“Paradise” boss Dan Fogelman says episode 2 is one of his favorites: 'It's all Sterling'
“Paradise” boss Dan Fogelman says episode 2 is one of his favorites: 'It's all Sterling'
Samantha HighfillFri, February 27, 2026 at 6:28 PM UTC
0
Sterling K. Brown as Xavier and Enuka Okuma as Teri on 'Paradise'Credit: Disney/Ser Baffo
As its first episode proved, Paradise isn't afraid to switch things up in season 2.
After a season of following Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) in the bunker as he found himself in the middle of the investigation into President Cal Bradford's (James Marsden) death, season 2 kicked things off with an episode that took us fully outside of the bunker — all the way to Graceland, actually — and centered around a brand new character: Shailene Woodley's Annie.
"We definitely have more of the post-apocalyptic drama in season 2 than we had in season 1, with the exception of our big episode that showed the world ending," series creator Dan Fogelman tells Entertainment Weekly.
As for episode 2, Fogelman says fans can expect another switch-up of sorts. "Our second episode is one of my favorites because it's all Sterling," he says. That means viewers will finally catch up with Xavier now that he's left the bunker and crashed his plane back in the outside world.
Alexander Gumpert and Sterling K. Brown on 'Paradise'Credit: Disney/Ser Baffo
"In the present day, he's kind of in this action-adventure-hero movie that's very post-apocalyptic and probably the darkest we go in that lane," Fogelman says, adding, "But then his backstory is his initial meet-cute with his wife many years earlier, and it's classic leading man romcom stuff. It's so charming and romantic. Sterling doing both of those things in one episode of television is really exciting to me."
When it comes to the romances of season 2 — something season 1 didn't have a ton of — Fogelman says, "It's something that I always like writing. The world falls apart, what are you chasing? And everyone's chasing a connection and love so we lean a little more heavily there in this season."
Advertisement
Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.
But that's not to say that it's all romance all the time ... especially not in the bunker.
"In terms of the bunker story, there's a lot more of a place coming apart at the seams and social uprising and all that comes with it," Folgeman says.
So yeah, definitely not as romantic.
Paradise drops new episodes Mondays at 12 p.m. PT/3 a.m. ET on Hulu.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
