Paradise - Season 1

A compelling mashup of "24" and "Fallout", PARADISE is a binge worthy, unexpected blast from "This Is Us" creator Dan Fogelman.

I loved where these 8 episodes took me and there will be NO SPOILERS ahead for those of you that want to divulge its secrets on your own.

As he did so effectively across multiple seasons of "This Is Us", Fogelman plays with time, popping us back and forth as much as 12 years as the intricate story pieces fall into place.

Sterling K. Brown is excellent as Secret Service agent Xavier Collins, the right hand protector of President Cal Bradford (the winning James Marsden from HBO's "Westworld" and "Hairspray"). The first episode pulls you into the mystery with master strokes of storytelling and more than a few surprises.

What I loved is that by the end of the eight ~1hour episodes, an entire community has been built. As in my favorite TV series sci-fi/mystery show of all time, "Lost", each episode pulls back layer after layer of the town and all those that live there.

Julianne Nicholson (August: Osage County, The Amateur) is excellent and beyond complex as Sinatra, a figure who oversees all security. Watching her arc across the running time is an exercise in acting prowess by Nicholson. Her Sinatra is fascinating to watch and I couldn't take my eyes off her.

Krys Marshall (For All Mankind) is her equal as Secret Service Agent Nicole Robinson. When the world is going to shit here, watch her. This is the person you want driving the ship.

John Beavers (Licorice Pizza, Horizon Part 1) is funny and fascinating as Xavier's right hand man in the White House, Billy Pace. They pop out moments of flawless buddy comedy during their pairing, before it's tested in unimaginable ways. Beavers and Brown have a few intense scenes of dialogue that pulled me to the very edge of my seat.

Charlie Evans (Leave the World Behind) also shines with stage presence as President Bradford's son Jeremy. What starts as a stereotypical Dad/rebellious son relationship soars to something far more interesting thanks to Marsden & Evans talent and Fogelman's excellent writing.

On the opposite end of the generational spectrum sits Gerald McRaney as Kane Bradford, Cal's dominating, political mover and shaker Father, who will settle for nothing less than greatness from Cal. Cal's plans be damned, Kane will move him where he wants him on the global chess board.

As with my all-time favorite ticking clock thriller series "24", good luck taking a break once the first episode starts. I would call Episode 1 out as a prime example of how to entertain, intrigue and pull an audience in, its structure is fantastic. The enjoyable thing is that none of the episodes that followed let me down, from start to finish.

Episode 7, "The Day" is the top hour of the series, loaded with grand scale global events that escalate the tension into a fever grip. It's a fine hour of entertainment that I won't say more about, but when you watch it you'll know. It's a flood of visual treats that will pop your eyeballs.

With a strong streaming performance on Hulu, Fogelman and cast are already filming Season 2. I'll be there night one when it returns.

A relentless beast of a thriller with surprises around every corner, PARADISE is exactly that for fans of suspense and intrigue. It gets an A.

If you've seen PARADISE, see below trailer for some additional thoughts.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Okay, you've seen PARADISE then? Okay lets talk about how masterfully that it holds your interest across all the discoveries within.

Comp it to the miniseries made from Stephen King's far superior book compared to its TV adaption, "Under the Dome". It opened okay, but the storytelling fell off a cliff by the second episode. While you could call PARADISE a cousin of "Under the Dome", there is no shared DNA when it comes to execution.

In PARADISE, the war room strategy sessions as the world begins to fall apart in Episode 7's flashbacks are incredibly well executed. The world's super powers doing land grabs feel absolutely realistic. Brown's personal pull between his duty and family are palpable.

And how about those nuclear missiles coming over the top of the globe! Those moments felt like the old TV movie, "The Day After". So well done.

Loved this one, can't wait for Season Two. What other films would you compare this to?