After seeing the buzz earlier this year when Paradise Season 2 was airing on the 2026 TV schedule, I decided to fire up my Hulu subscription and see what the series was all about. While I knew there was an obvious connection to This Is Us via Sterling K. Brown, I was completely unaware at first that the series was also made by creator Dan Fogelman.
That said, I looked it up pretty early into Season 1, because I noticed a lot of similarities between the two shows. Basically, I feel like Paradise is a spookier version of This Is Us, which may seem wild to those who have seen both, but hear me out on this.
Paradise Features A Lot Of The Same Emotional Gut Punches Of This Is Us
While the violence and post-apocalyptic setting of Paradise separates it from This Is Us, I think it's clear that both shows thrive in how they present tragedy. Dan Fogelman really knows how to twist the knife with sad moments, making you think it's all going to be alright when you know it likely won't be. Case in point, I'd say that Annie's tragic Season 2 death felt very similar to Jack's death in This Is Us, with characters doing everything they can right, and it still not working out.
Article continues belowParadise certainly leans in on the thriller genre more often than not, but it can also be sappy at times. In fact, its sweeter moments make it feel more like an Elseworlds version of This Is Us to me more often than not. I think that's what keeps me from comparing it to Lost, which seemed more focused on heightening the drama with mystery.
Sterling K. Brown's Xavier is Different Than Randall, But There's Also Some Similarities
Xavier is much different than Randall in many ways, but I couldn't help but see the two characters in each other during the scenes in which they interact with their wives and families. I think part of it is I think that Sterling K. Brown plays the ideal family man so well, and it was something that immediately stood out to me in This Is Us. He's a stern and loving father in both, and also maybe a little too consumed with his job.
All this to say, I don't think that it's a bad thing that Paradise, which will end with Season 3, borrows from the This Is Us playbook. The latter was a great series that made its cast cry just as much as its audience during its run on NBC. Who knows, maybe that advanced AI Alex will somehow alter the timeline so that Paradise is ultimately a prequel to This Is Us, in a twist we haven't seen since Newhart.
I doubt that happens, but I will say to anyone who hasn't seen This Is Us, Paradise, or vice versa, it's worth checking out. I love both, assuming the final season of the latest series is as good as the first two, and I can't wait for new episodes to arrive.
