"Paradise" has been one of the hottest shows on TV so far this year. It's regularly been in the Hulu top 10 shows.
But after yesterday's (March 4) season finale, I can definitely say it's also one of the best shows this year. In fact, it's currently my pick for the best show of the year so far.
If you haven't watched it yet, don't worry — I won't go spoiler-heavy (but there are some spoilers ahead). If you want the whole show spoiled for you, check out our explainer on the "Paradise" season finale and who killed President Bradford.
Explaining what makes this political thriller so great doesn't require spoiling that ending. So let's dive into why "Paradise" is my best show of the year so far.
'Paradise' builds a world you want to explore
Spoilers for "Paradise" beyond this point
If for some reason you haven't watched the show at all, "Paradise" is set in a seemingly idyllic town. Our protagonist is Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown), a secret service agent on President Cal Bradford's (James Marsden) security detail.
But right away, things go awry. Xavier discovers that the President has been killed in his bedroom. Then we discover that this seemingly idyllic town ... is actually in a massive undergrown bunker.
The rest of the season is then devoted to two plotlines: solving Bradford's murder and revealing to us what caused the remnants of humanity to be living in a massive underground bunker.
Here's what makes the show so good — it does exactly that.
Even though, as the season goes on, we get new mysteries layered on top of the old ones, "Paradise" does resolve its plotlines. By the end of the finale, we discover who murdered Bradford and why. We also learn what combination of events has caused the apocalypse.
There's basically only one unresolved question at the end of season 1, and it's intentionally unsolved to serve as the impetus for season 2. More importantly, by the end of the show, you feel like the questions were properly answered, without straining credulity for the most part.
That's a difficult task that even great shows struggle with. "Severance" season 2, for example, has struggled to answer its existing questions but keeps adding new mysteries. Recent episodes have thankfully started to change that, but it's why the season has at times felt unwieldy.
But "Paradise" doesn't struggle with that at all, and it keeps you wanting to come back for more. As the layers of the show's mysteries become exposed you find yourself unable to do anything but press on.
Stream 'Paradise' season 1 on Hulu now
Hopefully, if you've made it this far you've either already seen "Paradise" season 1 or have been convinced to start watching.
If you're in the latter camp, you can stream all eight episodes on Hulu in the U.S. or on Disney Plus everywhere else.
I definitely recommend giving yourself some time to do it though. At least two sittings. Episode 7, "The Day" hits you like an emotional nuclear bomb and you probably won't be ready to watch the finale before first taking a break.
Stream "Paradise" season 1 on Hulu and Disney Plus
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