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Forbes
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Costumes In Hulu's 'Paradise' Style Utopia For Our Brave New World
Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) and Samantha "Sinatra" Redmond (Julianne Nicholson) face off in Hulu's 'Paradise.' Courtesy of Hulu/Disney Paradise has a deceptively simple premise. Deep within Cheyenne Mountain, a la Stargate , a much more old fashioned version of science fiction, construction has been secretly going on. Underground a cabal of uber wealthy CEOs has created a version of Eden, or More's Utopia , just in case the world falls apart. Of course the world then falls apart. It's a well written, rather timely series, and the excellent costumes add depth and dimension to the series which could not be achieved any other way. I met with the costume designer for the series' first season, Sarah Evelyn, to talk to her about the incredibly nuanced series, about deciding how to dress the inhabitants of this Brave New World, especially since it is riddled with literary and cinematic Easter Eggs, tiny references woven into the narrative in a seemingly endless series of winks and nods from show creator Dan Fogelman. 'It was interesting to think about how you would plan for that many people to move somewhere,' Evelyn told me, 'where there wouldn't be clothing readily available and how you would start those kinds of really important systems because we need to be dressed. I really thought a lot about how the clothing and the visuals would really do a lot of supporting. Like the social stability of these people who had just gone through a humongous trauma, must be on the edge, don't know what's going to happen, completely insecure. I thought that so much of the plan would have been how to keep the social fabric intertwined enough so that no one would want to take it down.' President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) before his cabinet. Courtesy of Hulu/Disney Ira Levin, the 20th century master of horror, is an immediately obvious reference. The saccharine, saturated palette evokes a novel that became a film twice, disturbing generations of readers and audiences alike. 'I think that there definitely was a Stepford vibe,' Evelyn said, 'because that reflected what was happening in the dome. But we thought to ourselves, you know, okay, if this was going to happen, there would be someone who was in charge of production design, basically. And that person would have a creative designer working under them. And they would have a head of textiles working under them, because you would have to procure all this stuff to be ready to receive all sorts of people underground in a world that you want to make feel very normal. Because I felt like that would be really important for social stability. And the clothing would be super important for social stability. Not only would it be things that you would want to biodegrade naturally, or things that you could reuse again, you'd want to have nice, peaceful colors. You'd want to have simple silhouettes. You'd want to have things that almost referred back to a more nostalgic time, like the 1950s and 60s. And then, as time went on, I felt like it would be the kids that started to kind of put these things together in new ways, you know, and that would start style and fashion trend in the dome. And so we did a lot of that.' Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) and Presley (Aliyah Mastin) in "Paradise." Courtesy of Hulu/Disney Watching the series, Evelyn's diligent efforts shine through in the tiny details, like the hairstyle on our main character's daughter, Presley (Aliyah Mastin). Her hair is beautiful, it obviously took effort and skill. It is hair that evokes memories of staying up too late with one's teenage girlfriends, doing each other's hair and nails. She feels like a real person, and Mastin's excellent acting benefits from Evelyn's thoughtful character design. I was very curious about the youngest generation in this mountain bunker. Why there were uniforms at their school, how the kids would adjust after one reality ends and another begins. How that would come across in the clothes. 'I felt like there would definitely be uniforms,' Evelyn said, 'because you're trying to make everyone feel very normal. You're trying to make everyone feel very much on the same level. A couple of years ago, I worked in Australia and my kids came with me. In Australia, everybody wears uniforms and you have one uniform and you wash it once a week. I also felt like that would be necessary. Had I been in charge of a world like this, I would have made the same decision. I would have felt like everything that had to do with clothing would be both creating a sense of comfort, but giving people enough leeway, the kids enough leeway, the creative people enough leeway, to feel like they could do something with it. That they could have some freedoms. I thought there would be a lot of cotton T-shirts and sweatpants and things with plastic that you could grow into and grow out of and give to someone else. Or cut up or whatever.' President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) and Agent Collins (Sterling K. Brown) walk past a Marine in the White House. Courtesy of Disney/Hulu Since many of the characters in this show are Secret Service, including our wonderful protagonist Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown), and those they protect, there are obviously a lot of suits. Speaking very generally, men's clothing hasn't been very decorative for the last hundred and fifty years. The Business Man in his Suit is very much a thing, we can all imagine him easily, and in great numbers it would be easy for characters to seem to blur, or for details intended to lead to inference to be mixed. 'Those things are so nuanced,' Evelyn told me about the spectrum of beautiful bespoke menswear. 'A lot of the time I think it is about the tailoring. It's about the collar. It's about the shoes. It's about the tie. You know, you can't costume amazing acting. That's one thing that I feel like Sterling really has, just so much depth and so many layers. I felt like one thing I could really do for him and do for the character, I feel like whenever there's a character like this, I definitely like to think about kind of like the lexicon of cinema and who these men have traditionally been in cinema. So like always going back to thinking about important heroes in cinema. And thinking about that kind of tailoring. And then also thinking about the person that I'm working with and what's happening in the story. Good tailoring, choice of lapel, choice of whether it's single-breasted or double-breasted, choice on collar and choice on tie does a lot. I definitely did not put him in a spread collar. I definitely put him in a point collar. And kept the tailoring really simple, kept the suits really simple. I kept the ties pretty simple. I felt like he was understated and under the radar and wasn't interested in getting the attention and was really interested in being like a man who lived by these morals and beliefs that he really prescribed. And then just letting him do the rest.' Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) and Samantha "Sinatra" Redmond (Julianne Nicholson). Courtesy of Hulu/Disney 'I really love suiting, but suiting is really, really hard,' Evelyn told me when I asked her about the challenge of keeping all these characters distinct. 'I'm obsessed with watching videos about Savile Row tailors. In my next life, I want to be a Savile Row tailor. I feel like suiting is the most interesting, like, three-dimensional engineering. Many, many suits, most suits that come off the rack, do not fit American men especially well. It was really important to me to have really well tailored suiting, which means we did a lot of custom made and we did a lot of really particular alterations, which I think makes the difference on TV. ' I asked her why that was, why the tailoring and cut of the suits added so much, because they make an undeniable difference. A crisp professional air is implied by the presence of anyone wearing clothing made to fit their specific body. 'I think we actually aren't that used to looking at well-tailored clothes,' the designer said thoughtfully. 'I don't mean that in a pretentious way at all. I say that in a craftsperson way, because so much is fast fashion now and because things that are bespoke are so expensive, unfortunately, and that these are really actually very, very beautiful crafts that we're losing. I mean, talk about the importance of the crafts. Talk about the importance of tradesmen. So getting to really work on that, and having the production really support that idea was just really meaningful, and who doesn't feel amazing in a well-tailored suit?' Nicole Robinson (Krys Marshall) in "Paradise" Courtesy of Hulu/Disney Of course, it is not only men who wear suits. There are many things this show does exceptionally well, but my favorite part is the character development we are treated to throughout, and how tightly those transitions are connected to wardrobe. In the real world, and in the world of Paradise , it is not always a simple thing, to know who is good or bad, or what those words even mean. Samantha Redmond (Julianne Nicholson), AKA 'Sinatra' to the Secret Service, is a perfect example. We learn early on about the horrific trauma that created a woman capable of literally building a new world. 'With Sinatra,' Evelyn explained, 'it was really important to do really good tailoring; she was dressing to portray a message. And the message was kind of like, I'm soft and I'm really strong. You don't need to worry. I got this. Sometimes she would have strong shoulders, but she would also have maybe a little bit of a drapier blouse. One idea that I thought was interesting about the character that we tried to show in the costumes was that people are capable of both being monsters and not being monsters. As much as that's a really uncomfortable thought, I would really prefer to think that people were absolutely a good person or a bad person. I don't like the idea that those two things can reside together. But I think in her they did. I think she was very damaged by her life experience, got very rigid. She had come up, she became a founder. I feel like once you're a founder, you learn how to sell. And in a lot of ways, she was a saleswoman. And she dressed the part.' Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson) and her son at the grocery store. Courtesy of Disney/Hulu Cognitive dissonance is something hard to sit with. Perhaps that's why it feels so important, so vital, maybe especially given the current state of the world. Living in the future is a very weird experience, and we see a pretty clear reflection of how that could go with Paradise . How do you dress an antagonist, a probable villain, a self-described monster, without resorting to cliche, without making the character into a parody or caricature? 'I think it's like the little things,' Evelyn told me. 'For example, when she was at the fair, you know, we saw her in jeans and T-shirt. And it's like, you know, when you see her it is something very, very relatable. And then later we see her in a Saint Laurent suit. That's got a little bit of a gangster vibe because it's houndstooth. Agent Robinson (Krys Marshall) in "Paradise." Courtesy of Hulu/Disney I asked Evelyn if this show was science fiction and it was obvious how much she enjoyed thinking about that question. Apparently the show was originally pitched in a way that was much more genre, but evolved over the time production takes. After all, the real world is feeling more and more dystopian every day, and art does its work best in contrast to reality. 'I used to really like to read science fiction, actually, like, as an escape. And I have to say, I am feeling different because I feel like science fiction is not an escape right now. I feel like an escape is things like Fast and the Furious . Stories that were clear about good and bad. And you knew the good guy was going to win, even though it was going to be a little hard, you know?' I understood exactly what she meant and I am sure you will too. After all, it was not that long ago that fascists wore uniforms or arm bands, or at least understood the power of a well tailored suit. Poster art for Hulu's "Paradise." Courtesy of Disney/Hulu The full first season of Paradise is available now on Hulu. A second season was greenlit earlier this month. MORE FROM FORBES Forbes Thousands Of Costumes Were Handmade For Amazon Prime's 'House Of David' By Rachel Elspeth Gross Forbes Janie Bryant Recreates The End Of The Wild West For Paramount's '1923' By Rachel Elspeth Gross Forbes In 'Watson' The Costumes Help Make A Medical Mystery Unlike Any Other By Rachel Elspeth Gross
New York Times
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Deli Boys,' Plus 9 Things to Watch on TV this Week
Between streaming and cable, there is a seemingly endless variety of things to watch. Here is a selection of TV shows and specials that air or stream this week, March 3-9. Details and times are subject to change. Things aren't going as expected. On the Hulu thriller 'Paradise,' things took an unexpected turn right from the beginning — and have only gotten more twisty from there. The show follows Xavier Collins, a secret service agent played by Sterling K. Brown who is in charge of protecting President Cal Bradford (James Marsden). Slight spoilers ahead: The end of the first episode showed that Xavier, Cal and a few lucky civilians have been living in an underground city after the world ended — and that the president is actually dead. In a series of flashbacks, the rest of the episodes have revealed how things got to where they are, and this week's finale will reveal who killed the president. Streaming Tuesday on Hulu. Netflix's lush historical drama 'The Leopard' follows the Salina family, Sicilian aristocrats who are bracing for the Giuseppe Garibaldi's Redshirt guerrillas to conquer the island in the 19th century. The 1958 book, by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, became one of the highest selling novels in Italy. If not for a look at the history, tune in for the stunning location and enviable outfits. Streaming on Wednesday on Netflix. What happens when you have been raised in the cushy world of wealth but your father's death has left nothing but his convenience store empire, which is actually a crime front? 'Deli Boys,' a new comedy, answers that question. Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh star as brothers who are trying to maintain a deli counter while also dealing with a Peruvian cartel and the Italian mafia. Streaming Thursday on Hulu. An inside look at sports. It's no secret that Boston takes their sports seriously. The new documentary series 'Celtics City' transports viewers back to the founding of the Boston Celtics N.B.A. team in 1946 and forward to their championship win in 2024. The show features archival footage and interviews with past and present players, including Bob Cousy, Larry Bird, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Monday at 9 p.m. on HBO and streaming on Max. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Buzz Feed
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
"Paradise" Is Leaving The Internet Questioning Everything, And Now, I Think Life Is A Simulation
Warning: This article contains spoilers from Paradise. In an utopian and simulated society, Sterling K. Brown takes the lead as Xavier Collins — head agent in the President's Secret Service. But after the sudden murder of his boss (James Marsden), he's left questioning the architects of this 'ideal' community and everything around him. The combination of Sterling K Brown's badass aura, Julianne Nicholson's puppeteering character, Sinatra — and the flicks between time — make the show a puzzle that desperately needs solving. And I will say, James Marsden as President Cal Bradford is the most serious I've ever seen him. He's still silly, despite his character being a certified racist. But without a hyperrealistic, animated rabbit or Sonic by his side, Marsden as President is one of his more solemn performances. Everyone's a suspect, the president's dead, national secrets have fallen into someone else's hands and there's something unsettling going on with the President's therapist. So naturally, the internet is lapping it up like it's Jacob Elordi's bathwater in Saltburn, coming up with theories and questions that now have me wondering what's coming next. the way paradise leaves me gagged every episode like wow what just happened and what is going to happen next !!!! #paradisehulu — kudus pr manager 🇬🇭 (@kimkimdaya) February 20, 2025 Twitter: @kimkimdaya 1. Someone's playing the "ignorance is bliss" game, while the world goes down around them. Me every episode trying to figure out if Cal daddy is just pretending to not know what's going on #ParadiseHulu — ♡Danimals❤ (@Dani_19_93) February 19, 2025 Twitter: @Dani_19_93 #ParadiseHulu really keeps me guessing because the way I thought Cal's father couldn't tell Black people apart but it turns he really did see Presley at the house that night and she has the tablet under her bed. — Still I Rise (@dreamandthehope) February 13, 2025 Twitter: @dreamandthehope 2. For some reason, moments before his death, the President's security detail was doing everything BUT making sure he was safe and secure. So everybody just playing Wii instead of guarding the president #ParadiseHulu — KUWK ❤️ (@Snackaveli_) February 18, 2025 Twitter: @Snackaveli_ 3. The master puppeteer, Sinatra pulled a trump card on Xavier Collins, saying his believed-to-be-dead wife is actually alive. But people aren't buying it. Sinatra is a liar. She has no idea where that woman is at #ParadiseHulu — TellyMonster 😈💍🔺🐘 (@TellyBaby22) February 19, 2025 Twitter: @TellyBaby22 First of all, the soundtrack on this show is immaculate. Second, I knew Sinatra would pull the "your wife is alive card" on X. Now i gotta wait another week. 😩 #paradise • #paradiseonhulu • #paradisehulu — 🇨🇩 Zande✊🏾 (@KongoZande) February 18, 2025 Twitter: @KongoZande 4. Apparently, the "end of the world" scenario that kicked off the entire chain of events was planned by a multi-billionaire control freak. I need to know what the hell happened! My theory is crazy ass sinatra planned the whole world ending disaster through grief and insanity to build a world she can control. Anyway, I NEED TO KNOW NOW! #ParadiseHulu — sel (@selbel007) February 12, 2025 Twitter: @selbel007 5. And finally, speaking of Xavier's wife, there's a hot little suspicion that she's involved in the plot for world domination. Wouldn't that be a trip? And when we find out Xavier's wife is helping Sinatra pull the strings THEN WHAT #ParadiseHulu — megan (@ciaomegan_) February 20, 2025 Twitter: @ciaomegan_ Paradise has just been renewed for Season 2. So, maybe you should get on the bandwagon before it drops, hm? Stream the series on Disney+. Need more TV show, movie, anime, and gaming recommendations? Check out Press Play, a column dedicated to reviewing the latest releases, uncovering hidden gems and solving the age-old question of "What do I stream?" (before your food gets cold).
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Viewers are 'locked in' after just one episode of new thriller series with all-star cast
TV watchers are loving Disney+'s new thriller series, Paradise, with viewers "hooked" after just one episode. With an all-star cast led by Sterling K. Brown, the eight-part series is set in an idyllic neighbourhood inhabited by some of the world's most prominent individuals. It follows widower and Secret Service agent Xavier Collins (Brown), who is entrusted with the life of the recently re-elected president, Cal Bradford (James Marsden). But when the president is found dead in his home and a boxful of national security secrets missing, Collins becomes a prime suspect and a high-stakes investigation unfolds. Taking to social media, viewers were gripped by the opening episode and shared their praise for the twisty conspiracy thriller. One person penned: "Just watched the first episode of #ParadiseHulu and OMG I'm SEATED," while another added: "We started #ParadiseHulu and we are locked in." A third fan wrote: "THE WAY I FELL OFF MY COUCH AT THE END OF THE FIRST EPISODE #ParadiseHulu. TELEVISION IS SOOO BACK," while another added: "Okaaaay #ParadiseHulu that was one hell of a series opener." Many viewers found themselves binging the first three available episodes, with one fan writing: "Do yourself a favour and watch Paradise on Hulu. Absolutely freaking amazing. I wish I could binge more eps right now! This will be the next big hit!" For those yet to tune into the show, here's the full synopsis: "Paradise is set in a serene community inhabited by some of the world's most prominent individuals. But this tranquillity explodes when a shocking murder occurs and a high-stakes investigation unfolds." The logline for episode one gives further insight into the plot. It reads: "It's just another day in Paradise until Agent Xavier Collins (Brown) discovers one of the world's most powerful individuals has been viciously murdered. "Xavier analyses the crime scene while recalling his complex relationship with the victim." Starring alongside Sterling and James in the show are Julianne Nicholson (Mare of Easttown), Sarah Shahi (Black Adam), Nicole Brydon Bloom (The Gilded Age), Percy Daggs IV (The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey) and Aliyah Mastin. The show marks the reunion of leading man Sterling and creator Dan Fogelman, who worked together on the hit family drama, This Is Us. Sterling played Randall Pearson in the series, which aired between 2016 and 2022. The first three episodes of Paradise are available to stream on Disney+. The remaining episodes will be released weekly on Tuesdays.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Paradise on Disney+ review: could this be the most bonkers show of 2025?
It's only a few weeks into 2025, but Paradise is already a strong contender for the most bonkers show of the year. There's a troubled protagonist. He's trying to solve a brutal death. There are shady characters galore. A run of the mill murder mystery, perchance? Not so! We start peaceably enough, with Special Agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K Brown, our troubled protagonist in question) getting ready for his day at work. He's head of the security detail for the President, you see – except he arrives in the morning to find that his boss has actually been brutally murdered. As special forces descend on the President's house, Xavier is suddenly plunged into a living hell of interrogations and suspicion: one that's complicated by the fact he was the last person to see his former boss alive. Now for the twist, which comes fortunately early but does turn the entire premise of the show on its head. As it turns out, they're not in America at all. Well, they are, but the 'Paradise' of the show's title is actually a bunker far below the ground that's been designed to look like a city (bear with me). The remainders of humanity have been camped out there ever since an unspecified world-ending event… and now, there's a killer in their midst. As far as shock reveals go, it's a doozy, and pivots the whole show from a generic murder mystery into an enjoyable silly 'what if' that aims for the kind of apocalyptic gravitas that The Last of Us managed to summon, and nose-dives short of it. Yep. And from there, the show veers off sideways. As Xavier attempts to unravel the mystery – with nothing more to go off than one maybe-clue – one of the President's cigarettes has a number written on it! What could it mean? – enemies with shady motives suddenly start popping up at every turn. Who can he trust? Perhaps it's the tight-lipped, perma-glaring Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson), who seems to run the whole commune with an iron fist? Perhaps it's his violent, incompetent subordinate (Jon Beavers). Or perhaps it's the gorgeous, mysterious and confident grief therapist (Sarah Shahi, alluring stare working overtime) who decides to assist him in his quest for answers (hint: it might be this one). To be honest, the story is as flimsy as they come. Important plot points are glossed over. Xavier decides on one person's guilt (and decides to trust another) with nothing more to go off than a gut feeling. There's a doohickey with important secrets on it that of course has gone missing. Two characters decide to dodge potential bugging devices by having sex in a shower and whispering important secrets to each other. Intertwined with all the Paradise bunker-action are sepia-toned flashbacks about how the characters actually got to where they are. That means we do actually get to see James Marsden as the late President, Cal Bradford, even if all he does is act rueful and charming and demonstrate his burgeoning alcohol addiction to the audience. We do also get insights into the characters populating the bunker, which are pulled off with varying levels of success and/ or cliché. It's kind of like The Truman Show crossed with Lost, and while the actors give it their all, it's hard not to fight the urge to eye-roll. Everybody speaks seriously about the Future of the World. There's nary a flicker of a smile. People are hiding troubled pasts and everything looks grey. For an enjoyable binge-watch, this will do nicely. But for glossy prestige TV – the area Paradise seems to be aiming for – it leaves you cold. Streaming now on Disney+
