Sterling K. Brown is back on Hulu, but Paradise season 2 isn’t back yet. The This Is Us actor is producing and acting in an adaptation of Washington Black, which premieres on July 23 on Hulu. The Emmy-winning star plays a supporting role in the upcoming drama, which is based on the Esi Edugyan Booker Prize shortlisted book of the same name.
Washington Black follows the titular Barbados-born George Washington Black (Eddie Karanja), who is enslaved as working in the field. Wash becomes fascinated with science, which captures the attention of the sugar plantation owner's brother, Christopher "Titch" Wilde (Lucifer’s Tom Ellis). Titch starts to mentor George, recruiting him to help with his research and the pair travel the world together.
Sterling K. Brown’s mentorship role was on and off the screen
Sterling K. Brown will play town leader Medwin Harris, who takes Washington under his wing when the young man arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. According to EW, Medwin’s character will be expanded from the original source material, helping to drive home the themes of mentorship.
Executive producer and showrunner Selwyn Seyfu Hinds promises the expansion of the role is not at the request of Sterling K. Brown and was to serve the story:
“It took me a couple of months to really figure out that so much of this tale is about mentorship, who you mentor and who you're mentored by. I realized that we needed a counterpoint to Titch's relationship with Wash for the adult version of Wash.”
The story will split the timeline between young Washington’s adventure and the older man’s romance with a biracial woman, Tanna (Iola Evans), and his run-ins with bounty hunter, Willard (Billy Boyd). This differs from the linear nature of the novel, but the writers feared that audiences wouldn’t meet grown up Washington until episode 7 of the show.
“We wanted to show Wash's origin story because that is really important. So those two timelines of showing the boy that he was, and then, the man he grows into were really important to us," explained executive producer and showrunner Kimberly Ann Harrison to EW.
Sterling K. Brown said it’s appealing to portray “Black folks looking out across the diaspora looking out for one another in a climate that wasn’t the most receptive,” and feels that the depiction of community and family is still applicable to modern day people.
The team behind the Hulu show says Brown was not just a mentor onscreen but also brought a sense of community to producing the series. Kimberly Ann Harrison reveals that Brown isn’t just putting his name on the show, he was heavily involved behind the scenes and dealt with problem solving and spoke to people about the finances.
Paradise season 2 is currently filming
Fans of the thriller Paradise need not fear, season 2 is still coming. Season 2 is expected to premiere on Hulu in early 2026, with production starting in April 2025. Hopefully, it will address all our burning questions, like whether Xavier managed to leave Paradise and Sinatra's status after that shocking season finale.
Series creator Dan Fogelman told Variety that he hopes to have the show back on the small screen within a year because he thinks long waits between series is a negative aspect of streaming.
Although little has been revealed about the plot, we are sure it’s full of more twists and turns. We do have some casting reveals. Shailene Woodley is set to appear as a "prominent survivor" whom Agent Xavier Collins encounters on a mission.
Speaking previously to The Hollywood Reporter, Fogelman explained that he already has a three-season plan for the show and that each season will have a different feel even with the same characters. “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."
Washington Black will drop all eight episodes on July 23, 2025 on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.