- - When does “Paradise” season 2 come out? Everything to know about Sterling K. Brown's journey beyond the bunker

Randall Colburn, Allison DeGrusheFebruary 18, 2026 at 2:00 AM

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Sterling K. Brown as Xavier on 'Paradise'

Disney/Ser Baffo

Key Points -

Paradise is a Hulu sci-fi thriller set in an underground bunker following a mass extinction event.

Sterling K. Brown and Julianne Nicholson lead the cast, which welcomes Shailene Woodley in season 2.

The first three episodes of season 2 premiere on Feb. 23.

Paradise hit Hulu with a bang in early 2025, delivering the pilot's big twist with, as Entertainment Weekly's review declared, "the kind of skillful, unhurried confidence that will prompt many viewers to watch the episode again in search of clues they missed."

That twist? Paradise is initially posited as a political thriller about the assassination of President Cal Bradford (James Marsden), but it turns out to be set in an underground bunker (called Paradise) following a mass extinction event.

The first season finds Sterling K. Brown's Xavier Collins, a Secret Service agent, seeking the killer while also learning that the situation outside the bunker isn't quite how it's been depicted by those in power, including the shadowy Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson).

Speaking with EW following the season 1 finale, creator Dan Fogelman described season 2 as The Empire Strikes Back of his planned trilogy. "The second season is going to turn what you thought the first season was — and what Paradise and the bunker was — a little bit on its head," he teased.

So, what does that mean going forward? Here's everything we know about Paradise season 2, from the dangers outside the bunker to the secrets still hidden within.

How did Paradise season 1 end?

Julianne Nicholson in 'Paradise' season 2

Disney

The season 1 finale revealed Bradford's murderer as Trent (Ian Merrigan), the Paradise librarian. It turns out that he was living in Paradise under a stolen identity — and that he'd tried to kill Bradford prior to the apocalypse. Back then, he was a project manager on the construction of the bunker, but was fired after raising concerns about the health hazards caused by the dust created by their work.

He first tried to assassinate Bradford at a pre-apocalypse press conference, but ended up shooting Xavier instead. After escaping prison, he managed to infiltrate the bunker along with his wife, Maggie (Michelle Meredith). He murdered Bradford with a construction tool on display in the library.

Xavier manages to track Trent down, but fails to nab him before the killer can leap to his death into the machinery powering the bunker's skylight.

Xavier then confronts Sinatra, who recently informed him that his wife, Teri, whom he thought dead, may still be alive outside the bunker. But before he can get answers, Sinatra is shot by the enigmatic Secret Service agent Jane (Nicole Brydon Bloom), who has her own Wii-related agenda. Sinatra is alive, but incapacitated.

Using old notes compiled by the late president, Xavier decides to leave Paradise and fly to Atlanta in search of Teri.

What is Paradise season 2 about?

Sterling K. Brown as Xavier in 'Paradise' season 2

Disney/Anne Marie Fox

"Xavier searches for Teri out in the world and learns how people survived the three years since The Day," reads an official description of season 2. "Back in Paradise, the social fabric frays as the bunker deals with the aftermath of Season 1, and new secrets are uncovered about the city’s origins."

Ahead of season 2, Fogelman spoke with EW about broadening the story's scope. "It was interesting with this particular show because this is a show built on a lot of mysteries, almost all of which were solved by the end of the first season," he said. "And now the looming questions are different: What is it out there? Is Xavier's wife alive? These are questions that really weren't the primary questions driving the first season of the show, but now are the primary questions driving the second."

Fogelman also teased that while there are "definitely no zombies," season 2 starts to dip a toe into "a little bit more sci-fi," opening up the world in ways viewers haven't seen yet.

Last year, Brown revealed to EW that the season will spend ample time in the ruined world outside Paradise. "We see how people have been surviving that didn't have the means and the planning that the people inside the bunker did," he explained. "They've made a way. It doesn't look as organized, obviously, but it is a way. We meet people who are benign. We meet people who are nefarious."

But fear not, ample time will be spent both inside and outside the bunker. "Wouldn't be Paradise without the folks in Paradise," he added. "The season is divvied up between Xavier's exploration of what is outside and what continues to happen inside after the melee that transpired with Sinatra and Jane."

Is there a Paradise season 2 trailer?

The first teaser for Paradise season 2 arrived in December 2025, previewing a hard road ahead for Xavier. By January, the full trailer landed, with Xavier surviving a plane crash in search of his wife.

Along the way, he meets a new character played by Shailene Woodley. She questions whether the bunker is real, then presses him on what it's like. "It's like before, only creepier," he explains. "The longer we were down there, the more the seams began to show."

The trailer also introduces Thomas Doherty's Link into the mix. He hints at a hidden danger connected to the bunker. "There’s something that nobody knows about, something dangerous," he intones. Later, he's seen arriving at the bunker, trying to get inside. In another clip, he's seen hugging Woodley's character, hinting at a connection between them.

Elsewhere, Sinatra and Jane are still pulling strings inside the bunker, but Gabriela (Sarah Shahi) is starting to dig deeper, and her probing could upend everything.

Who's in the Paradise season 2 cast?

Shailene Woodley in 'Paradise' season 2

Disney/Ser Baffo

Brown returns for season 2 along with season 1 veterans Nicholson, Bloom, Shahi, Krys Marshall, Aliyah Mastin, Percy Daggs IV, and Charlie Evans. Also joining the main cast is Enuka Okuma, who appeared as Teri in season 1 flashbacks.

Marsden's Bradford, who died in the first episode, will continue to appear in flashbacks. "We get a chance to see him in different time periods," Brown told EW.

Fogelman added that he's already mapped out ways for Marsden to appear in season 2 and beyond. Drawing on his experience with flashbacks on This Is Us, he explained that even when a flashback doesn't necessarily push the story forward, it can deepen a character and keep them in the story. "That was something that was always on my mind with James," he said. "I knew people were gonna love him in it."

Though she was gravely wounded at the end of season 1, Nicholson's Sinatra will remain a key character in season 2. "It's the first time in the show since her early backstory that you're going to see Sinatra vulnerable and out of a position of power," Fogelman explained.

New faces in season 2 include Doherty (Tell Me Lies) and Emmy nominee Woodley (Big Little Lies).

Woodley plays Annie, a former tour guide at Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion. "The first episode introduces this new character that Shai plays. It's hard to talk about without giving away too much, but it is a real tour de force," Fogelman said during the show's Comic-Con panel.

Doherty takes on the role of Link, a character Fogelman described to EW as "mysterious and "super romantic."

He added, "He holds a lot of keys and connection to the whole story. Episode 1 tells the story of Shailene's character and how basically she survives the apocalypse and he's a character who initially crosses with her, but he has other roles in the story that develop as the show goes on."

Is there a Paradise season 2 release date?

Outside the bunker in 'Paradise' season 2

Disney

The first three episodes of Paradise season 2 arrive on Monday, Feb. 23, on Hulu. New episodes will arrive on a weekly basis following the premiere.

How can I watch Paradise?

Paradise is available to stream on Hulu.

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