Critic Peter Travers reviews "Paradise," created by Dan Fogelman and starring Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson and James Marsden.

As an executive producer and star of the new Hulu series “Paradise,” Sterling K. Brown put the hours of TV he watches to good use and cast actors he admires.

Eyes were on Hulu’s new drama Paradise so audiences could see if Fogelman’s reunion with This Is Us standout Sterling K. Brown could match the previous levels of entertainment. And another surprise was waiting at the end of Paradise Episode 1 – though it’s one that will have a quicker payoff in its explanation.

The actors star in Hulu's "Paradise," which reunites Brown with "This Is Us" creator Dan Fogelman and meditates on climate change and technology.

James Marsden co-stars in this post-apocalyptic Hulu series that continues to raise more questions than it answers

Hulu released the first episode of its new murder mystery/political thriller, "Paradise," on Sunday, two days ahead of its planned Tuesday night debut.

This Is Us star Sterling K. Brown is joined by James Marsden and Julianne Nicholson in Dan Fogelman's new show Paradise (on Disney+ in Canada, Hulu in the U.S.). But while the showrunner is the same,

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.

The writer and producer Dan Fogelman has a CV that spans genres, from a script credit on Pixar’s 2006 movie “Cars” to creating the musical fantasy series “Galavant.” But Fogelman is best known for “This Is Us,

Hulu has made the first episode of Paradise available on the platform. The surprise drop comes two days before the triller was supposed to premiere.

"This Is Us" alums Sterling K. Brown and Dan Fogelman reunite for "Paradise," a political thriller set to premiere on Hulu on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

Your TV GPS, a look at the week ahead in television, appears every Monday morning on BostonGlobe.com. Today’s column covers Jan 28-Feb 2.