Hulu’s "Paradise" Brings Graceland, New Twists, and Shailene Woodley to SDCC 2025

The biggest reveal of the Paradise San Diego Comic-Con panel was the surprise appearance of Shailene Woodley, who joins Season 2 as Andy, a former tour guide at Elvis Presley’s Graceland. Fans were treated to the opening sequence of the new season, an extended clip introducing her character in Memphis just before the world-changing catastrophe strikes.

In the clip, Andy leads Graceland tours with charm and humor, shares balcony moments with a security guard looking out toward the river through a telescope, and responds swiftly when disaster looms—sending her friend to gather supplies while she frees the horses from the stables. As tremors shake the ground and the river overflows into city streets, she retreats into Elvis’ basement TV room, transforming a tourist destination into a survival bunker.

Series creator Dan Fogelman and star/executive producer Sterling K. Brown confirmed that filming for Season 2 is nearly complete and two-thirds of the way through editing. Thanks to early greenlights and network support, the team was able to write and begin production before Season 1 aired, keeping the momentum going and aiming for an annual release cycle.

New cast members this season include Shailene Woodley as Andy, a Graceland tour guide and survivor; Ryan Michelle Bathe (Sterling K. Brown’s wife in real life) in a backstory episode centered on the character Jane, plus Timothy Omundson, Thomas Doherty, and Michael McGrady.

Expect more Elvis, both musically and thematically. Season 2 will feature several unique Elvis covers and songs reinterpreted to reflect the post-apocalyptic tone of the series.

Woodley revealed she binge-watched Paradise with her partner before joining the cast, calling the experience “gripping" and “instinctive." She was drawn in by the writing and leapt into filming with just a few days’ notice. Despite never visiting the real Graceland, she joked, “I feel like I own it now." The Graceland set was built entirely from reference photos and videos, earning praise for its immersive design.

Fogelman described Woodley’s performance as “a tour de force" and praised her naturalism: “She’s so good you forget it’s a performance."

The panel also looked back at Paradise’s acclaimed first season, which earned Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series, Lead Actor (Brown), Supporting Actress (Julianne Nicholson), and Supporting Actor (James Marsden).

Fogelman shared how the show originated without regard to genre, but with the central idea of a man trying to keep going after a tragedy, and then layering in sci-fi twists. Brown was drawn to the concept immediately, responding with a voice memo that Fogelman misheard as “Amen" instead of “I’m in."

The show’s twist-heavy structure, much like This Is Us and Crazy Stupid Love, was built with careful precision. Fogelman emphasized that each detail, from the structure of the bunker to the painted lawns, was designed to pay off in the finale. Even the horses in Season 2 were treated with narrative reverence: “The horse just made me cry editing a later episode," he said. (Don’t worry—it doesn’t die.)

Unlike many prestige dramas, Paradise is filmed entirely in Los Angeles. Both Fogelman and Brown, who have young families, advocated for keeping production local. This also allowed them to retain much of the This Is Us crew, with over 90% returning.

Brown reflected on portraying Xavier Collins, a grieving father who keeps emotions tightly bottled. He noted the contrast with This Is Us’s Randall Pearson, who actively sought healing. The emotional weight of Xavier’s journey, combined with new dynamics - such as his relationship with Sarah Shahi’s Gabriela - continues to evolve in Season 2.

When asked about the show’s morally gray characters, particularly Julianne Nicholson’s Sinatra, Brown joked that audience reactions to her were so strong “most people were like, ‘You should shoot her.’"

Sterling K. Brown also teased his other new Hulu project, Washington Black, which he called “a whimsical globe story" centered on a young Black protagonist.

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