Posted in: Hulu, TV | Tagged: dan fogelman, Paradise, sterling k. brown

Paradise: Dan Fogelman, Sterling K. Brown on Series Opener's Big Twist

Hulu's Paradise creator Dan Fogelman and star Sterling K. Brown on the series-changing season premiere twist and where things go from here.

It almost seems like child's play for Paradise creator Dan Fogelman when it comes to creating compelling twists in his TV shows with the Hulu political thriller's premiere episode released on January 26th, two days before its initial announced date of January 28th, which still got the next two episodes. If that wasn't confusing enough, broadcast and cable outlets will also air the premiere episode that aired on ABC on January 29th and will air on FX on February 1st. Following Paradise's premiere, Fogelman and Brown spoke to Variety on the ominous twist as the show's title suggests. The following contains spoilers, obviously.

Paradise Creator Dan Fogelman and Star Sterling K. Brown on Series Opening Twist

The closing shot of Paradise's premiere episode, "Wildcat is Down," which doesn't exactly lead much to the imagination considering who James Marsden is playing, features Brown's character Xavier Collins, the Special Agent trying to sort the chaos in investigating the assassination of President Cal "Wildcat" Bradford (Marsden) as the camera pans out to the frame of what appears to be an interior soundstage world underneath the earth with shades of the 1998 classic The Truman Show. Brown, who also starred in Fogelman's ensemble drama This Is Us, joined him for the Hulu political thriller.

"What I can say about this show — which is exciting for me having come off six years of 'This Is Us' — is any question about a mystery or something that provokes a question gets answered in the course of the first season of the television show," Fogelman said. "So in terms of Xavier's feelings towards Cal at the outset of this pilot, there's two mysteries in the show: There's the mystery of exactly what happened to Cal, who killed him, and why. A murder mystery, right? But then there's the deeper questions in the show about – what is the conspiracy? What's gone on in the world? Does it have anything to do with the murder? And both of those get answered."

Fogelman promises fans will "by the end of episode seven," they'll have "answers to all the questions" concerning the world Xavier lives in, the murder, and his wife. As far as Brown's reaction to the closing episode shot, "In the original version of the script, there were these sprinklers, like you see Xavier running through this whole thing at the beginning," he says. "There's sprinklers on, etc., and then you fast-forward to the end and come in close, and the sprinklers are releasing dye because you have to color the grass. The ducks are a part that is maintained from beginning to end. And then you realize, like, 'Oh, this is the fucking 'Truman Show'? Like, are you kidding me? These people are in a bunker?' Your mind just goes, 'Boom! You got me again!' And you're not expecting it, right?"

For more including how Fogelman played around with the closing premiere episode shot, Xavier's guilt to Cal, and more, you can check out the entire interview. Paradise, which also stars Krys Marshall, Julianne Nicholson, Sarah Shahi, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Jon Beavers, Aliyah Mastin, and Percy Daggs IV, streams Tuesdays on Hulu and Disney+.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!