The first season of Paradise is approaching its finale, and Sterling K. Brown has revealed new details about what to expect. His character, Xavier Collins, faces growing pressure as he searches for answers about President Cal Bradford’s death while trying to keep his family safe.
Brown confirmed that Xavier will survive and that the identity of Bradford’s killer will be revealed. He also indicated that the second season will take the story beyond the underground compound, with Xavier exploring the outside world and searching for his wife, Teri.
Episode seven, which premiered this week on Disney+, flashed back to the day the world fell apart. The sequence showed the destruction unfolding in real-time, with nuclear powers launching strikes on major cities. Entire regions, including Australia, Argentina, and South Africa, were submerged. The chaos led to the creation of Paradise, a bunker built for 30,000 select individuals chosen by those with the wealth and power to escape.
James Marsden, who plays President Bradford, described the experience of filming the episode as intense. “It feels like a film, a really big-budget action film,” he said. “But also with crazy amounts of emotion and drama.” Marsden noted that the atmosphere on set felt unsettling, as the story prompted real discussions about global catastrophe and survival.
Brown pointed to the show’s reflection of real-world power struggles. “It does make you ask sincere questions about the nature of capitalism and politics and the kind of bedfellows they are,” he said. The series, created by Dan Fogelman, premiered shortly after the 2025 Presidential Inauguration, leading to discussions about its timing. Brown emphasized that any connections to current events were unintentional, as production had been delayed by the 2023 actors’ and writers’ strikes.
Marsden said the show has sparked debates among the cast about survival and morality. “You could argue that being one of the lucky ones to be surviving would be almost more torturous on your soul, and its own version of a prison, more so than staying behind and not surviving,” he said. Brown added that he knows people who have prepared for extreme scenarios. “I went (to college) with some people who think outside of the box a little bit,” he said.
The upcoming finale will resolve lingering questions while shifting the focus of the series. Brown hinted that Xavier’s next steps will take him beyond the world that Paradise has established, opening the door to new conflicts and revelations.
