Julianne Nicholson scored an Emmy nomination for her work in Paradise season two, specifically the finale episode, “Exodus.” Her character, Samantha Redmond—aka “Sinatra,” aka the billionaire who funded not only the apocalypse bunker where the show is mostly set but also a mysterious, super-powerful AI with reality-altering capabilities—sacrifices herself to close a crucial nuclear blast door and save countless lives.
It’s an unexpected redemption arc for a character who once prioritized survival above just about everything, but in a new interview with Gold Derby, Nicholson said it showed just how much Sinatra has evolved.
“I thought that was the perfect ending for her,” she said. “I feel like it redeemed her and gave her grace. The person we see at the end of season two was a very different woman than the one we met at the beginning of season one.”
And just because Sinatra presumably perished inside the exploding bunker doesn’t mean we won’t see her in the third and final season of Paradise. The show’s storytelling leans heavily into flashbacks, so we’re sure to see more of the character that way—and with Alex the AI out here reshaping space and time, who’s to say she won’t find some other way to return?
Of course Nicholson is going to say things like, “I feel like she was quite literally put to rest there” and not give any solid season three details. But she does say this, referencing that social media post shared by Paradise creator Dan Fogelman showing new characters played by Elijah Wood and Melissa Benoist:
“Expect the unexpected. I have no idea what’s happening throughout most of season three. Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. I cannot wait to watch. It’s crazy—I saw a post of Elijah Wood in space, so I don’t know. How does that work? I have no idea.”
So far there’s no word on when Paradise will return and show us exactly what’s lurking under the Denver airport, but early 2027 feels like a good guess.
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