Fashion
In ‘Paradise,’ Sterling K. Brown and Dan Fogelman Return. ‘This Is Us’ It Isn’t
The actor and creator tried something much less weepy this time: a sci-fi thriller. Still it was “a homecoming on so many levels,” Brown said.
Sterling K. Brown and Dan Fogelman realize that some viewers might want another “This Is Us.” That tear-jerking NBC hit, which Fogelman created, was a sprawling, time-hopping family drama in which Brown played Randall Pearson, the adopted Black son in a white family who is grappling with his mental health.
Millions of weekly viewers fell in love with Randall, a man who, as Brown described him, was exceptionally forthcoming with his feelings. But his character in the Hulu series “Paradise,” which Fogelman also created, isn’t Randall. He is physically intimidating, stoic — a Secret Service agent who keeps his feelings closely guarded.
“I’m sure there’ll be about 12 percent of people who are like, ‘This ain’t Randall, what’s going on?’” Brown said in a call earlier this month. “Then for that 12 percent, hopefully, after the pilot, they’ll be like: ‘Oh, this ain’t Randall. Let’s see what they’re doing next.’”
What they’re doing next is a sci-fi thriller, which debuted on Sunday, in which Brown’s character, Xavier, is assigned to protect the U.S. president (James Marsden). The job becomes more complicated when the president is found murdered early in the pilot. Augmenting the crisis is the seemingly idyllic but eerily nondescript setting, where the commander in chief lives in a white house that doesn’t seem to be the White House.
“Paradise” is in many ways a return to familiarity for Brown and Fogelman, who worked together for six seasons on “This Is Us,” racking up nine Emmy nominations between them and one win, for best drama actor. They brought back many crew members from “This Is Us,” from directors to hair and makeup artists.
