| February 23, 2026 
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‘Paradise’ expands its horizons | | Shailene Woodley joins the cast of “Paradise” in its second season. Anne Marie/Disney |
Dear Watchers,In its first season, “Paradise” spent most of its time establishing how society works in the bunker, the elaborate underground city where 25,000 wealthy and well-connected Americans live after an extinction-level environmental disaster. There were flashbacks that took us out of this mega-bomb shelter in the bowels of Colorado, but overall the series, created by Dan Fogelman (“This is Us”), remained pretty contained. The second season of “Paradise” expands the narrative landscape, with the first three episodes now streaming on Hulu. The season premiere introduces a fascinating new location for riding out the apocalypse: Graceland. Elvis Presley’s former home is the setting for a beautifully acted love story involving a tour guide named Annie, played by Shailene Woodley (“Big Little Lies”), and it feels almost entirely divorced from what has come before on “Paradise.” It may remind some viewers of another postapocalyptic prestige drama, “The Last of Us” — specifically the acclaimed relationship-spanning episode from Season 1, starring Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett. The second episode of the new season follows the primary hero of “Paradise,” the Secret Service agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown, sturdy and appealing as ever), but it also takes place far from the bunker. Xavier is headed to Atlanta to find his wife, Teri (Enuka Okuma), who he has only recently learned is still alive. Much of the season follows Xavier and Annie on their respective quests while continuing to keep tabs on the action in Colorado, where police are arresting anyone who rebels against the bunker leadership. When “Paradise” spends too much time underground, it can get a little silly. (Maybe there’s not enough oxygen down there.) This season the special agent Jane (Nicole Brydon Bloom) inches closer to outright evil in ways that don’t always make sense. The show also maintains its affinity for angsty covers of old pop songs. Worried that an episode titled “The Final Countdown” might not feature a version of that 1986 Europe hit? Don’t be. Still, this second season is more consistently compelling than the first. Watching characters deal with the devastating consequences of climate change may not offer enough escapist fun for some viewers, but the closer “Paradise” hits to home, the more moving it becomes. “You can guard against the worst of people while still believing in the best,” Xavier says at one point. He’s talking about how to function in his world, but he could also be talking about ours. Also this week | | “Scrubs,” with Donald Faison, left, and Zach Braff, returns for a new season on ABC on Wednesday. Darko Sikman/Disney |
- The pilot episode of “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins,” starring Tracy Morgan as a washed up former football star, premiered in January during the N.F.L. playoffs. Now the season begins its weekly rollout, beginning on Monday at 8 p.m., on NBC and Peacock.
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- Looking for a hospital show that is way less intense than “The Pitt”? The medical sitcom “Scrubs” has been revived for a new season that premieres on Wednesday at 8 p.m., on ABC, and streams the following day on Hulu.
- The second half of the fourth season of “Bridgerton” arrives Thursday, on Netflix.
- Another “Yellowstone” spinoff is upon us: “Marshals” follows Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) as he begins work as a U.S. marshal in (where else?) Montana. The first season premieres on Sunday at 8 p.m., on CBS and Paramount+.
- “DTF St. Louis,” a new dark comedy, stars Jason Bateman and David Harbour as an unlikely pair of friends, one of whom soon ends up dead. Created by Steven Conrad (“Patriot”), the limited series debuts on Sunday at 9 p.m., on HBO and HBO Max.
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