The following contains spoilers for the first three episodes of Paradise, now streaming on HuluParadise's cast of characters are focused entirely on that event, with flashbacks expanding their character dynamics and histories. It's a compelling character drama with particularly high stakes. However, this is all quietly a fake-out.

Paradise's murder mystery actually has a major sci-fi element underneath it all, hiding in plain sight. The entire show is set within a contained city, which adds a new layer of mystery and potential to the concept. However, while Paradise's execution separates it from other mystery shows, the sci-fi concept has actually been used in very different properties. Their similarities with Paradise highlight how surprisingly versatile the concept can be, especially when explored through different kinds of stories.

Paradise Is Set In A Domed City

Paradise Largely Takes Place In A Domed City Under A Mountain

The big reveal at the end of Paradise's first episode is that the entire show takes place in a city kept alive underneath a massive dome, giving the Hulu mystery a surprising story connection to Stephen King and The Simpsons. While most of the first episode of Paradise is focused on the fallout of Cal Bradford's assassination, the final moments confirm that the city is actually underneath a mountain in Coloardo. It turns out that a cataclysmic event happened in Paradise's recent history, which seemingly destroyed much of the world and wiped out most of humanity.

This closes in the setting [of Paradise] in an interesting way and sets up all sorts of potential directions for the show to go in future episodes, as the sci-fi twist expands the scope of the setting in a major way.

This post-apocalyptic turn is given further exploration in the second and third episodes of the show, which delve into how Samantha Redmond and Gabriela Torabi were involved in the creation and cultivation of the city. The city's construction was spearheaded by Redmond, who feared global catastrophes like climate change could threaten her daughter. This closes in the setting in an interesting way and sets up all sorts of potential directions for the show to go in future episodes, as the sci-fi twist expands the scope of the setting in a major way.

Paradise Is A More Focused Version Of Stephen King's Under The Dome

Paradise Being A Mini-Series Means A Much Tighter Character Focus

Paradise shares a sci-fi turn with Stephen King's Under the Dome, which also explored the interpersonal fallout of a city being stuck together in a domed city. The sprawling 2009 novel was eventually adapted into a TV show of the same name, which was expanded into a three-season storyline starring Mike Vogel, Rachelle Lefevre, and Dean Norris. While Paradise (at least so far) has the dome established an entirely human invention that was made out of desperation to save some remnants of the United States, Under the Dome had the creators of the titular barrier remain mysterious.

Both shows also explored the effect that living in a contained setting would have on people, although the more panicked rural setting of Under the Dome contrasts against the artificially normal small city of Paradise, which has a bigger population of characters (and potential suspects for Bradford's death). Tonally, Paradise and Under the Dome do share some elements, such as a character driven approach to the concept, even as Paradise's shorter run-time as a mini-series means the story remains much more character focused.

Paradise And The Simpsons Use A Domed City To Talk About Climate Change

The Simpsons Movie And Paradise Both Use Ecological Disasters As Plot Points

Paradise's approach to a domed city actually has more in common thematically with The Simpsons Movie. The feature-length adventure of TV's favorite animated family focused on the city of Springfield becoming such an environmental nightmare that the government, led by Russ Cargill, arranged for the city to be covered in a massive dome. This gives both stories a clear ecological element, as both shows highlight the danger of the environmental change on the survivability of the human race. Both The Simpsons Movie and Paradise also have a keen focus on the dangerous influence of wealthy figures on government institutions.

Cargill and Redmond are both show manipulating their respective presidents to ensure the circumstances work out in their favor, positioning them as antagonists against the more grounded lead characters. Paradise just plays it completely straight for drama, while The Simpsons escalates all the chaos for comedy. This highlights that while the core sci-fi concept at the heart of Paradise may have been done before, the show's tonal mix and larger story motivations separates it from other approaches to similar ideas.