I was taking photographs of some new review kit in my office the other day and spotted a Blu-ray disc lurking in the background that I'd half forgotten about. But it got me digging: have other people seen this truly great British show?
Utopia first aired back in 2013 and it's an absolutely brilliant, nightmarish British thriller-drama – with a dab of added sci-fi as it progresses – that blew me away when I first caught it on Channel 4 all those 12 years ago. It spawned a sequel, too, 2014's Utopia 2 – after which the show wasn't renewed.
Its potential was obvious though: the British series has a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and, in 2020, a big-budget American remake was made by Amazon Prime Video.
The Utopia remake, however, is nowhere nearly as dark and brooding as the British original. But you can see for yourself – as, for those in the USA, both the original two series and remake are available.
Utopia original trailer
What's Utopia about?
A graphic novel, known as The Utopia Experiments, is sought by an organisation, The Network, willing to do anything to obtain the original manuscript – as viewers we don't know why, just that there's no limit to what its employees will do.
The show revolves around five strangers whose worlds collide when each is caught up in this madness, trying to unravel the meaning of The Utopia Experiments' importance and what The Network's need for it is.
This sees the appearance of Jessica Hyde (Fiona O'Shaughnessy), who has been on the run from The Network for as long as she can remember – however long that actually is, however, is unknown. She's the daughter of The Utopia Experiments' creator, which is why she's so valued.
Now, a word of warning: Utopia is rated a BBFC 18 in the UK, which is a rarity for dramas. That's the equivalent of an R rating in the USA, albeit a full-on one – there are scenes of violence, as you can tell from its premise, but it's the tone here that really earns that status. The 'spoon and eye' moment in episode 2 is perhaps its most controversial moment.
Is the original Utopia any good?
As posted up top, the original Utopia netted a landmark 100% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes. Viewers were fans, too, awarding the show 92%. So it was a big hit – and even season 2 was rated at 93%.
I think it's clear to see why from the trailer: the cinematography is haunted, saturated, brooding and patient, unwilling to move at the pace of a modern show. It brings almost gaudy colour palettes to disturbing scenes that you'd expect to be more greyscale and low-key, in rare but eye-catching visual juxtaposition.
The music, too, is sensational. I think Cristobal Tapia de Veer's work marks the most underrated original soundtrack that I've ever heard – and I'm not even being sensationalist. It's edgy, uneasy, yet mesmerising electronic programming, the likes of which are rare to behold. And it really helps make the show.
The cast are also a big part of it – a great cross-section of brilliant British actors who all excel. A massive shout out to Adeel Akhtar's performance as 'Wilson Wilson', which I think is particularly human and believable. Neil Maskell's depiction of Arby is quite terrifying yet subtle too – it'll live with you.
All of that uniqueness was brushed away in the American remake (trailer above) that Amazon pursued in 2020, though. The remake was far from lauded like the original, netting a mere 50% score on Rotten Tomatoes, being released at an inappropriate time – remember 2020, folks? – and promptly canned.
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