Paradise season 2: Release date speculation, cast and latest news
Everything you need to know.
*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Paradise season 1.*
Even before the final episodes had aired, Paradise fans knew that the dystopian thriller was set to come back for more.
While the renewal itself hinted at the fact that season 1 would be left open-ended, nothing could've quite prepared us for the twists in that final episode, revealing the identity of President Cal Bradford's (James Marsden) killer and also, Xavier's own decision relating to his wife Teri.
But how will things pan out in a second season?
While we don't have any concrete answers just yet, it's clear that the streamer has a hit of a series on its hands after Paradise premiered to 7 million views in its first week across Disney Plus internationally and Hulu in the US.
In Paradise's debut season, there's a huge twist at the end of the first episode when we learn that the idyllic community we've been introduced to is actually located underground, beneath a mountain range in Colorado.
It was constructed by the world's brightest and funded by its richest after the planet was essentially destroyed three years ago due a cataclysmic event – or so we were told.
As we see in the finale, the people who were central to building Paradise went on to be impacted by its toxic substances, igniting a revenge mission of epic proportions.
Speaking about that finale, Julianne Nicholson (who plays Sinatra) told RadioTimes.com: "New mysteries and excitements open up for us. I feel like an audience when I read the scripts, I knew nothing going in and honestly, at the end of every episode, I would gasp because I had no idea. I didn’t see any of it coming.”
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But what will its sophomore outing bring?
Read on for everything we know so far about Paradise season 2.
Paradise season 2 release date speculation: When could it air?
Disney Plus hasn't announced when we can expect new episodes, but they're likely to arrive in 2026.
Series creator Dan Fogelman told Variety ahead of the official series renewal: "We have almost the whole season broken, and almost written now.
"The fundamental problem in streaming is these shows that people get hooked on then go off the air for two and a half years. And so my goal is to have this thing back on television at least within a year."
So, it sounds very promising that depending on the schedules of the cast, we could be getting Paradise season 2 episodes within a year. Watch this space for updates.
Paradise season 2 cast speculation: Who could return?
Be warned as there are major spoilers ahead for Paradise season 1.
Of course, with the central mystery revolving around the president's murder, we wouldn't expect James Marsden to return for season 2. But he could very well make an appearance in flashbacks as he did in season 1.
The season 1 finale also saw the death of Trent the librarian, played by Ian Merrigan, who jumped to his death from the rafters of Paradise after being intercepted by Xavier and Robinson. Another cast member we likely won't see anymore of in season 2 is Billy (Jon Beavers), who was killed by Jane.
Sinatra also got fatally shot in the throat by Jane, but we saw her recovering in hospital with her daughter and husband by her side, so would expect her to return for season 2. Seeing as Henry Baines (Matt Malloy) stepped up Cal's absence, we would assume he would take on a more powerful role in season 2 if somebody else doesn't rise in the ranks.
With both Cal and Sinatra out-of-action, could Henry prove to be another evil force pulling the strings in Paradise? Quite possibly.
The last we saw of Xavier was him getting ready to fly a plane out of Paradise in search for his wife Teri (Enuka Okuma) so we could very well be seeing more of her, if his mission is successful.
The cast we'd expect to see in season 2 of Paradise is as follows.
- Sterling K Brown as Agent Xavier Collins
- Julianne Nicholson as Samantha Redmond
- Sarah Shahi as Dr Gabriela Torabi
- Krys Marshall as Agent Robinson
- Nicole Brydon Bloom as Jane Driscoll
- Charlie Evans as Jeremy
- Aliyah Mastin as Presley
- Percy Daggs IV as James
- Gerald McRaney as Kane Bradford
- Matt Malloy as Henry Baines
- Enuka Okuma as Dr Teri Rogers-Collins
- Richard Robichaux as Carl
What could Paradise season 2 be about?
Speaking previously to The Hollywood Reporter, Fogelman said that he had a three-season plan for the show, adding: "Without giving away too much, each season of the show is a slightly different show, within the same show with the same characters.
"There are twists and turns in the course of the season. Then the seventh episode is kind of a standalone episode of the show. As we go into second season, we pivot a little bit, but in a way that I think is very follow-able. But yes, there’s big moves ahead."
He continued: "Any question that people have after the first couple of episodes should be answered at the end of the eighth episode. Then a new question and journey will start that takes us into the second season."
As for exact plot points, it's hard to say just when season 2 would pick back up. But if it followed on directly from the season 1 finale, we'd expect to see Xavier's journey back to above ground to play out. Will he find his wife or will he come across other pressing issues up there?
Robinson promised Xavier that his children would be safe in her care but with Jane's next move never being predictable and having already used Presley as a bargaining chip, could Jane continue to make unexpected decisions in season 2? It seems very likely, especially with Sinatra out of action.
Sinatra also fired Gabriela from her post but with her now having a long journey of recovery ahead, it seems likely that they'd patch things up. However, with Gabriela now knowing just how much of a monster Sinatra can be, we'd assume that their relationship would definitely be altered going forward.
Having also not seen anything of Sinatra's husband (Tuc Watkins) till that final scene of him by her bedside, we'd anticipate their own relationship to get some airtime seeing as viewers weren't sure whether he made it down to Paradise or not.
Paradise airs every Tuesday on Disney Plus internationally and on Hulu in the US – you can sign up to Disney Plus from £4.99 a month now.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
