Deon Cole hosts the 57th NAACP Image Awards on February 28th. Photo: Paramount+.
Preview:
‘Sinners’ took home the big prizes at the 2026 NAACP Image Awards.
‘Paradise’ and Cynthia Erivo were also among the winners.
The event took place Saturday night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
Following the difficult, insulting moments of this year’s BAFTA Awards, the NAACP Image Awards, hosted by Deon Cole, which took place Saturday night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, were a chance to balance things out.
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And Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ proved to be the big winner, going home with 13 awards following a nomination count of 18. Star Michael B. Jordan himself won both a Best Actor award and was honored with Entertainer of the Year.
The ceremony also paid tribute to the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, with NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson honoring the late civil rights activist, whose family was in attendance at the ceremony.
Sterling K. Brown plays Agent Xavier Collins in ‘Paradise’ Season 2. Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo.
Arriving on Hulu on February 23 with three episodes (with five more to follow once weekly) is the second season of ‘Paradise’, the thriller series from ‘This is Us’ creator Dan Fogelman that keeps audiences guessing.
Shailene Woodley plays Annie in ‘Paradise’ Season 2. Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo.
Talking about ‘Paradise’ is a dicey prospect for any reviewer, since it is predicated on a giant, twisty premise. But if you’re here reading a review of Season 2, we have to assume you’ve seen the first season (if not, go and watch it!) so I can talk about the fact that it revolves around an underground community that is designed to keep a limited population safe after an Earth-shattering environmental incident.
The first run of episodes was full of twists and turns, and the second keeps the pace up, even if much about the community has been revealed. But the best idea here was to send Brown’s Xavier Collins on a hunt for his wife, who has survived the cataclysmic events elsewhere, opening things up to new avenues.
Script and Direction
Krys Marshall plays Agent Nicole Robinson in ‘Paradise’ Season 2. Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo.
Dan Fogelman, no stranger to both narrative rug pulls and tugging on the emotional heart strings, has here managed to keep the story of ‘Paradise’ moving even after the revelations of last year. The expanded plotline is worthwhile, even if it sometimes dilutes the overall effectiveness.
Filmmaking duo Glenn Ficarra and John Requa are the primary directors for the series, and working alongside a couple of others, they keep ‘Paradise’ looking good, with the visual palette of the post-apocalyptic outside world just as impactful as those inside the show’s usual community.
Cast and Performances
Julianne Nicholson plays Samantha Redmond in ‘Paradise’ Season 2. Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo.
It’s no accident that Fogelman chose to work with Sterling K. Brown again after helping him break out with ‘This is Us.’ Here, Brown gets plenty of chances to showcase his considerable acting chops, bringing lots of layers to Secret Service officer Xavier Collins.
Julianne Nicholson remains superb as the calculating tech billionaire Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond who conceived of the bunker, while in-Paradise highlights include Krys Marshall as dedicated officer Robinson and Nicole Brydon Bloom as the psychopathic Jane.
Woodley, meanwhile, enjoys her own storyline as survivor Annie, who made it through the environmental chaos holed up in Graceland.
Final Thoughts
Sarah Shahi plays Dr. Gabriela Torabi in ‘Paradise’ Season 2. Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo.
‘Paradise’s first season was a series of mystery box reveals, and while elements of that remain in the second, the focus is also on the emotional stakes for the characters, letting some accomplished actors revel in solidly written scripts.
‘Paradise’ Season 2 receives 71 out of 100.
Nicole Brydon Bloom plays Jane Driscoll in ‘Paradise’ Season 2. Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo.
What’s the plot of ‘Paradise’ Season 2?
A shocking murder turns the serene community of Paradise on its head. Kicking off a high-stakes investigation that uncovered secrets that some hoped would stay hidden.
And in Season 2, the world expands yet further as both Sterling K. Brown’s Xavier Collins and the story venture beyond Paradise’s borders.
Who stars in ‘Paradise’?
Sterling K. Brown as Xavier Collins
James Marsden as President Cal Bradford
Nicole Brydon Bloom as Jane Driscoll
Julianne Nicholson as Samantha Redmond
Sarah Shahi as Dr. Gabriela Torabi
Shailene Woodley as Annie
Thomas Doherty as Link
Sterling K. Brown plays Agent Xavier Collins in ‘Paradise’ Season 2. Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo.
The 77th Emmys hosted by Nate Bargatze will air on CBS and Paramount+ September 14th.
Preview:
‘The Studio’, ‘Hacks’ and more won at the Emmy Awards.
Noah Wyle and Britt Lower were named lead actors in a drama for their shows.
Nate Bargatze hosted the show.
This year’s Emmy Awards were held on Sunday night, and there were a lot of expected winners, including repeat appearances from Team ‘Hacks‘ (Jean Smart scored fourth award) and ‘The Traitors’.
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Nate Bargatze hosted –– but beyond a relatively fun opening monologue taking expected swipes at TV such as ‘The Bear’ qualifying as comedy rather than drama, he wasn’t all that impressive as emcee for the night. The only element that worked was a running total donation to the Boys & Girls Club of America he promised, which went up and down according to how well winners kept to a 45-second speech limit.
Stephen Colbert was the first presenter of the night, and in a nod to his show being cancelled by CBS (the channel that ran the ceremony this year), asked nominee Harrison Ford to get his resume to Steven Spielberg.
The directing for a Limited Series category featured five women to one man. Of course the man won it! ‘Adolescence’ overseer Philip Barantini took the trophy — the limited series itself won a clutch of awards.
The 2025 Emmy nominees were announced this morning.
‘Severance’, ‘The Penguin’ and ‘The Studio’ scored the most nominations.
‘Paradise’ and Netflix limited series ‘Adolescence’ were among the new arrivals.
The 2025 Emmy Award nominees were announced this morning by ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ actor Harvey Guillen and ‘Running Point’s Brenda Song, though the Television Academy spurred some grumbling by choosing to have two categories –– Outstanding Talk Series and Reality Competition Series –– four hours early on ‘CBS Mornings.’
This year, from a critical and awards standpoint, it was clear that the second season of Apple TV+ sci-fi drama ‘Severance’ was worth waiting for –– it nabbed 27 nominations, including Drama Series and a shot at a clutch of acting awards.
Harrison Ford in ‘Shrinking,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
It was also a good day for aging actors in terms of awards: Harrison Ford landed his first career Emmy nomination for his role in ‘Shrinking’, making him the second oldest actor to earn one, while Kathy Bates became the oldest woman nominated in the Drama Lead Actress category thanks to her work on ‘Matlock.’
Not having such a great time of it? Elisabeth Moss, who failed to land a nomination for the final season of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, while ‘Yellowjackets’ was notably absent from the list and despite the show and its stars repeating, ‘The Bear’s creator Christopher Storer didn’t make the cut this time around.
(L to R) Sandra Diaz-Twine, Trishelle Cannatella, Chris ‘C.T.’ Tamburello, Alan Cumming, Kate Chastain, Mercedes “MJ” Javid in ‘The Traitors’. Photo by: Euan Cherry/Peacock.
Premiering on Hulu with its initial three episodes on January 28th followed by a weekly schedule for the remaining five, ‘Paradise’ is the latest show from Dan Fogelman, who last brought us the hugely successful (and massively tear duct-targeting) cross-generational family drama ‘This Is Us’.
Here, Fogelman is channeling more of a another show he’s been involved with (albeit more as a consultant than a showrunner), ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ though the tone here is much more geared towards mystery box thriller than the comedy stylings of the Steve Martin series.
Still, it certainly shares some elements in kind with Fogelman’s heavy network hitter, not the least of which is the presence of that show’s breakout star Sterling K. Brown, here the full lead of ‘Paradise.’
And like ‘This Is Us,’ there’s more to ‘Paradise’ than its basic logline suggests, but we’ll leave that for you to discover.
(L to R) Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden in ‘Paradise’. Photo: Hulu.
While trying to tiptoe around talking about ‘Paradise’s true nature is a frustrating experience from a critic’s point of view, that’s not to say that there isn’t plenty about the show that we can recommend.
Fogelman has clearly not lost his touch with character building, and he and the writing team make this an appealing place in which to spend time because the people filling it are complex and compelling.
Brown’s in particularly could have come across as starchier than his well-pressed suits, but as lead Secret Service agent Xavier Collins, assigned to protect a former President (James Marsden) who discovers him dead, he brings real life to the character.
Oh, and the whole dead President thing is in the trailer (and the opening minutes of the show), so we’re safe talk about that.
While not every subplot works as well as others (a growing friendship/potential relationship between Xavier’s daughter Presley played Aliyah Mastin and Charlie Evans as the late leader’s son Jeremy) feels particularly trite, though the actors still bring real charm, it’s mostly a dynamic, easy-to-enjoy series.
Script and Direction
(L to R) James Marsden and Sterling K. Brown in ‘Paradise’. Photo: Hulu.
Fogelman brings plenty of what made ‘This Is Us’ so damnably captivating here, and the ongoing mystery plot means it also isn’t always going for your heartstrings (though there’s still plenty of that, with some well-earned moments of emotion).
He and the rest of the writers clearly enjoy playing with time, and though some of the flashbacks dotted around most of the episodes can occasionally be grating (with one or two hard to figure out exactly when they take place), they’re largely effective.
As a mystery set in a small town heavy with secrets, ‘Paradise’ certainly keeps you guessing, and almost every character has something about them that’ll make you wonder about their true motivations. It also helps that the writers have cooked up some complicated personal connections between the various personalities who call Paradise home.
Visually, the directors (Hanelle M. Culpepper,Stephen Williams and ‘This Is Us’ helmers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa handle the various episodes), bring a real sense of style and energy to the scenes, especially in certain flashbacks.
‘Paradise’: Performances
With Brown as its confident core, ‘Paradise’ supports him with a great ensemble.
Sterling K. Brown as Xavier Cross
Sterling K. Brown in ‘Paradise’. Photo: Hulu.
Brown, who did such good work as Randall Pearson on ‘This Is Us’ here shines as the conflicted Agent Cross, a man dedicated to protecting his boss but also burning with grief and resentment over some past issue between them. What’s that issue? That would be telling, but it’s worth noting that we’re introduced to Xavier as a single dad still mourning a lost wife.
And, as referenced earlier, Brown makes the character work so well, bringing his trademark blend of straight-arrow hero and complicated charm to the role.
James Marsden as President Cal Bradford
James Marsden in ‘Paradise’. Photo: Hulu.
Marsden’s President is a slightly smarmy, often drunken take on a Kennedy type of Commander in Chief, but the actor’s innate likeability still shows through the flaws and moods.
And yes, in case you were wondering, he does appear in more than the first 10 minutes of the show thanks to extensive flashbacks.
Nicholson plays Samantha Redmond, a member of the President’s coterie whose nickname is “Sinatra,” but to say much more about her would be to get too deep into the initial mystery.
Suffice to say, however, that Nicholson takes a role that could be one-note and, thanks to clever use of her own flashbacks, makes it work.
A genius psychologist brought in to help with the murder investigation, Torabi is a good role for Shahi, and she brings her usual likeability and spine of steel to the part.
McRaney, another ‘This Is Us’ alum, is good value as Cal’s crochety father who is still imposing despite a slow decline in health.
Final Thoughts
Sterling K. Brown in ‘Paradise’. Photo: Hulu.
How you react to ‘Paradise’ might depend on your tolerance for mystery box shows that dole out information piecemeal. However, unlike some recent examples, Fogelman’s effort puts some of its bigger cards out on the table early, allowing you to then delve into the wider story.
The characters for the most part work well and the writing, while occasionally overwrought, services a game cast.
And even the odd trope, such as one character promising to reveal what they know leading to an entirely predictable murder shortly thereafter is tweaked in such as way as to keep you from rolling your eyes too hard.
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What’s the plot of ‘Paradise’?
The series is reported to involve a Secret Service Agent (Sterling K. Brown) assigned to the protection detail of a former President (James Marsden).
Oscar-nominated and Emmy winner Matthew Heineman, whose last film was “A Private War” will write and direct the true story of one family’s miraculous survival during the deadly 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California.
The film, called “Paradise,” is based on the true story of Heather Roebuck, who gave birth via C-section minutes before the hospital went up in flames in the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California’s history.
Separated from her newborn and fiancé, she desperately searched the town of Paradise for them, despite being unable to walk.
Focus Features optioned the life rights for Roebuck, her fiancé Bret Harles and their children, as well as several Butte County emergency medical workers who became impromptu firefighters as the group was trapped by the fire.
Heineman made the jump from documentary to narrative feature film with last year’s “A Private War,” starring Rosamund Pike as war correspondent Marie Colvin.
Matthew Heineman and Rosamund Pike on the set of ‘A Private War’
He’s won two DGA Awards for his documentaries (for “City of Ghosts” and the Oscar-nominated “Cartel Land“) and was nominated for a DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First Time Feature Film Director for “A Private War.”
Martin Scorsese is the only other filmmaker ever nominated for both narrative and documentary DGA Awards.
