Even though Paradise just wrapped up with its revealing first season finale on March 4, creator Dan Fogelman has already gifted fans with the advanced season 2 update we want. Earlier this month, Hulu went ahead and formally renewed Paradise season 2 and announced that the full eight-episode first season would re-air on ABC on April. It's all teeing up the eventual season 2 premiere.
Thanks to Fogelman, we know have a better idea of when Paradise season 2 will premiere and how far along the creative team is in the pre-production process. In an interview with Deadline, the creator revealed that all of the scripts have been written for season 2 and filming will begin in four weeks, meaning sometime in April 2025. That's much sooner than expected and thankfully so!
In addition to teasing the start of production for the second season, Fogelman also shared that's he's hopeful season 2 will be ready to premiere sometime in early 2026. He's hoping to avoid a long gap in between seasons, as has unfortunately become the norm in streaming television. It's refreshing to finally hear a creator speak openly and negatively about the two-year waits plaguing TV.
Here's Fogelman's full quote about the progress of Paradise season 2 so far:
"Oh yeah. Scripts are written. We go into production in four weeks. I’m becoming increasingly frustrated with shows that are off the air for a very long time in which people get invested in and then it takes a long time to get it back on television. We’re ready to go right now and hoping to get this show back on TV in a normal span of time, hopefully the same time as it came out this past year as opposed to waiting multiple years. So if we came out in early 2025, hopefully the next season’s out by early 2026."
Paradise season 2 will premiere in 2026
For comparison's sake, the first season began filming in Los Angeles in February 2024 and ended up premiering on Hulu in January 2025. With filming kicking off on season 2 sometime in April 2025, the series could likely return to Hulu with new episodes by March 2026, or even February at the earliest. But that's merely a prediction based on an established series being able to turnaround faster.
A bonus that will incentivize Hulu to fast track Paradise season 2 will be the first season's recognition by the Emmy Awards when the nominations are announced this summer. There's no doubt the series will be a strong contender, as will its stars Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden, and Julianne Nicholson. Hulu won't want to lose momentum with the show's critical and commercial success.
Fogelman had previously teased that within his three-season plan for Paradise, the seasons of the show has been plotted to have a unique slant and storytelling angle but will still be connected by its characters. The creator said, "Each season of the show is a slightly different show, within the same show with the same characters." Sounds like season 2 will be very different from season 1.
No spoilers here, but the landmark season 1 finale revealed all, including who killed President Bradford and more information about the survivors, the surface, and the intentions of other supposedly villainous characters. The answer to the season's biggest question might not have been what we expected, but there's still plenty more mysteries to solve in this world.
Watch Paradise on Hulu. The first season airs on ABC beginning on April 7.