PARADISE: SEASON ONE
Starring: Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden, Julianne Nicholson, Sarah Shahi, Krys Marshall, Jon Beavers, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Charlie Evans, Aliyah Mastin, Percy Daggs IV, and Gerald McRaney
Creator: Dan Fogelman
NICK
Paradise, which proves itself to be more than meets the eye thanks to a twist in the opening episode, is the political conspiracy thriller that finally gives Sterling K. Brown a leading role. It fits him like a glove, too. Brown leads an intricate story that will keep you guessing while having you on the edge of your seat as the details unfold. There are times the story can get a little messy with all of its moving parts, but for pure entertainment value, it never lost me. Paradise has all the tools to become a hit, and hopefully it's just the beginning of Brown’s ascent.
QUENTIN
Paradise is a show that has the potential to fall apart if you scrutinize it too hard, but the twists and turns are so fun, even in their predictability, that you just want to sit back and enjoy the ride. It helps that the performances, especially from Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden, are so damn engaging, drawing you further into the conspiracy through well-developed characters and well-earned emotional beats. Plus, superficial things like terrific needle drops (both the original versions and their moody covers) and prominent Kentucky Wildcat references add enough window dressing to help create a winner in my eyes.
