Production has officially wrapped on Season 3 of Paradise, Hulu’s political/sci-fi thriller, which creator Dan Fogelman has confirmed will serve as the series’ final chapter.
Fogelman announced the wrap in late September, sharing that some of the season’s final scenes were shot on location in Washington, D.C., with stars Sterling K. Brown and Julianne Nicholson. “Finishing where it (fictionally) started. That’s an official series wrap on Paradise,” he wrote on Instagram. “Can’t wait to share S3 w everyone. I’ll miss this show and the people who made it. Until the next one…”
The series stars Brown as Xavier Collins, a former Secret Service agent living in an isolated underground community following a catastrophic event above ground. Fogelman has said from the outset that he planned Paradise as a three-season story, making this final season a built-in conclusion rather than an early cancellation.
Season 3 picks up in the aftermath of Season 2’s finale, “Exodus,” in which Nicholson’s character, Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond, sacrificed herself, sealing the bunker from the inside to contain a nuclear meltdown so residents could escape. Her decision was driven in part by her belief that mysterious newcomer Link (Thomas Doherty) might actually be her son, Dylan, displaced across time. The finale also revealed the true nature of “Alex,” the secret project Sinatra had been developing in a secondary bunker 100 miles away: an advanced quantum AI supercomputer capable of processing data at extraordinary speeds and raising the possibility of time travel or alternate timelines. Before her death, Sinatra tasked Xavier with finding Alex to help save humanity.
Despite her character’s apparent death, Nicholson is confirmed to return for Season 3. Producers have indicated she’ll appear via flashbacks, consistent with the show’s recurring use of nonlinear storytelling, a technique familiar from Fogelman’s earlier work on This Is Us. Because Alex’s abilities extend to manipulating space, data, and potentially time, the show’s creative team has also hinted that the usual rules of life and death may not fully apply going forward.
Xavier will grapple with the fallout of the bunker’s destruction while continuing his search for answers about Alex, and speaking with Variety, Fogelman revealed that Xavier faces a difficult choice involving Alex and his family, one whose consequences will shape the rest of the season. Fogelman has also teased a major new setting for the final chapter: a second, secretly built bunker beneath Denver Airport. In a separate interview with Collider, he indicated the show will progressively “shift in genre” as it heads toward its conclusion, though he’s kept most other details under wraps.
Fogelman’s “until the next one” sign-off has fueled some speculation about what’s next for him at Hulu. He’s already attached to The Land, a new drama reuniting him with fellow This Is Us alum Mandy Moore, alongside a cast that includes Christopher Meloni, William H. Macy, and Chace Crawford. He also executive produces the streamer’s Only Murders in London, the sixth installment of the Only Murders in the Building franchise.
Filming began in early spring 2026 and has now moved into post-production. Hulu has not yet announced an official premiere date for Paradise Season 3, though it’s expected to arrive sometime in 2027.