The series premiered in 2020 on WGN America and picked up many passionate fans along the way.

The team-up of Christian Kane and Dean Devlin always leads to magic, so we were left in shock when the series was let go by the cable network.

Thankfully, Amazon Freevee stepped in and picked up Almost Paradise Season 2, and it premieres this summer.

As revealed Monday by TV Line, all ten episodes of Almost Paradise Season 2 will wash up on the free streaming service on Friday, July 21.

It will be available in the U.S. and the UK on that date, with other territories likely following shortly after.

Kane returns to star along with returning executive producers and co-showrunners Devlin and Gary Rosen.

Kane plays Alex Walker, a former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent forced into early retirement.

The combination of his partner's betrayal and a life-threatening battle with hypertension has sent him as far from the madness as he can get—to a small tropical island in the Philippine archipelago.

He now runs the gift shop in the island's luxury resort hotel, which attracts the rich, powerful, and sometimes criminal elite from around the world.

Despite his best efforts to transition from Jason Bourne to Jimmy Buffett, Alex is pulled back into a world of dangerous people and deadly situations—either through his friends in the local police, Kai Mendoza (Samantha Richelle) and Ernesto Alamares (Art Acuña), or encounters with people from his old life.

And the problem is that he likes it.

Almost Paradise was shot entirely in the Philippines.

Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson of Electric Entertainment executive produce alongside co-showrunners Devlin and Rosen. Mark Franco co-produces.

The trailer shows beautiful vistas, plenty of action, and, of course, Christian Kane.

Check it out below and hit the comments with your thoughts.

Will you follow the show to Freevee?

The post Almost Paradise Season 2 Washes Up on Freevee This Summer, and Big Changes Are on the Horizon appeared first on TV Fanatic.

IMDb TV, Amazon’s free streaming service, announced today the Season 2 pickup of the action series, created by Dean Devlin and Gary Rosen, who will also serve as co-showrunners.

The popular drama follows Alex Walker (Christian Kane, Leverage: Redemption), a former U.S. DEA agent who, after his partner’s betrayal and a life-threatening battle with hypertension, is forced into early retirement and relocates to a small tropical island in the Philippines.

Almost Paradise Season 1 is exclusively available to stream on-demand on IMDb TV in the U.S.

"Once the DEA’s most resourceful undercover operative, Walker now runs the gift shop in the island’s luxury resort hotel," reads the official description of the series.

"While he manages to transition from top DEA agent to laid-back islander, the luxury resort has attracted the rich, powerful—and sometimes criminal—elite from around the world, often on a collision course with Alex."

"Despite his best efforts to begin a tranquil new life, he’s pulled back into a world of dangerous people and deadly situations, either through his friends in the local police, Kai Mendoza (Samantha Richelle, Syd) and Ernesto Alamares (Arthur Acuña, The Bourne Legacy), or running into people from his old life."

"And the problem is, he likes it"

The series is executive produced by Dean Devlin, Gary Rosen, Marc Roskin, and Rachel Olschan-Wilson.

The series drew decent reviews and garnered a devoted following when it aired on WGN America.

It last aired almost two years ago, leading to concerns about the future.

Devlin and Kane are already in the IMDb TV family with Leverage Redemption, which recently snagged a Season 2 pickup.

IMDb TV was previously said to be considering picking up new seasons of canceled ABC dramas Rebel and For Life.

It is good to know the streaming service will bring shows back to life.

The cast of Almost Paradise also includes Samantha Richelle, Arthur Acuña, Nonie Buencamino, Ces Quesada, Sophia Reola, Ryan Eigenmann, Will Devaughn, Zaijan Jaranilla, Raymond Bagatsing, and Zsa Zsa Padilla.

What are your thoughts on the revival?

Hit the comments below.

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After all, he dealt with a couple of his most prominent sources of anxiety, the partner that betrayed him and his estranged daughter, on Almost Paradise Season 1 Episode 10.

When the episode opened with Alex having a flashback about the events in Barcelona 17 months ago, obviously, he was still haunted by his betrayal by Carpenter.

Did Alex really see Carpenter in the lobby of his resort?

Maybe yes, maybe no. After all, the groggy Alex hadn't had his first cup of coffee of the day. So maybe it was a hallucination, or maybe he just saw an Aussie who looked like Carpenter.

That did set up that funny moment when the paranoid Alex almost whacked his estranged daughter Evelyn with an oar.

Maybe Alex should have been more afraid of Evelyn than Carpenter.

After all, she was the wronged party in that case, unlike how Alex was the wronged party when it came to Carpenter.

Their reunion was every bit as tense as it should have been, as both believed that they were in the right.

Evelyn felt abandoned by Alex while Alex thought he was doing the right thing to protect Alex and his ex-wife.

Neither's emotions were less valid than the other's.

In the year and a half since Alex had separated from the DEA, he should have made more of an effort to mend fences with Evelyn.

But then, Carpenter was still out there somewhere, and despite his best efforts, Alex hadn't totally dropped off the face of the earth.

So by not making contact, he was still protecting Evelyn.

What was sad was that the pair didn't see how similar they were to each other.

Each was attempting to make the world a better place — Alex, through the DEA, and Evelyn, through the Peace Corps.

Alex was thoroughly disillusioned after serving as a soldier in the war of drugs. Let's see how much innocence Evelyn loses during her assignment in Indonesia.

Then poor Evelyn put Alex in the hospital, at least from her point of view.

After all that time apart, she had no idea about how serious Alex's hypertension and anxiety attacks could be.

It was a good thing that Kai was there for her at the hospital.

Kai had always been arguing with her mother, as shown on Almost Paradise Season 1 Episode 6.

So Kai was able to give Evelyn some much-needed perspective about having regrets about not mending a relationship with a parent.

Kai also got Evelyn to understand that Alex taught her combat skills not because he wanted a son but because he wanted to keep her safe.

Evelyn also got to discover how much Alex meant to his adoptive family as they all came to visit him at the hospital.

Especially touching was Rita giving up her prized amethyst crystal so that "Mister Alex" could get healed.

It figured that Evelyn's naivety was what ended up getting both her and, consequently, Alex in trouble.

Rather than asking Kai about her destination, Evelyn just trotted off to Bororanco, a place she had never been before. Kai could have stopped her from going or at least gone with her.

Nope, instead, Evelyn went alone and managed to get abducted right in front of Alex and Kai, which was certainly convenient timing.

Let's hope Evelyn does her homework before she starts running errands for total strangers while in Indonesia.

Fortunately, Alex was able to glean enough details from Diego's very brief hospital stay to determine from where Diego had come, based on his gang tattoo, the sand on his shoes, and his belt buckle.

OK. Suspension of disbelief and all that.

Most importantly, we finally learned why that damn marlin in his gift shop was so heavy: Alex's arsenal was hidden inside.

How did he ever get that through customs, especially since you know he didn't have any money for the appropriate bribes?

Alex's attack on Diego and the gang was memorable. He apparently has nothing against weapons in the right situation.

Still, this action pales compared to Ernesto's cleaning up that gang clubhouse on Almost Paradise Season 1 Episode 2.

Of course, Alex's old partner had tracked him down and knew exactly what Alex had been up to recently.

Carpenter wasn't all bad, since he had a bounty on his head because he couldn't bring himself to kill Alex in Barcelona.

Still, he was holding Evelyn hostage to make Alex kill the accountant and steal his ledger, all at police headquaters. That would allow Carpenter to get the bounty removed.

So he was mostly bad.

The solution was yet another Mactan P.D. production, in which Alex appeared to kill the accountant and steal the ledger.

Those Leverage-type touches never get old.

It was great to see that all her training paid off for Evelyn, once Alex prompted her to attack. It wasn't enough to have the skills. She had to get past her anxiety first.

It's amazing how Alex's anxiety only pops up when he's dealing with difficult people, not when he's kicking ass.

It was believable that, after Evelyn saw what her father had been dealing with all those years, she was more forgiving of him.

Also, she realized that he wasn't alone on Cebu.

Now, while the ratings haven't been great for Almost Paradise, maybe WGN will stick by its original programming, especially since the networks are raiding Canada, WGN's recent source for scripted series, for stopgrap fall programming.

TV Renewal Scorecard: What’s Canceled? What’s Renewed?

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To revisit Alex's transition to Cebu, watch Almost Paradise online.

What did you think of Evelyn?

Did this finale tie up the first season well?

How have you liked the series?

Comment below.

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The chief sent her undercover again in quite dangerous conditions on Almost Paradise Season 1 Episode 9.

She proved she had great investigative instincts and even managed to manipulate veteran agent Alex into providing her additional backup amid a gathering of Asian triad bosses and foot soldiers.

Now, if only she and Alex could stop pushing each other's buttons.

Give Dean Devlin credit for keeping them essentially being a big brother and little sister, constantly ragging on each other, with stoic Ernesto stuck in the middle as the father figure.

There have been a few sparks between Alex and Kai, so their becoming a couple at this juncture of the season would ruin the chemistry among the three agents.

Remember the Moonlighting Curse. And that was hardly the last series ruined by a forced romance.

Besides, between his quick temper and his hypertension, Alex couldn't handle Kai.

It would be nice if the Mactan Police Department would be more consistent in its treatment of Alex. 

Maybe Chief Ike could find a stipend to put Alex on retainer. If Alex is getting by on government disability payments, every little bit would help.

Granted, Alex involved himself in about half of the cases that he worked with Mactan P.D. In those cases, he was a volunteer.

Otherwise, he should get reimbursed by Ike for his time.

Then Alex wouldn't be whining about being broke all the time. Also, he could take the occasional cab rather than tying up P.D. vehicles.

This episode, Alex was tricked into volunteering by a sassy young detective.

So maybe Ike should just take care of Alex's medical bills, unless Dr. Patel treated him again and somehow can bill the U.S. government for it.

Truly, finding Tommy's murderer should have been a no-brainer.

Always, always, always suspect the young airhead fiancee, especially if she refused to sign a prenup.

How did it take Kai and Alex most of the hour before they determined one of her essential oils was cyanide?

Better yet, why didn't Jung Chow and all the other Triad folk, who hated Amber anyway, not assume she killed him for his money?

K.I.S.S., people.

It isn't just the police that have image-recognition software. Wouldn't someone in Tommy's organization have done a deep dive on her?

Sure, the other triad bosses had good reason to get rid of Tommy.

Now they just had to deal with Jung. He was that dumb, entitled second-generation baby, a thug without any management skills. They would likely have eliminated him in no time.

But a young wife would have worn down Tommy in any event. But before long, Amber would have wanted to travel, and he would have retired, had he not been poisoned first.

An FBI study revealed that women are seven times more likely to kill with poison. That left Big Sister Ling and Amber as suspects, and Amber was the one who would have benefitted first, had she lived that long.

Again, how did Amber stay under the radar? Because she had the New Age and astrology babble down cold?

Kai was quite believable as a wedding coordinator. Either she was a really quick study or had gotten detailed notes from the real wedding planner.

I mean, that was one smoothly run wedding, up until, you know, the groom dropped dead upon entering the reception after his bride tried dirty dancing with her "gay" stylist.

Her fake undercover title allowed Kai to improvise her way all over that resort, with the triad types none the wiser.

Thank God the resort had makeup and hair artists for Amber so that Alex didn't have much to do beyond locating her train. 

His ogling Amber didn't do much for his cover, either.

Tell the truth: Wouldn't you have liked to have seen Ernesto as the stylist?

Unfortunately, poor Ernesto was on monitor duty again.

But at least he got one scene where he and his two unnamed sidekicks kicked ass against a more significant number of thugs.

Then he was the one who had the hunch to run Amber through image-recognition and discovered she was a black widow who had killed four other "husbands."

By that point, Kai had gone off the grid so Ernesto couldn't fill her in on what he had determined. But she had reached the same conclusion on her own.

Dead last was Alex, who was still trying to help Amber escape almost up until the time she stuck him with a syringe. It was a good thing that he had developed some immunity to poisoning.

It was surprising it took Kai that long to take down Amber, even with Alex's help. That gown must have been somewhat confining, even with that high slit.

Hey, and how about Alex's new partner, Rita? She knew how to sweat a good deal out of Alex.

Then, while he was recovering, she had more people in that gift shop than he ever had. Fifty percent is still better than the nothing Alex generally brings in, so he shouldn't complain.

It's good to see Alex with a surrogate daughter since he's unlikely to see his own daughter anytime soon.

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To revisit past action before next week's finale, watch Almost Paradise online.

How long were the investigators before landing on Amber?

What did you think of Kai's undercover work?

Is she playing Alex or vice versa?

Comment below.

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Christian Kane as country singer was finally featured on Almost Paradise Season 1 Episode 8.

Not at all coincidentally, this episode was centered around a country singer who was at the center of a kidnapping plot.

So, yes, Kane's performance came up fairly organically, after a tease early in the episode.

This episode marked a pleasant change of pace as for once Alex wasn't the loudest personality present.

That honor went to August Crowe, the down-on-his-luck country singer attempting to mount a comeback concert on Cebu.

As August, Billy Ray Gallion (Lost) felt authentic, proudly soaking in his fans' appreciation at the airport as though country music hadn't passed him by a decade ago.

Accompanied by Shelton, his manager/enabler, it was simple to understand how August had taken such a long slide from stardom.

It was puzzling that Ike, Kai, and Ernesto viewed August as enough of a celebrity to rate abduction, especially when compared to some of the gang's past targets. A Google search would have cleared that up.

Even August, likely a veteran of many state-fair gigs, didn't understand that. But he did get that the surveillance reflected a kidnap attempt at the airport.

When Ike mentioned special security, it was evident he was speaking about Alex.

But somehow, after mere months, Alex had gotten his act together and didn't need the extra money. What a refreshing change of pace, as he wasn't whining for once!

But once Kai and Ernesto noted who he would be protecting, Alex was all in.

It was a funny twist having the real performer protecting the fake singer. 

August was an accident waiting to happen, what with his addictions to pills and booze. Alex tried to temporarily temper August's appetites, unlike Shelton, who had given up after their decades together.

But August still managed to get in trouble just going to the hotel bar.

Part of that was Alex's fault since he couldn't tell the difference between a real threat and a sketchy fan.

But most of that was a drunk August deciding to wander off to score, especially dangerous in a city and country that he didn't know.

Fortunately, Alex had learned the shady parts of the city already and knew where August was likely to have gone for drugs.

Alex almost scared off the trio of punks attempting to mug August, but one was stupid enough to attack him. There's always one macho idiot.

It was amusing that, for once, Alex wasn't Dr. Patel's most noncompliant patient. They have to find more screen time for her.

Shelton finally explained why August had become how he was, how he had slid down a slippery slope.

At least almost getting killed in a dark alley got through to August.

In that heartfelt talk with Alex, he appeared ready to make changes in his life.

Also, Alex got him to see the value that he placed on August's hit "Lone Wolf," which had gotten him through some tough times while undercover for the DEA.

August almost seemed to be turning a corner when he got abducted.

Although Alex and August could have been tailed, it was more likely that someone had told the kidnappers that they had gone to the beach.

The obvious candidate was Shelton, who kept close eyes on August. Also, he over-reacted toward Alex after the abduction, like he didn't want Alex there to mess up his plan.

Also the kidnappers asked for exactly the amount of money that August had remaining, which was remarkably convenient.

So it wasn't that surprising when the kidnapper that Ernesto captured admitted they were specifically hired to kidnap August.

So who would benefit from August's death? Shelton, especially after the value of August's music catalog would skyrocket.

Well, maybe that's a little strong, since August hadn't created any new music for a decade. You can only move so many "Greatest Hits" albums.

What was good about this episode was that Alex, and Kai and Ernesto, worked separately.

At first, Alex had to keep August out of trouble, no easy task.

Meanwhile, the two detectives attempted to get a line on the kidnappers.

After Kai determined that the teen who had stolen August's hat was working as a distraction for the kidnappers, they were able to track him down working at the airport while wearing the stolen hat. How dumb was that?

The kid did give them a line on a boxer as one of the kidnappers. When the kidnappers sent the proof-of-life stream, Alex identified a boxing gym.

Once they compared notes, Alex figured out where August was being held and could go after him while the other two followed the ransom money.

Ike was reliable as comic relief while modeling that pair of cowboy boots. Isn't it time for a little back story on Ike, so he can get a little depth? Otherwise, he'll remain a caricature.

It's a shame Alex had to use August's beloved guitar Jezebel to take down Shelton. But at least Alex inspired August to start writing songs again.

This episode displayed a more well-rounded, empathetic Alex than the angry squawker that's been featured in too many episodes thus far.

17 Endgame ‘Ships We Love With Endings We Hate

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To assess Alex's growth, watch Almost Paradise online.

What did you think of August?

Were you happy Christian Kane got to perform a bit?

When did you suspect Shelton?

Comment below.

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That was after meeting his Uncle Danny, the man who raised him, on Almost Paradise Season 1 Episode 7.

Now we know why Alex is so distrustful of everyone.

Danny, portrayed by the always reliable Richard Kind, was a piece of work, no doubt about it.

No wonder Alex's hypertension monitor went off as soon as Danny appeared in his gift shop.

Even though he showed up without any warning, Danny made himself right at home in Alex's apartment.

He certainly knew how to push Alex's buttons, mentioning his frequent visits with Evelyn, the daughter that Alex has rarely been able to see because of his past as an undercover DEA agent.

So Alex had every reason to be suspicious of Danny's arrival, especially considering their history.

Danny did the right thing when he took in his young nephew, Alex, who had nowhere else to go.

But then Danny turned Alex into his junior partner in crime, using Alex in many of his cons.

Danny thought that Alex should be thanking him for giving him the skills to thrive as an undercover agent. After all, Alex has been playing characters most of his life.

But Alex blamed Danny for his inability to trust people.

So the two have issues, which is what made this episode work well.

Alex couldn't believe that Danny just showed up to visit his favorite nephew.

And he was right. That became evident when Ernesto and Kai got assigned to find a grifter passing counterfeit bills at the local resorts.

This proved to be a valuable lesson for Kai, who was grousing about the assignments she and Ernesto received from Ike.

There are more to some assignments than originally appears to be the case. That same dictum would apply to Alex, as well, during this episode. 

Once they came to visit him at the gift shop, Alex thought he had figured out what Danny was up to, especially once he found the hidden compartment stuffed with bills in Danny's golf bag.

It didn't help that Danny didn't even come up with a believable lie to explain the stash.

It was easy to see why Danny had enjoyed a long run as a grifter. He was a likable rogue.

And with the wealthy Yee family gathering at the Paradise Resort, Danny had his pick of available marks.

Still, it didn't make sense that Danny, based in the Eastern United States, would have known about wealthy Asians gathering on a Philippine island.

It couldn't have accounted for his arrival there, and Alex should have realized it. The Yees that Danny befriended were merely convenient victims of opportunity.

So Alex proceeded to interfere with Danny's crooked round of golf, rigged golfballs, and all.

Where did Alex learn to play golf that well? Undercover DEA assignments couldn't have allowed much time for him on the links.

Maybe he should become the resort's golf pro instead and hustle matches on the side. It would have to pay better than the gift shop.

Then we could get rid of the tired "Alex is always broke" storyline.

Alex is always broke because he spends too much time on his hobby, solving crimes for free for the Mactan police, instead of his job of selling overpriced souvenirs.

No one expected Jessica Fletcher to sit at her typewriter writing for a half-hour each episode. The same principle applies here. Move on.

It took Alex winning the round for Danny to finally admit that he was on the run from a contract hitter.

It sounded like another Danny lie until Alex, again steaming, spied a hitman he recognized questioning staff members. Yeah, that's likely to have happened.

That would have been an eminently sensible time to loop in Kai and Ernesto, who have already proven themselves to be amenable to Alex's extralegal shenanigans (there's no other word for it).

But no. Instead, he stashed Danny in a housekeeping closet and allowed himself to be taken in, at which point he finally confided in Kai and Ernesto, during which he had his weekly light-bulb moment and set up a convoluted entrapment scheme.

From then on was the obligatory reeling in of the assassin, who was incredibly patient as Alex and Danny worked through their family drama.

Was anybody surprised by how that showdown worked out?

Danny had to be "killed" so that he could live. Alex exchanged the hitman and solving his recent kills for immunity for Danny's passing counterfeit bills.

What was most frustrating was that it was never clear when Alex, and especially Danny, were speaking the truth to each other or just weaving a story as circumstances demanded.

Yes, they both love each other. But it's complicated.

Welcome to being part of a family.

Based on their dynamic, stealing Alex's wallet on the way out of town was totally on point for Danny.

How did Danny expect to disappear, being the only white man hanging out with the Yee family in Singapore? He won't be staying "dead" and out of sight for long, will he?

Still, the episode did help to explain some of what made Alex so damaged.

17 Endgame ‘Ships We Love With Endings We Hate

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To revisit Alex's transition to Cebu, watch Almost Paradise online.

How did you enjoy Danny?

What's more annoying, Alex's whining about money or Kai's whining about respect?

Shouldn't Ernesto tell them both off?

Comment below.

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