS. The story flashes back back five years a number of time, to give background on their relationship. There are a number of plot twists just in the pilot - the first of two mysteries is revealed early in the pilot, and another is revealed at the end.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the story and the characters develop, and can't wait until tomorrow to see episodes 2 and 3.

A political drama, murder mystery, and sci-fi thriller all rolled into one. When the President is found murdered in his residence, his Secret Service detail gets right on it, and one of his top agents quickly becomes Suspect Number One. A show like this is only as good as its premise, and the premise here is terrific; and it can only maintain suspense as long as the Big Questions go unanswered, and right from the start the head-scratchers "Paradise" asks are endlessly intriguing. Who DID kill the President? WAS it the agent? What did the agent have against the President? Exactly what happened to the agent's wife? What about the "extinction level event" that's mentioned? And is the town they're all living in real, or is it the "Truman Show"-type safe haven it appears to be? Some questions are answered immediately and others aren't, but that's the show's strength; layers are peeled away, little by little, until all the various truths have slowly been revealed and we know as much as the characters do. Low-key and leisurely paced (but never dull)--with a complex plot that will leave you wondering, "Where is all this going?"--"Paradise" is a show that not only demands to be watched, but watched attentively. (Losing a plot thread here and there would be disastrous.) Shifting in time from the present to the past and back again--there's a lot of that--it's one giant jigsaw puzzle, and it's up to us to piece it together even as the characters attempt to do the same. Exactly how will it look when it's finally finished? Can't wait to find out.