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It’s a big swing ― but a big miss ― for “This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman’s latest project.
Don’t get me wrong, there is so much to admire about Hulu’s new high-concept drama “Paradise,” a “Lost”-like mystery about a picture-perfect town and a murder that breaks its magic spell. “Paradise” is a wildly ambitious series with Fogelman’s (“Only Murders in the Building”) trademark emotional manipulation and careening twists and turns. It stars Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden and Julianne Nicholson, three actors who elevate any material they’re given. And it’s an original, thoughtful idea in a TV landscape riddled with more and more of the same.
But high concept, enterprising and lofty series come with a lot of risk attached, and “Paradise” (streaming Tuesdays, ★★ out of four) can’t quite live up to the expectations it sets for itself. I know Fogelman and Brown could have made something more complete and compelling. There was potentially a really great show, but it doesn’t quite coalesce into something to love. More “Lost” Season 7 than “Lost” Season 1.
It’s hard to discuss the plot without revealing spoilers, but our hero is Xavier Collins (Brown), a secret service agent with a heart of pure gold. He guards President Cal Bradford (James Marsden), a charming politico from old money who’s hiding a dark secret about his duties. The series flashes between Bradford’s time in the White House and the present day, when he’s living in the titular idyllic town, still guarded by Xavier. When Cal is murdered while under Secret Service protection, the delicate balance of life in the town is thrown into chaos, much to the dismay of powerful billionaire Samantha Redmond (Nicholson), who has way more influence than seems normal. Xavier tries to find out what happened, deflect suspicion from himself and deal with his own complicated feelings about Cal.
Like “This Is Us,” “Paradise” it lives in those big “aha!” moments that come with each plot twist. But it’s the minutes between those twists that fall short. The eight-episode series (seven of which were made available for review) is achingly slow-paced, despite the urgency of its mystery and supposed thrills. The big, mythological story that I can’t talk about is more interesting than the nitty gritty of the murder, but it’s hampered by world building and big-picture plotting that leave much to be desired. There are a million things to nitpick, and added together they start to become one bigger problem with the show.
It’s such a darn shame, because Brown, as you might imagine, is wonderful to watch. Xavier’s depth is boosted simply by the casting choice; we expect Brown to be playing a man of strong moral character. He can do it all: Action, emotional breakdowns, flirtatious interviews, looks of betrayal and amateur sleuthing. Marsden is also perfectly cast as an aw-shucks nice guy president, like JFK as a country music star. His hair is perfectly coiffed, his smile slightly askew, and he looks good in a suit. But Nicholson’s Elon Musk-like character, unfortunately, falls into broad and boring stereotypes as her backstory is illuminated.
Perhaps in the finale “Paradise” could pull it all together into a satisfying conclusion that makes me forgive the dreary middle episodes. But unfortunately the quality of the series is on as downward of a trajectory as the doomed lives of its characters.
Watching this isn’t like being in paradise; it’s a facsimile of the perfect show, and the cracks are big enough to see.
