WHAT ARE WE CONSUMING? PARADISE (Season 2)(HULU)

Written by Matt Knowles & Steph Cannon 04.21.2026

From time to time, #TeamINSYM will do features called 'What Are We Consuming?' These are not food based, however. They're articles about the media we consume. It could be movies, TV shows, audio books, music, or anything else that we want to share our thoughts on.
 

For today we want to do a special WAWC, specifically to talk about one of the BEST streaming TV shows that has been released in current years: PARADISE. We just finished season 2, and wow, what a journey. Here are our thoughts, specifically focusing on the writing and construction of the series so far.​

From Steph: 

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Season ONE of Paradise started off with an incredibly strong first episode that stated “you think you know what this show is about? Oh, you couldn’t be more incorrect!” Those jaw dropping final moments of ep 1 not only threw viewers for a loop, but also set the standard for what to expect for the rest of the season. While subsequent episodes may not have had as hard of an impact, they all stood out in various ways for memorability, storytelling, and excellent music placement. When the final moments of the finale rolled, it was safe to say that overall, the debut season was satisfactory, leaving those who were invested in the story anxious for what was to come in the next installment.

Season TWO began with a complete 180, focusing on a singular character who was unknown to faithful viewers. I won’t give too much else away, for fear of spoilers, but this season absolutely heads in a different direction than its predecessor. In many ways, this is good, because a rinse and repeat of the previous iteration would become tiresome. At the same time, this is sure to be a difficult concept for viewers to grasp, and some growing pains to be expected. Still, this follow up season ends in a way that leaves you curious for more, while also understanding that the next phase will likely be dramatically different than the previous one. 
 

From Matt:

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I couldn't agree more with Steph about S1E1 of Paradise. This is a show that, to this day, I still try not to spoil what it's TRULY about when discussing because what they were able to pull off at the end of that episode is a twist / swerve that is as out of left field as I've ever seen. It made you immediately want to go back and rewatch the whole episode with that new knowledge you now had. It was like watching a completely different episode on that second viewing. What made season one great was that every episode that followed S1E1 truly supported what was revealed. When you got to the climax of the season, you felt like the story arc was complete, but you knew EXACTLY where season two would go.

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Season Two was very interesting to me, because it played out in a completely opposite way from S1. This time out, there were a bunch of seemingly disjointed episodes that made you wonder 'will these characters ever cross paths?', and 'how is this all going to make sense together?'

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The FINAL episode of season 2 gave me similar feels to S1E1. Everything you'd seen up to that point was meticulously and neatly tied together, and you could see that the writers completely understood their roadmap. The S2 finale unfolded with reveals that no one could've guessed, but once again, it all made complete sense together, and made you want to go back and rewatch with all the new information you'd just been given.

In my opinion, the season provided a full story arc's reveal and resolution, and just like with S1 teasing S2, you're confident in what Season 3 will revolve around. An absolute masterclass in writing and execution.

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It's also been announced that S3 will be the final season, which is great, because, as incredible as the show is, knowing that there's a clear roadmap to the finale... and not just 'how can we keep this money grab going?' is a lesson that more writers and studios should take.

#TeamINSYM's STEPH CANNON has over 100 articles written for sites like FANGORIA, THE DAILY JAWS, HORROR BUZZ and MORE! Check out the full list here!