Wildcat Is Down

Watching the pilot for "Paradise", I couldn't help thinking about Gerard Butler ("Olympus Has Fallen", etc.), as the story unfolds about the man (Sterling K. Brown) charged with guarding the president. But it doesn't take long for Brown to own the role.

With his grim, jaw-clenched mien, Brown is a riveting presence, with the series playing as nearly a one-man show in its opening reel. But then, with perceptive flashbacks intercut, the main issue is introduced, and the pressure increases on Brown as clearly an Atlas with the weight of the world on his shoulders. We only get a glimpse of co-star Julianne Nicholson (a great actress and my former neighbor upstairs in our Chelsea co-op), as many hints and even surreal images build a sense of dread all leading up to the segment's powerhouse conclusion, taking the thriller directly into sci-fi territory.

The show comes from the creators of the Kiefer Sutherland miniseries "Rabbit Hole", which I found to be phony and irritating. But they also made Brown's hit "This Is Us". I'm watching it via the current ABC reruns and have somehow maintained blissful ignorance of any and all story spoilers.

Wow I mean, haven't watched a pilot this gripping since this is us. Too to bottom, he nailed it. The only problem with making a perfect pilot is that the following episodes are hard to live up to. But they did their job, getting the viewer excited for this show.

I can't wait for this to unfold. Taking a quick pause to write this review, can't wait to binge the next 2.

The cast is excellent, even the ones I wasn't familiar with.

Obviously, Brown is delivering his usual great self. Marsden is also great.

We need more shows like this, easy to watch but also have some prestige aspects to it. A plus.

The writers for this show have mastered the formula for captivating audiences. Compelling and engaging right from the start, I have very high hopes for the rest of this series. Just when you think you have a bit of a handle on what is going on they throw a twist at you that is simply *chef's kiss*

The chemistry between Marsden and Brown is fantastic, and there are plenty of new faces to round out the cast. There seems to be a good balance of different character personalities with lots of room for development.

I'll be waiting with bated breath for more. We need to know when the rest is going to come out!

Holy cow! This show hooked me in the first 15 mins. Worth every minute. The ending of the first episode has you starving for the next one. I am excited to see how this turns out. I love the cast and everyone has excellent chemistry together. Very well put together! Sterling brown and James Marsden have the best chemistry. I am curious to know about the two agents, did they get close? Also why are they not speaking about the changes to the town. Did everyone forget? Or is this just the new normal? I can't wait to see how this progresses into something more. I normally don't like political shows but this definitely caught my interest!

THIS is what you want in a pilot. Non stop intrigue. Grippingly engaging. Twists up until the very last second. Truly this show was excellent and EVERYONE should give it a try. From the writer of This Is Us, but it's entirely different from This Is Us and feels really original. Sterlings acting is top notch (as to be expected), and they didn't come to play with the supporting cast either.

You'll recognize James Marsden from X-MEN, Dead To Me, The Notebook, etc. And he's SO good in this. This episode alone made me feel like this may be my favorite role of his.

Don't read ANYTHING. Just go in blind and get ready to enjoy yourself. I have a feeling this one is going to be one to remember.