Paradisestar Julianne Nicholson teases her role in the upcoming season and more backstory around the bunker. Premiering on Hulu in 2025,Paradisefollows Agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) and the lives of survivors in an idyllic Colorado bunker, calledParadise, following what they believed was a worldwide apocalypse.
Nicholson plays the main antagonist, Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond. She played a key role in the creation of Paradise and helped to keep its secrets under wraps. She is nearly shot and killed by Agent Collins before revealing to him that his wife, who did not make it to Paradise, is still alive somewhere in the continental United States.Paradiseseason 2will follow Collins in his search, as well as life in Colorado.
In an interview withDeadline, Nicholson teases that the next installment will provide more of her backstory and “how Paradise came to be.” She praises the writing of the show and how Sinatra was set up as a character before her morality came into play. Sinatra is a character who has made mistakes on a large scale, but is still a compelling person.
You get a little more of the backstory and how Paradise came to be. So there’s definitely more there to explore. I know that one of the first conversations we had, I could feel his care for her even with all the sort of appalling decisions she makes along the way. And for him, it was very important that she does feel not like the bad guy first, but a person, a complex person who can make mistakes and who just happens to have a lot of power. So the mistakes she makes are quite big, but he wanted her to be a recognizable person, mom, wife in the world.
It’s been so fun, and I’ve never played a character like this. And then the goal now is to find roles unlike things I’ve done before, and to be the bad guy is fun — to own your power, to wear those suits, to put on those shoes and own every room you enter is has been fantastic and unusual and something to work on. It doesn’t necessarily come naturally to me, so it was like a thing to cultivate, but I’ve absolutely loved it. I also care for her and feel like she’s little misunderstood.
What This Means For Paradise Season 2
Nicholson is right that Sinatra is not presented as a mustache-twirling villain, despite making some dark and questionable decisions. From her point of view, she is trying to literally keep Paradise and humanity alive. She’s a character with moral complexity and has a level of conviction that drives her actions.
Paradiseslowly rolled out its mysteries throughout season 1, includingwho killed President Cal Bradford(James Marsden). The series is planned to be a three-season show, and Nicholson makes it sound like the upcoming installment will follow a similar structure with its mysteries and unfolding backstory. With the story already planned, Sinatra’s backstory will help fill in the gaps viewers want to see.
Our Take On Nicholson’s Comments
While President Bradford was originally despicable, the use of flashbacks revealed more about him until he became one of the most intriguing characters on the show. It is possible that Sinatra could see a similar trajectory happen in season 2, although she likely has a greater chance of becoming a character you love to hate.
As season 2 is currently filming, it won’t be long until the new season is released. Creator Dan Fogelman has said thatParadiseseason 2 will hopefully be released in early 2026. If they are able to keep to the expected release window, more of Sinatra and Paradise’s history will be revealed in only a few months.
Paradise
Cast
Paradise is a crime drama set in an affluent community where prominent residents' lives upend after a shocking murder.
