User Reviews

I've never been one for 'period' or costume drama but I quite enjoyed the two episodes I've seen so far.

I don't understand the "distinctly cardboard-looking Victorian Street" comment in one of the reviews. Really? It looked real enough to me and judging by the location feature on this site it was.

There are loads of streets like that in the UK. I can think of a few in Bristol alone.

I mistakenly watched the second episode before the first and I was quite surprised to see two or three characters behaving quite differently between the two episodes for no apparent reason.

Other than that, just relax and enjoy it. Or not watch it just to pick out perceived flaws.

I normally avoid what I call "modern" costume-dramas like the plague, no "Downtons" or "Candlefords" in our house, but having read the source novel by Emile Zola (one of the rare novels my wife and I both enjoyed reading) and believing then that it had continued relevance in today's shopping mall, hypermarket, bigger-is-better consumer society, I was persuaded to tune in.

I'm rather glad I did, as, while I can easily see the soap suds gathering around the fringes, still Zola's story-telling skills shine through. I can't remember enough about the novel to place the appropriate episodes depicted here, although some of course were of modern invention, still I felt as a whole, the series maintained consistency, continuity and credibility throughout.

It's well acted with, in the lead roles, Emun Elliot as the charismatic retail supremo Moray (Mouret, in the original French) and Joanna Vanderham as the initially demure but fast developing shop-girl-in-a-hurry Denise, while the rest of cast support well, with the possible exception of Sarah Lancashire, who overplays the starchy department manageress, Miss Audrey.

I would carp at the sets which seem to be have been done on the cheap, you hardly get the impression that the store is large at all and as for the exteriors, it appears the BBC could only be bothered to dress up one section of the street outside the shop, giving an air of budget-cuts to proceedings.

Nevertheless, this was easy-to-watch family entertainment, which I'm pleased to see has been commissioned for a second series. We'll be watching.

This is not to summarize the show, that's been done by others. I've read some disparaging remarks about both the show and the actors. I almost did not watch this show on Netflix because of the comments. One poster said it had a horrible ending that made no sense, etc. Another poster has made very unkind comments about some of the actor's abilities. I did not want to take the time to get into two full seasons of a show that had mediocre acting and a poorly written ending. I watched the first episode anyway, then the second. They were very good but I still didn't want to take the plunge. Therefore, a couple of months went by before I watched another episode, then another and another until I said "oh what the heck!" It was pulling me back night after night until I came to the last episode quite expecting to be disappointed in the ending (due to posted comments). I can tell you honestly, and in my humble opinion, that I don't know what those other two posters were watching. The Paradise produced wonderful acting in all parts (remember, these folks are being directed) and there wasn't a thing wrong with the ending. Which brings me back to my summary line - "don't hesitate to watch this two season show!" I believe you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed it.

This period piece about a young woman who starts work at a department store lead by a charismatic and impetuous director is an enjoyable piece of fluff with a lovely mix of drama, comedy, mystery, and romance. The first season, loosely on a novel, is thoroughly engaging. The second season is fairly compelling as well but also rather daft, with all sorts of logic issues and characters who personality traits have become oddly fluid.

The cast is excellent, particularly the lovely Joanna Vanderham in the main role and David Hayman as the mysterious Jonas. It's a shame this only got two seasons. Definitely recommended.

I couldn't get into Mr. Selfridge but I enjoyed this show. It's a shame there are only two seasons. Why BBC, why??

When they cancelled Lark Rise to Candleford, the BBC promised us that it was to "make room for other dramas". So far, I haven't seen anything worth watching, until The Paradise came on. It has the same gentle feel that Lark Rise did, and the same idea of having pride in the work you do. It is really nice to have a TV show which is not obsessed with having nude scenes in it, or using swear words at every turn, but rather concentrating on a good script, and a storyline that makes you want to know what is going to happen next. Some of the characters do feel like they need to find themselves a little bit, but since this is the first series, I think that they can easily be forgiven for that! This is definitely a show to watch, especially if you were a fan of Lark Rise to Candleford.

The Paradise is just that! An amazing show which captivates you very quickly and has you thinking constantly. If it is not about the era, the times, the cast, or writing...It is what is next! I am a definite movie buff with hundreds of thousands of shows watched. Not to say anyone is qualified to say what is good or bad but The Paradise is just simply VERY good in many ways. This series was a refreshing step away from the overdone crime dramas and did not need or require nudity nor profanity to make is superb. Some here criticize the last episode(s) however they may not understand this - the writers knew the show would be canceled well before it ended, sadly, and were required to conjure up a somewhat appealing ending. I am highly disappointed, again, in the BBC's horrid decision to cancel. Those in the BBC who "decided" to cancel are far better off working as shoe makers or barbers and should kindly step out of the entertainment business.

I haven't read the Zola book upon which this series is supposedly based but I have read Zola and there is NO WAY this reflects anything he wrote-- i.e.., an innocent rube's sugar-coated rise to the top. Zola's books were tough, his kind of realism is not reflected in this series. Moreover the series in NO WAY reflects the time in which it was made -- men and women -- in Victorian England no less -----kissing out in the street with impunity, inter-racial sex, women wanting it all and to be treated equally to a man, not to mention the lesbian French woman- a cliché of both lesbians and French, get real, this is not 2020, it's mid -1800. The best thing about this series to me was the store itself, nicely done; I like the costumes too -- the matching hats with the dresses, good work. Other than that thumbs down -- it was a boring slog to get through, but I did, yay me.

If you come to this series having first read Zola's book, you'll be greatly disappointed. There are few touch points between the two, and the entire spirit is different as well. What they do have very much in common is the theme of big business relentlessly and irreversibly destroying small business.

That said, I enjoyed this series. Denise is suitably innocent and pure, Moray is single-minded and lecherous, and the introduced character of Jonas is malevolent. Yes, the whole show has Victorian melodrama stamped all over it, but that doesn't make it any less compelling.

Given the ending of series 1, I can't imagine what series 2 will be like.

Sometimes I think I know where this story is going and it suddenly takes a turn not expected.

At first glance many of the situations and characters seem so common or typical. As the story goes along the characters develop rich persona's and quirks of their own. Some of them need work but it's small criticism. Despite it's period setting, the feel is very contemporary and the writing style, sharp for period pieces. Still it's good for young and old. I don't often warm to these period pieces with women in long dresses and lace and the class differences being used as reason for conflict. Paradise seems to give equal standing to all its characters, regardless of class, and invents interesting back stories for so many of them. The sets and scenery and costume are good but not outstanding. The quality comes from the concept and the well written script.

Loved it!! This was a thoroughly delightful series to watch. Stunning costumes. Outstanding performances. Based around Paradise, England's first department store, Tollgate Street, its many merchants and surrounding countryside. The Paradise has it all: love, hate, greed, rivalries, betrayals, intrigue, secrecy, control, manipulation and redemption. Moray, who owns and operates the Paradise is tormented by his past,which direction to follow and being true to his heart/soul. He's torn between Katherine, a rich arrogant aristocrat vs Denise, love interest, pretty country girl. Denise and Moray, both have mixed emotions of jealously and career ambition. A cast of interesting characters reveals their own struggles...Jonas, store detective, Mr. Westin, cruel sociopath, Sam, fun loving sales person. A very well written story with many twists & turns. Disappointed the story doesn't continue. FYI AMAZON VIEWER REVIEWS ARE VERY POSITIVE AND MORE FAIR.

I have now watched 5 episodes of The Paradise and find myself hooked in, and irritated, in equal measure. Love the pantomime villain, Mr. Jonas and the smooth but threatening Lord Glendenning. Katherine Glendenning, quick-witted, manipulative, but never quite decisive enough to stick to her choices, is also proving to be an interesting character. But oh dear - Mr. Moray seems to have studied at the Gordon Ramsay school of acting, with ** every other ** word studded ** with pregnant ** pauses ... This, coupled with an apparent inability to look at anyone he is speaking to, makes his performance so wooden and laughable he is reduced to a good-looking plank dressed in nice clothes. How he ever managed to find the shop each morning is a mystery, let alone make a success of running it. His right-hand man is a younger, right-on version of Gordon Brown, concerned more with equal opportunities for the staff than turning a profit. Most of the characters are fairly ludicrous, although the toffs are making a better job of believability than the staff. A special mention to Sarah Lancashire as Miss Audrey, a crude caricature in the first episode that has now settled nicely into a cross between Hyacinth Bucket and Lady Grantham. The few good performances only serve to highlight the more numerous bad ones, and among them I include Joanna Vanderham as Denise, who plays every scene with either a trembling lip, smug conceit or a jolly hockeysticks grin. I shall keep on watching but god knows why.

The story of a young woman who works in a department store and gets caught up in the charms of the modern world.

The Paradise is full of love and hate, rivalries and partnerships, betrayals and reconciliations, intrigue and secrecy, a touch of sex and a little violence. Everything to make it a fun and interesting show to watch.

The series tells the story of poor, country girl Denise, who comes to London in the 1870s and finds a job at a department store called The Paradise. You follow her transition from country mouse to city girl who turns out to have a flair for the burgeoning world of shopping and selling, plus learn about the various characters whose lives connect through the store.

Costuming is absolutely gorgeous and true to the period and class structure of the times . The setting, scenery and sets are near perfection. All works together to draw you into the place that is the Paradise, England's first department store . I eat this stuff up !

The cast is excellent, particularly the lovely Joanna Vanderham in the main role ! She is so charming and also a woman to be reckoned with for sure.

Irish actress Elaine, 33, plays Katherine Glendenning in bbc1's department-store drama, set in the 1870s.

The juxtaposition of these two lead women characters is excellent and really brings the sparks igniting in their roles .Wonderful show, great characters, beautiful sets as well as heartwarming stories mixed in with a little darkness for drama. I feel anyone who enjoyed Downton Abby may like this. 8/10.

The Paradise is a very good show,you can see culture about 19 century of British empire.people who make the show work hard to cover details of that time and also great effort on thinking and behaving of people.the characters are splendid and idea about creating this show is kinda different and also it's very good to watch.people who loves 19 century styles and living,this drama show will attract you so much.this show also teach you how to establish a good business,if you are willing to one.many inspiration things you can find in this show.in today's world people forgot to care about their staff and there is very rare such thing like loyalty and honesty in big supermarkets/shops/firms,but in this show you will see such things.At last a very good show,who likes old time drama and want some inspiration must watch it.

The Paradise is a fictional version of Britain's first ever department store. The place feels like a cross between Liberty and Selfridges, except that it's up north – just outside Sunderland by the sound of it, and all of the staff get to live upstairs above the shop – a staff perk that workers at M&S are very unlikely to ever enjoy.

On the opposite side of a distinctly cardboard-looking Victorian Street, peopled with uncomfortable-looking extras, is Edmund Lovett's sweet little drapery shop – clearly in urgent need of a paint job, having recently been so meticulously distressed by a stand-by chippy. Not surprisingly, poor Edmund is being put out of business by The Paradise, and he's far from happy about it.

When Edmund's niece Denise (Joanna Vanderham) arrives on the scene she immediately faces us with a major challenge – that of trying to work out where exactly she is from. She begins with an Irish accent, quickly switches to Scottish in the next speech, then for a while settles on good old-fashioned English R.P. Then she veers back into Irish for a while, finally settling, via a brief stab at West Country, on Scottish. And she achieves all of this linguistic wizardry while pouting at the camera and glancing seductively over one shoulder.

The Paradise is owned by the smooth skinned, deeply sexy John Moray (played by Emun Elliott). This character, while looking beautiful and managing to successfully wrangle a single accent, insists, however, on playing every single line with exactly the same intonation, as if having a stab at the script for the first time at a table read.

Much to the horror of her uncle, Moray offers Denise a job, and soon her heaving breast becomes very much a part of the furniture in ladieswear & haberdashery on the first floor. My favourite scene was when Moray stroked Denise's face and told her to have just one hair askew, as nothing in life has any business being perfect. This sensual piece of dialogue has been a favourite of mine ever since I heard it spoken almost word for word the first time, by Peter O'Toole in James Goldman's masterpiece The Lion in Winter.

Enter rich and evil pantomime villain Lord Glendenning (deliciously overplayed by Patrick Malahide). As the audience hiss and boo he places his mouth close to Moray's ear and whispers, "If you break her heart, I shall make it my business… to ruin you!" It is probably also worth mentioning craggy skinned Jonas Franks (played by David Hayman) who appears to be in the series for no reason other than to slowly peer around doors. His is a face I'm sure I will see in my nightmares for many weeks to come. Hopefully his character will be fleshed out in future episodes.

This series has the same chief writer as Lark Rise to Candleford, Bill Gallagher. Like millions of others I am a fan of Lark Rise, which appears, at first sight, to be infinitely better constructed, better written, better acted and better directed.

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witty, moving, adorable, suspenseful, intriguing, and the list goes on... hats off... pun intended... I simply stumbled upon this series by just randomly clicking on my Netflix pages... This show had me from the first few scenes... the amazing music, the place/setting, and people... then as it progressed, the plots, the conversations, the atmosphere, etc... you really have something good to learn from this... good brain and heart food... i was watching the screen, but i could feel it, smell it, touch it... very captivating... I really wish there were more shows like this... or that this one would never end... I did not really want to say much about this show because I simply just want you to try it and see how good it is for yourself, without too much of my input on it (but i'm forced to enter at least 10 lines) I'm in love...

I might be slightly prejudiced due to my costuming background and love of period pieces by BBC... you are forewarned :-) This was a thoroughly delightful series to watch and I was hooked after the first 15 minutes of the first episode. Costuming is absolutely gorgeous and true to the period and class structure of the times (1875-188?). The setting, scenery and sets are near perfection. All works together to draw you into the place that is the Paradise, England's first department store, Tollgate Street and its many merchants and the surrounding countryside where the gentry reside.

This TV series drops us into Victorian England and shows us a variety of class members through stories of their lives. We are invited into their homes, shops, places of work and places they play and relax. The Paradise department store is the fulcrum around which all these stories revolve. Businesses and business dealings, the under belly of English society, working class girls, shop owners and their worries, the complexities of love and the consequences of hate. The relationships and back stories of each character are drawn out a bit at a time and the story lines keep moving along episode after episode so the audience is never bored.

The Paradise is full of love and hate, rivalries and partnerships, betrayals and reconciliations, intrigue and secrecy, a touch of sex and a little violence. Everything to make it a fun and interesting show to watch.

In the second series the beginnings, the catalyst to, the rise of the women's movement is touched upon a little more with each episode. Through the main character, Denise, we get to see the reactions of the men around her, who claim to love her, to her entrepreneurial spirit and her desire to be more... to be a career minded business woman.

Many other political and class-based issues are touched upon including the plight of soldiers who have returned from brutal wars and the scars, both physical and mental, they bear. The severe inequalities of the class structure are also showcased. I strongly recommend this series to all who love great Historic Fiction... and fabulous costuming and sets.

The most boring and inane series I have watched in years. The story wasn't a line it was a circle. It never went anywhere. Moray was the biggest selfish wimp ever. He only cared about himself and used everyone else. Junk.

This new Masterpiece Theatre effort is based on Emile Zola's novel, Au Bonheur des Dames, the literal translation of which is The Happiness of Ladies.

Apart from the usual hatchet jobs ... oh, pardon me, I mean the "necessary changes," of course ... that people in the film and TV industry believe it is their god-given right to make to the original works on which they base their productions, it's a typical MT period piece, with most of the original dark, unpleasant rough edges suitably smoothed out for the easier consumption of TV audiences. Perhaps not entirely a bad thing if you're looking for light entertainment, since Zola's works can get to be too depressing for words. I say this with due apologies to those here who are hopelessly devoted to the "social indictment/kitchen-sink drama" variety of literature.

Anyway, The Paradise is not bad for a bit of Sunday evening entertainment. Of course, if you consider yourself to be above that sort of thing, you can always pick the book up the book, instead.

After having just watched all episodes from season 1 of the this series I am curious from which circus many of the costumes for some of the characters escaped? From the fit, cut, fabrics and trims to the audacious color contrasts within garments I find so many of the costumes completely theatrical and unbelievable. So sad and disappointing compared to the production design attention to period details. Perhaps that's where the budget went? I look forward to season 2 and hoping that a different design eye may correct many of the problems.