2 weeks ago
Editor’s note: Deadline’s It Starts connected nan Page (Drama) features standout play bid scripts successful 2026 Emmy contention.
After scoring 4 Emmy nominations past year, including Outstanding Drama Series, Dan Fogelman‘s Paradise returned for Season 2 pinch caller formed additions, greater mysteries and a finale cliffhanger to rival its first season. In its sophomore year, nan celebrated post-apocalyptic thriller flipped assemblage expectations by picking up not pinch bid lead Xavier’s (Sterling K. Brown) quest to find his woman extracurricular nan bunker, but alternatively newcomer Annie (Shailene Woodley), who has been waiting retired nan ambiance catastrophe successful Graceland.
The premiere, written by show creator Fogelman and Eric Wen, traces nan communicative of Annie from puerility to coming day. After dropping retired of aesculapian schoolhouse and uncovering herself successful beforehand of her sole safe abstraction — Elvis Presley’s mansion, nan remaining tether betwixt her and her precocious mother — she stumbles into a occupation arsenic a circuit guide, making speedy friends pinch information guard, Gayle (Angel Laketa Moore). When nan extremity of nan world arrives, Annie and Gayle hunker down successful nan King of Rock and Roll’s basement, wherever an wounded yet claims nan latter’s life. After years spent unsocial pinch canned beans, scented candles and a fistful of books arsenic company, nan sun slow returns to lukewarm nan earth, bringing pinch it a unusual caller unit led by nan charming Link (Thomas Doherty).
In his intro to nan script, which marks his penning debut, Wen reveals really nan thought of Xavier making a pit extremity astatine Graceland came about, nan investigation progressive arsenic he “didn’t cognize sh*t astir Elvis,” and which Presley opus he utilized arsenic a touchstone for exploring a communicative that mirrored our pandemic realities arsenic good arsenic nan exhilarating beginnings of newfound connection.
Here is Wen’s intro, followed by nan script.
Pretty early successful our play 2 writers room, we were imagining nan characters Xavier would brushwood connected his travel extracurricular nan bunker erstwhile I retrieve Dan abruptly asking, “Guys, what if he goes to Graceland?!” If my representation is correct, it each crystallized successful that moment: he described a young female who dropped retired of aesculapian schoolhouse and became a Graceland circuit guide, and really she survived nan apocalypse successful nan location by herself. And we would commencement nan play telling her communicative and her communicative alone.
I didn’t cognize sh*t astir Elvis. I spent days reference astir Graceland and watching YouTube videos conscionable to get a consciousness of nan geography. (Which, successful retrospect, I find benignant of funny knowing that later successful nan play immoderate of our writers did really extended investigation connected quantum mentation and each I had to do was fig retired which rooms were successful Elvis’s house.) But erstwhile it came clip to activity connected my parts of nan section nan opus “Are You Lonesome Tonight” kept popping up successful my head. Maybe conscionable arsenic a needle driblet we could usage astatine immoderate point, but I besides started reasoning astir this thought of loneliness successful an apocalypse.
Dan emphasized from nan opening that he didn’t want to do different show astir “scary men pinch guns.” We still play pinch this anticipation erstwhile Link and his unit arrive, but he wanted our exploration of nan extracurricular world to attraction connected quality stories. Annie’s communicative successful immoderate ways reflected our experiences during nan Covid pandemic erstwhile galore of america were isolated trying to past what, astatine times, felt for illustration an apocalyptic moment. For her emotion communicative pinch Link, I thought astir my partner whom I met successful 2021 not agelong aft things started to reopen: nan excitement and awkwardness astatine nan opening of immoderate narration erstwhile you’re still trying to consciousness retired a caller person’s intentions; nan fearfulness of being vulnerable, aliases being hurt. (Only successful this case, imagining this aft a agelong play of isolation erstwhile everyone you cognize is dead.) Watching nan section now, I deliberation astir it little arsenic a communicative astir endurance and much astir loneliness and longing for quality connection.
Anyway, what do I know? When I look astatine nan different writers who participate successful these “It Starts connected nan Page” features, it feels absurd that I’ve been asked to do this. I’m everlastingly grateful that I moreover sewage to beryllium a portion of this section pinch Dan Fogelman, Glenn Ficarra & John Requa, nan unthinkable Shailene Woodley and Thomas Doherty, and each of our writers, actors, and astonishing crew. Thank you, and apologies to each nan Deadline readers who were hoping to get immoderate penetration into our show from Dan but alternatively had to publication my diary.
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