‘Paradise’ Season 2 finale: Creator Dan Fogelman on Sinatra and what’s in store for Season 3

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This article contains many spoilers for the Season 2 finale of “Paradise.”

Wow, the season finale of “Paradise” was absolutely insane! Monday’s episode ended with the bunker – the one meant to protect all the important people – completely collapsing. It looked like Samantha Redmond, the woman who built it all, was caught in the blast too. Honestly, it’s a huge shock and totally changes everything we thought we knew about the show. Now everyone inside is without a home, and I’m really curious to see where things go from here.

When I first described the plans for the second season, I said it would end with the bunker breaking down and the entire system failing,” explains creator Dan Fogelman. “That presented a huge challenge – figuring out how to make that happen and how it would set up the story for season three. It felt like a massive undertaking.”

According to Fogelman, destroying the bunker was one of the boldest choices made in Season 2. Rather than starting the season with Xavier Collins’ search for his wife, the show introduced a new character, Annie Clay, who had been living in Graceland after a global catastrophe. Then, in a surprising move, Annie was killed off in the fourth episode, leaving Xavier to raise her baby. The season also featured a full episode dedicated to exploring the history of Teri Rogers-Collins.

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Filled with narrative zigzags, ‘Paradise’ will keep viewers on the edge

Dan Fogelman’s new show, featuring Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden, is a complex story blending mystery, conspiracy, and science fiction.

As a total TV fanatic, one of the things I really love about working on this show is having the freedom to pitch wild ideas and actually make them happen when they feel right. I’m deep into writing Season 3 right now, and honestly, it’s the first time I’ve ever questioned if we were pushing the boundaries of what you’re ‘supposed’ to do on television. It’s a little nerve-wracking, but incredibly exciting!

Dan Fogelman and his writing team are already working on the third and final season of the Hulu series ‘Paradise’. Filming will begin in early April, and Fogelman is aiming for a faster release than Season 2. He believes keeping the show on a consistent schedule benefits both the series and its audience.

In this edited interview, creator Dan Fogelman discusses unanswered questions from Season 2 and its finale, “Exodus.” He clarifies whether the character Sinatra is actually deceased, explains how artificial intelligence and quantum computing will be used in future episodes, and addresses the mystery surrounding the Denver airport.

I was really curious what the creators wanted us to feel about the world by the end of Season 2. It felt like they were building towards a specific understanding of things, and I wondered what message they hoped viewers would take away about the state of everything.

In the first episode, we established the state of the world after the disaster, showing the devastation and which areas were still livable. We acknowledged the presence of conflict and danger, but our main focus has always been on how people unite and support each other during tough times, rather than focusing on division. The world isn’t perfect – it’s a difficult place with a harsh climate and challenges to growing food – but people are finding ways to work together and rebuild.

Did you do research on how people could survive an event like this?

Our research shows that many of the world’s wealthiest individuals are investing in building bunkers, and this isn’t a frivolous expense. They’re preparing for potential crises, focusing on things like accumulating supplies and withstanding extreme weather. It’s about thinking through practical challenges, such as what happens when power sources fail. Interestingly, the U.S. has a network of post offices originally constructed during World War II as local shelters, suggesting this kind of preparation isn’t entirely unfounded – or perhaps it’s a modern take on historical concerns.

We want to emphasize that the incredibly wealthy – those with vast resources and years to prepare – built the central location featured in our show, a massive bunker. However, many others also found ways to survive, creating their own versions of safe havens. For some, this meant places like Graceland, while others used unexpected locations like a post office. There are countless stories of survivors, and not everyone had a high-tech bunker built with billions of dollars and a decade of planning.

As the season ends we learn that ALEX is a quantum AI computer. What is a quantum AI computer?

I’m really not the best person to explain this – you should talk to our other writers. They’ve done a lot of research, even visiting CalTech. We began working on this idea two years ago, before AI was such a hot topic. Essentially, computers are now improving at a rate far exceeding anything we’ve seen in the last century. Some are starting to use artificial intelligence and will soon be advancing so quickly that they’ll be self-improving. In our story, a character asked for a fast computer, but what happens when the only way to get faster is for the computer to upgrade itself?

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I was thrilled to be at the Newport Beach TV Festival where I got a sneak peek at what’s coming up in ‘Paradise’! Dan Fogelman, the creator, dropped some hints about the next season of this really intriguing dystopian drama on Hulu, and let me tell you, it sounds amazing.

Does the introduction of ALEX have major ramifications for Season 3?

Artificial intelligence is fundamentally about exploring ideas that are beyond human understanding. It’s both thrilling and unsettling to consider concepts our brains simply can’t grasp – like something impossible happening, such as an escalator that takes you down when you reach the top. This illustrates how AI is pushing the boundaries of what we can comprehend, delving into complex ideas about time, alternate universes, and the themes we often see in science fiction. These aren’t just fictional concepts anymore; they’re becoming increasingly real possibilities in the near future.

Did you come up with different versions of destroying the bunker?

We initially believed the disaster would be an internal nuclear meltdown. The bunker was designed to contain it, allowing the mountain to collapse inward. My goal was always to bring the mountain down, and I envisioned Sinatra making the ultimate sacrifice to ensure everyone else escaped. This was a core part of our plan: a meltdown causing a collapse, with Sinatra giving her life to save others.

Should we assume that Sinatra is dead?

Being buried by a collapsing mountain is obviously not survivable. And frankly, it’s safe to say that Frank Sinatra’s career is over.

And is Jane dead?

It sure seems like it. But there is that shot at the end that is meant to make you wonder.

Is Link/Dylan (Thomas Doherty) actually Sinatra’s son?

She genuinely believes it, and that’s the feeling we want the audience to have. Even if you question her motives or don’t fully understand what she’s saying, it should feel like the truth. The question of whether he’s her son is complicated by the story’s sci-fi elements, but ultimately, we want the audience to believe he is – or at least, a version of her son.

Based on what happens to Sinatra, will Julianne Nicholson be returning for Season 3?

It’s certainly possible Julianne could return. Because our show jumps around in time, I’ve made a point of not giving any character a definitive ending. This isn’t just about Julianne, but how we approach storytelling in general, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see her again.

Will Annie and Link’s child have a significance in Season 3?

The baby plays a huge part in Season 3. Or, I should say, the child plays a huge part in Season 3.

Does that mean there’s a time jump?

There could be that element. The show will definitely play with time in Season 3.

Life inside the bunker has been comfortable for its residents. But will they be able to cope with the challenges of surviving outside?

It’s going to be tough for many of them. Even Xavier, who’s incredibly capable, isn’t fully prepared. Surprisingly, the younger ones are actually better equipped. He hasn’t experienced the outside world in five years, so there will definitely be an adjustment period.

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The final scene shows Denver International Airport, with the iconic Blue Mustang statue. We were curious if you considered incorporating any of the conspiracy theories surrounding the airport into the story.

We weren’t intentionally fueling conspiracy theories, but we knew they existed. We’d always intended for the character Sinatra to have a hidden side project with global implications. As a team, the writers decided to locate this secret area beneath the airport. We did lean into some existing ideas, thinking it would be a fun detail for fans to discuss online. Placing the second bunker under Denver Airport just felt right, and it’s a major plot point in the third season.

Is Xavier at all hesitant to accept Sinatra’s mission to find ALEX?

Season 3 really digs into what happens when you finally get everything you’ve ever wanted – for me, as a fan, it’s fascinating to see this character reunited with his family, even with the added complexity of bringing two new kids into the mix. But then this wild claim surfaces about something bizarre happening under the Denver Airport, funded by a seriously eccentric billionaire. It’s not something you’d just jump into acting on immediately, you know? A big part of what the season explores is how he grapples with that information – whether he tries to ignore it, or if he feels compelled to investigate. It’s a really compelling internal struggle, and I’m excited to see how it plays out.

Is the plan still to end the series after three seasons?

I’ve been sharing the show’s ending with Sterling for years, and it’s tempting to say I always knew exactly how it would play out. But that’s not really true – the story changes and develops as you go. I did have a general three-season arc in mind from the start. We established in the first episode that something was hidden underground, and by around episode seven or eight, viewers would learn the story of what caused the collapse of the world. Season two focuses on Xavier’s search for his wife, and at the end of it, he comes back and receives a new task from Sinatra. Season three revolves around whether Xavier will accept that mission, and if so, how he’ll accomplish it – the specifics are always changing, but the core plan has remained consistent.

Is there any pressure to carry on with more seasons?

There’s always a lot of expectation, but I really try to stick to my vision for the story, and Sterling agrees. From the start, I’ve had a clear three-season arc planned out, and I don’t see myself changing that. Plus, the story we’re telling in Season 3 simply doesn’t allow for it.

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2026-03-30 19:32