Hulu’s ‘Paradise’ Shocks Viewers with Major Character Death in Premiere

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Hulu‘s new political thriller, *Paradise*, stunned viewers and its own cast by killing off James Marsden‘s character, Cal, in its premiere episode. The shocking twist, revealed at the end of the first episode, set the stage for a high-stakes murder mystery in a seemingly idyllic community that turns out to be an underground bunker housing the world’s elite after an apocalyptic event.

“We were kept in the dark when we started filming,” Sarah Shahi, who plays psychiatrist Gabriela Torabi, told *Us Weekly*. “At least I was, I didn’t know until later.” Julianne Nicholson, who portrays a top advisor to Marsden’s President Cal, added, “I’m always happy for me — the actor — to have as much information as the character does because it is just nicer to not have to fake it sometimes.”

The show, created by *This Is Us* creator Dan Fogelman, initially presents itself as a serene drama set in a wealthy community. However, the premiere’s twist revealed the true nature of the setting, leaving viewers and characters alike reeling. “The biggest lengths [we had to go through to keep the twist secret] are happening now when we’re actually talking to people about it,” Nicholson explained. “When we were on set, everybody knows what’s up, so we don’t have to be that secretive.”

Marsden’s character, Cal, was a former president whose death sparked a complex investigation. The first three episodes introduced multiple suspects, each with potential motives. “Your heart breaks for him being this figurehead of a president who was never able to live up to his father’s definition of who he thought he could be,” Nicholson said of Marsden’s portrayal. “That just goes to show how great James is in terms of balancing all of those things at once.”

Shahi and Nicholson praised the show’s approach to storytelling, with Shahi noting, “Whenever the scripts would come out, they weren’t secretive. I’ve been on projects in which they would not release the script until you were ready to shoot those pages. But then this one, they were not selfish with their scripts.” Despite knowing the plot twists, Shahi admitted, “I don’t think anyone saw this coming. I am still surprised.”

*Paradise* joins a growing list of 2024 TV shows delivering shocking character departures, including *Criminal Minds: Evolution* and *Outer Banks*. New episodes of *Paradise* are released every Tuesday on Hulu.