Which Paradise Stars Are — And Aren’t — Returning for Season 2?

Hulu’s hit series Paradise is returning after shocking cliffhangers and onscreen deaths — but which stars are and aren’t reprising their roles?

This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman‘s political thriller originally premiered in January 2025 under a shroud of mystery. Paradise was teased as a show “set in a serene, wealthy community inhabited by some of the world’s most prominent individuals. But this tranquility explodes when a shocking murder occurs and a high stakes investigation unfolds.”

Paradise initially appeared to be set in a serene and wealthy community forced to face the realities of a shocking murder. In typical Fogelman fashion, however, there was a twist at the end of the premiere when Paradise was revealed to be an underground bunker housing the world’s most prominent individuals after an apocalyptic event destroyed the rest of humanity.

Paradise‘s cast spoke to Us Weekly about how they kept the show a secret before its premiere.

“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,” Julianne Nicholson told Us Weekly in January. “When we were on set, everybody knows what’s up, so we don’t have to be that secretive.”

She continued: “But now the trick is how do you grab people’s attention and assure them that this is something different without giving away any of the details? But we’re very excited for people to get on the ride with us.”

In addition to the bunker reveal, Marsden’s character was killed off minutes into the premiere.

“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,” Sarah Shahi shared with Us. “But then this one, they were not selfish with their scripts. The minute one was ready to come out, they would send it over to us.”

The first season ended with the reveal of who killed Cal — after a high stakes investigation that led to several onscreen deaths. The biggest twist though was Xavier leaving the bunker to see who survived the end of the world and was still living outside.

Keep scrolling to see who is — and isn’t — returning in season 2:

Sterling K. Brown

Paradise wouldn’t exist without Brown bringing the show to life on and off screen as the star and executive producer.

Julianne Nicholson

Season 2 will follow Sinatra’s fall from power after previously being the world’s richest self-made woman and the chief decision maker in the bunker.

Sarah Shahi

After finding a connection with Xavier, Gabriela returns in season 2 as a psychotherapist and grief specialist in the bunker.

Nicole Brydon Bloom

Bloom is expected to return as Jane after it was revealed that the special agent worked for Sinatra.

Aliyah Mastin

Xavier’s search for his wife means his teenage daughter will continue to play a key role.

Percy Daggs IV

The same goes for Xavier’s son, James, who he shared with his wife, Teri (Enuka Okuma).

James Marsden

Flashbacks of the president were used in season 1 but according to a teaser for the sophomore season, Cal will continue to be a main part of the show.

Thomas Doherty

The actor has a recurring guest star role but details on his character are being kept under wraps.

Shailene Woodley

Woodley will appear in the new season in a recurring guest star role, though exact character details are being kept under wraps.

Ryan Michelle Bathé

Brown’s real-life wife will be in season 2 but her actual story line and character description hasn’t been revealed.