Sometimes, when you’re trying to decide whether or not to stream a new TV show, seeing a particular actor’s name as part of the cast can be a good enough reason to automatically hit play. Sterling K. Brown, for example, is the reason I decided to check out Hulu’s new suspenseful and twist-filled political drama Paradise, in which the always charismatic Brown plays a stoic and fiercely competent Secret Service agent. And boy, am I glad I decided to give this show a chance.
Not only is Paradise, from This is Us creator Dan Fogelman, a thrilling and well-executed series, with a narrative that slowly unpacks its layers — incrementally drawing you in until the big, and I mean big, jaw-dropping reveal at the end of pilot episode. I’m going to also go out on a limb and declare: Paradise is my favorite new streaming drama of 2025 so far.
That’s partly because of the way the show pulls you in by making you think it’s one thing, before you eventually realize it’s … ah, a completely different thing. Forgive me, because I’m trying to be as delicate as possible here; Paradise is honestly one of those shows where it’s best to know as little as possible going in. This analogy is imperfect, but it’s sort of like if you hit play on a new Hulu series that you thought was going to be another 24, but then it turned into another Lost. Sort of. (I can’t even defend that analogy without potentially spoiling things!)
Here’s the best way I can think of to describe the show: By quoting Dan Barrett from his fantastic Always be Watching TV-focused Substack, because — cards on the table? — his description alone here is what led me to Paradise. From his latest edition:
“If you find your thumb hovering over Paradise on Hulu (US) / Disney+ (everywhere else) and trying to decide whether to press play, my advice: don’t think twice. Just do it.
“This is the new show from This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman, starring his This Is Us lead Sterling K Brown. The premise has a secret service agent guarding a former US President as he spends his days out of the White House hanging out in his large palatial estate. And then something goes horribly wrong. And also… what you are seeing isn’t the whole story. And that’s all I’ll say on that.”
James Marsden plays the smarmy US President who Brown guards, and there’s definitely more to this POTUS than meets the eye. Unrelated: Brown is one of those rare actors who can stand absolutely still, not doing a single thing, and still emote more than some actors wish they could at their very best. He was the perfect choice to play the reluctant hero of Paradise. And, to quote Dan once again, that’s all I’ll say about that. Those of you thinking about canceling your Netflix subscription now that the price is going up again and feeling like the streamer doesn’t make shows like it used to anymore? Paradise is the show you didn’t realize you were thinking of.
