User reviews

Dark, creepy, disturbing, entertaining show. This is 2013 show, but looking through events current pandemic 2020 year, it may make you feel uncomfortable. I think, season 3 supposed to be even more disturbing, and for this reason it was cancelled (read: wasn't allowed to produce).

TV at its finest. Everything from the characters, the locations, the plot, the photography, the soundtrack, every bit of it is bloody brilliant.

This show deserves wide recognition.

I got interested in 'Utopia' when I read that David Fincher was going to direct an American version of this British show for HBO. While that apparently didn't come together, I actually doubt even a master like Fincher could have improved upon the original: it's absolutely perfect.

The visual style of the show, the amazing, crazy soundtrack (which fits the crazy conspiracy story so well), the fantastic characters and the wonderful cast and the pitch-black humor - I could go on and on. It all comes together to create one of the most unique and most original TV shows I've seen in a long time.

The only thing I know that would be kind of comparable among the current shows is 'Orphan Black' - but 'Utopia' is even crazier (and a LOT more violent), has much weirder characters and makes for a more cinematic experience due to its stylish, Technicolor drenched photography.

The only downside to this show is that the finale of the second season sets the stage for a third season, which, sadly never happened (for reasons I do not comprehend, the show got cancelled). But nearly all the loose ends are tied up, and the two existing seasons of 'Utopia' make for a fantastic watch. Highly recommended: 9 stars out of 10.

UTOPIA.

Thrilling. Suspenseful. Unsettling. Tense.

Probably the best show ever made (and I've watched lots of great tv shows such as Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Wire etc.) Not only is it stunning visually, but thought provoking too. It's extremely dark, violent, but has some comedic moments as well. The sountrack is so weird yet amazing and fits perfectly with the show. It's been over a year since I've watched Utopia but there's not a day that goes by when I don't think about it. It hurts me knowing that people have not experienced this masterpiece.

The show lasted only 2 seasons after being cancelled and although it ended on a cliffhanger, most of the show's story and character arcs were wrapped up which is fine. With only 6 episodes in each season, there's no filler and the plot always keeps moving forward.

If I could recommend one show, it would be UTOPIA.

Let me just say this right from the start; Utopia is a masterpiece! Not only is this one of the most intense and twisted shows I've ever seen, it's also absolutely beautiful! The cinematography alone left me in awe and don't even get me started on the soundtrack! This is not your typical TV show. In fact it's a whole lot more than just a TV show. It's an artwork that is being unfolded in front of your very eyes.

The cast and their on screen dynamic is especially what makes this series so incredibly good. You have a lovely mismatch of so many different and perhaps a little odd but great characters, that just fit perfectly together. There's also plenty of humour, swearing and loads of "what the hell did I just watch?" moments, that just makes this even more enjoyable.

This show is dark. Really dark in fact, and the amount of WTF moments and plot twists are enough to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire series.

There's only one major problem with this show: It got cancelled! After just 2 seasons, Channel 4 unfortunately had to pull the plug on this gem of a series, which is such a shame, and while it might remain one of the most underrated TV shows in newer time, you will certainly never find a show quite like this again.

So, once and for all; do yourself a favour, and watch this masterpiece!

Utterly brilliant.

One of my favorite shows.

The US version looks ridiculous.

Utopia is a british show about a group of people who find a manuscript of a cult graphic novels and discovers the hideous plans of a clandestine organization. Utopia is an underrated and underwatched show that you wished you'd have watched before. With its seemingly disturbing music accompanied by bright and somewhat hallucinating visulas, this show does a good job of pulling you into the story and keeps you at the edge of your seat at all times. The ending of the second season gave hints for a new season but for some unknown reason, the show got canceled. Although they did manage to tie almost all loose ends. Nonetheless, this show will not leave you disappointed and will almost certainly make you wonder about what's going to happen next. 9/10

What to say about this show? I read some good reviews without spoilers and so I was looking forward to find it out for myself if it was that good. And yes it certainly was. It's actually one of my favorite British series. The story is one of the better stories I watched in a long time. It's futuristic but inevitable if you think about it. I won't say anything about it because I don't like spoilers. Just find out for yourself. There is a reasonable amount of gory parts but it's never really graphic. It's more that you have to imagine about it. The actors are all really good, especially the killer in his flamboyant suit. It also contains my favorite scene ever shown on TV, that's how much I loved it. It's the opening scene in the last episode of the last season. It's just brilliant, can't get enough of that scene. What I also like about British series is that they are short, only a couple seasons. That's how it's supposed to be, you tell a good story and then you end it. Not like some American series where they try to milk the story as much as possible, and so ruin a perfect little story sometimes.

Gorgeously filmed, technicolor dreamscape with murder and mayhem abounding, ostensibly randomly, but ultimately for the "greater good". watching this in february 2021 is a little disconcerting, it's prophetic and disturbing in how accurate and timely it feels. sure, it's "fiction" but the plotline feel strangely familiar after the last year we've lived though. this was made in 2014. so weird. anyway, you should watch this if you want to see something beautiful and funny and smart.

It's hard to know where to begin with this show.

A rag-tag gang of comic fans are drawn into a deadly game with shadowy operatives and the Malthusian elite. "There's no such thing as 'sides,' just people who help you and people who don't." There are visual and verbal references to MK-ULTRA, the all-seeing eye, the Masonic compass, weaponized vaccines, and much more. Even for those who aren't interested in the conspiracy angle, Utopia still has much to offer.

Never have I seen such a unique and well-crafted presentation on a network series. The saturated visuals, the framing, the BRILLIANT and unsettling soundtrack, the writing and the acting - everything fits together perfectly and creates an experience for the viewer unlike any other.

As an American, I didn't recognize most of the cast, which made their roles even more believable. Everyone is good but Neil Maskell, Paul Ready and Fiona O'Shaughnessy give standout performances. The character arcs do not disappoint, either. Even though Utopia is a deeply cynical and brutal show, every character feels authentic and human. Unlike many other shows, their motivations actually make sense.

When I say Utopia is a brutal show, I mean it. Game of Thrones, a series notorious for it's shocking violence and surprise deaths, seems cheap and gimmicky in comparison to many moments in this show.

My chief criticism towards Utopia is that S2 is slightly weaker than S1, and it also ends on a generally unsatisfying note. (Utopia was intended to have 3 seasons.) Still, all 12 episodes are well worth watching - many times over. I could probably write 10,000 more words about how great this show is, but I urge you to just watch it (the whole series can be found free on youtube) and make up your own mind.

First I will say this is so much better than the remake. Still has issues with characteristic stupidity in loads of plot movements, but a lot less than some other shows. I find it fascinating that this and the remake are being showcased at this time in world history. A wise person might take notice and view world events with greater scrutiny at this time. Enjoyed it though. Google the Georgia Guidestones after you watch this and you might get a bit of a jolt. Enjoy folks.

Utopia was certainly something I wasn't expecting to see coming from TV anywhere, and sadly the series is already finished. Just two seasons, but yet when it's all over, everything feels complete so you won't be somehow left out when the final episode ends. Still, it leaves one thinking, salivating. Take a splash of Donnie Darko, a pinch of Contagion, a dash of Trainspotting and you've almost scratched the surface of Utopia. The music is bold and the cinematography slow, meandering, beautiful and yet shocking at times. This is not for the kids by any means. The story is convincing almost to a fault. Thorough, meticulous character development that draws one into the story so fast its hard to have time to register disbelief. I'm a critical person, but the use of historical events, and references spattered throughout was completely believable, plausible and leaves almost wondering if this was somehow planted by an agent of MI5 on the run. It was shot just like the story reads. Slow, bold and brilliant ... then suddenly, Bam it's right in your face, screaming, shocking so fast you don't have time to hide your eyes, or realize what just happened. It leaves you wondering, hoping from one moment to the next, from one episode to the next. Every character has their own motivation, their own issues and their own demons to overcome. It takes a very familiar world-ending scenario and relates it seamlessly down to a small family of people. The action will leave you cold. The Silence of the Lambs cold. Put that all together with an amazing performance by a strong female lead and I really wanted to give this a 10 out of 10. You don't have to be a conspiracy nut, or a sellout you just need to watch this alone, or with your SO at night, in the dark. You don't have to talk about it, or dwell on the societal issues it presents to enjoy Utopia, but you might need a strong stomach and a desire to be blown away by something really pretty amazing. In ten years, this will still be as fresh as the day it aired ... I will probably be reminded of Utopia every time I eat raisins, or collect a unique rock I find, and yes, it will put a nice associated smile on my face every time.

This show continues the great chain of channel 4 dramas for the last decade, whom we rely on as the biggest source for quality British television. Utopia starts off brilliantly with a fast paced storyline that hooks you from the opening scene. The action is some of the most exciting on British television in recent years, the show becomes a tad slower in the middle of the series but builds character development which really helps to create a bigger impact when the plot comes full circle. This government conspiracy thriller is a must watch and it has a superb ending. The ending also leaves hope for another season which this show truly deserves.

This show is amazing for the first 50 minutes before Fiona Oshaunessy appears. She is so out of step with the production, the pace, the dialogue, the lighting, the music - like she does not get she is part of an ensemble. Just - a bad actress for this show. She might be decent elsewhere, but she's the Jar Jar Binks of this Star Wars.

Utopia will ravage your senses.

The visuals are stunning, with camera work that bleeds from every scene with dynamics reminiscent of a graphic novel. The soundtrack is less a soundtrack, and more of a medium for an aural injection of dopamine and adrenaline.

Combining the two in lustfully artistic confluence, Utopia induces a sensory overload that deceptively functions as an aesthetic sleight of hand to the real act; Utopia's plot.

Narrative tropes aside, the story line encapsulates contemporary paranoia in a microcosmic collage of espionage and epidemics, resonating tremors of real world concerns. As a snapshot of current society, Utopia dexterously mitigates the mediagenic compulsion to sensationalize, by employing a sublime cast and writing crew. From apathy and sociopathic detachment, to metaphysical dread and even humor, the show is a vivid mosaic of psychological dissonance and societal decay.

Utopia is tailor-made for the cynical. Strangely enough, as a misanthropic cynic, I found myself entertaining delusionary hope for the human race. By the end, I had painted myself into a corner of morbid optimism, which is an absolute testament to strength of Utopia's narrative. The lack of a third season is veritably tragic, but follows in the pattern of sublime shows that meet an untimely demise. (Carnivale anyone ?)

The introspect induced by Utopia is shattering. The implications suggested by Utopia are devastating. The future painted by Utopia is bleak.

Utopia will ravage your being.

Right until the next day. And then you'll go on with your life and perpetuate our predicament with continued ignorance; because hey, it's just entertainment right ?

Brilliant show, insightfully written, artfully shot and directed about a recurring transgression against humanity and eerily close to what we've all been forced upon the last, going on three years now.

Be surprised. This seem to sneak in, it was not heavily advertised and it was only by accident I flicked it on. It gripped me and had me counting the days for the next ep. There was surprise after surprise and at no time was I ever sure what was going to happen next and then the end twist within twists I was gobsmacked.

The series hits so many other buttons, the performances are great, the weird colour scheme, the sound track and the comic book styled characters which all add together into the most original piece of tele I have seen in years. Although I see that this is series 1 I would be satisfied if they left it stand alone. But with Black Mirror and this it is good to see C4 is back in the fringes.

Wow? Where did this come from? Talk about "a hot kiss at the end of a wet fist" kinda show. Utopia hits you smack in the eyes but you can't stop watching. You'll find yourself saying "oh no they won't do that" a lot and {BAMM} they keep doing it anyway. You won't believe how they get you to laugh at things you wouldn't while watching normal TV shows. Most of the gore is less graphic and more left to your imagination kinda stuff. They know what's left to one's imagination is scariest of all. Whomever did the castings didn't miss a beat and the settings are as hypnotic as the dialog. There are quite a few times when you find your butt cheeks biting your seat but most times they're grasping air 'cuz your sitting on the edge of it. (Let's see if there are any clichés I missed? Nope, I think I made my point) Now for the "Think X meets Y part" Think Soap meets Dark Shadows Twin Peaks meets Bob Newhart, Six Feet Under .....Scooby Doo, Lost.....Road Warrior, Shameless (US)......Rubicon (what ever happened to that show?) Now if this all sounds reasonable to you but you didn't quite understand what I said...That's why this is my new favorite show. It hurts so good.

I agree in most points with other reviews but I just had to add that show's visuals are simply stunning. Like in best documentaries where every frame is a beautiful photo on itself. So many different views, vantage points, colors and contrasts. I was totally surprised and delighted by it.

I was also delighted to have a conclusion in only six episodes - nowadays we are almost expecting a show to drag it's heels through at least 10 episodes with many distractions of 'drama' and 'character development'. In fact, it was almost too short. I was enjoying visuals so much that end did come little to soon. I really hope there will be another season. Cast is perfect - I wouldn't change anything at all.

I have to say that every time I discover another British series I'm reminded how dull and cliché-like is most of the American production.

I think this show was canceled because it was to close to a hidden truth.

Wish they would make a season 3.

1 was good, 2 was great, I loved the back stories.

To be honest the guy in the airport talking to the woman and her child, laid it all out bare in season 2, like the guy who was tied to the chair in the house with everyone in season 1, stating that when he was born there were little over 2 billion people on our planet.

OK, let's everyone agree that it is the 21st century and the standards by which TV used to be judged don't really apply any more. OK, agreed. Now to learn how to appreciate so-called Hi Impact Programming we are going to compare and contrast this controversial series (which almost started a riot in England) with the American TV series named, appropriately, American Horror Story. Both are serials, that is they start a story and continue it. Both eschew conventional morality for a strange kind of anything-goes scripting, in which the audience never knows what is coming around the corner. And both are well cast, with the actors doing the best they can with what they have. But there the similarity ends. AHS, which is an object of reverence in the US and has won many awards, is dark, dirty, unrelenting, and, some might say, just plain mean. In AHS, the trick of surprising the audience is constantly used to depress the viewer and debase the characters. In Utopia, you see a different direction entirely. While both shows deal with evil, UTOPIA presents the story in bright bold colours, characters who never shy from expressing their humanity, and offers a narrative which suggests that tomorrow may indeed be a brighter day. None of this exists in AHS, awards and accolades notwithstanding, and while both offer a degree of gratuitous violence, AHS constantly congratulates itself for so doing, while UTOPIA never loses sight of the fact there may be a rainbow at the end of the storm. UTOPIA is, and was, one of the most engaging series ever produced. It is, and was, brilliant. American Horror Story is like watching the same traffic accident over and over until ultimately you realize that -- the real horror -- you LIKE watching traffic accidents.

Utopia is a show I'd never heard of and truth be told had it not been a recommendation I don't think I'd have ever given it a chance even if I had.

It's a remarkably crafted British television show that managed 12 episodes across 2 seasons and it's certainly difficult to categorise.

It tells the story of a group of people who get pulled into a shady plot that......nope, I pretty much say anything at all and I'll wander into spoiler territory.

What I will say about Utopia is that its creation is outstanding, the use of colour is hypnotic and highly memorable! Twin that with some great sound work and a fitting score and it's crafted in a way that puts other shows to shame.

The story, the execution, the performances also fantastic so why am I not rating it higher?

Though the creation is a pure masterwork it is also riddled with flaws. The characters are mostly very two dimensional, generic, cliched and not all that interesting. Don't get me wrong there are some good ones, but the majority are somewhat lacking.

Though I'm not keen on 6 episode television series I think this story was perhaps on too big a scale to successfully work in such a format and thus in places the pacing does seem rather off.

And then the finale (Which of course I won't ruin). I'll just say I assume they thought they were going to be renewed for a third season and therefore Utopia is like an enjoyable book that you read only to discover to your horror has had the final chapter ripped out.

Watchable stuff but by all rights should have been better.

The Good:

A couple of interesting characters

Use of colour and sound is very original

Overall decent effort

The Bad:

Grant is just the pits, very damaging to the show

Some very mediocre characters

Finale is far too open ended

Things I Learnt From This Show:

A person will hold a grudge should you remove their eye with a spoon

There's so much a person could say about Utopia. Dark, hilarious, scary, real, provocative and ambiguous, morally uncertain.

Without giving too much away, in probably the most brutal way, it is the story of corruption, pain, suffering, and the end of everything we have ever known, the beginning of the next evolution of mankind. Is it right? Is it just? Is it okay for potentially billions of people to lose everything they want? I guess you'll have to watch and find out.

If you were to watch it, I can humbly promise some of the most intelligently written television you're likely to see. Beautifully directed, everything relates to everything, every action, every word, has been masterfully written towards the overall, overlying plot.

Channel Four must have put some serious money into making this, that or accidentally employed some very talented up and coming new production crew. At the time, they advertised it hugely, but it didn't seem to attract all that much attention. Much like many HBO programs, often the first episode or two isn't enough to draw you in. By the third or fourth, you'll be hooked, by the fifth or sixth, you won't be able to stop watching! Sadly there's only 12 in total, but it's worth every second. When it begins to draw to an end, you'll feel a sour sense of dread.

This show is dark, and not for the faint of heart, or the squeamish. It will ask unanswerable, moral and philosophical questions, ones so deep that no human should ever have to answer.

I hope you do watch this series, as it genuinely deserves as much attention as it can get.

:)

Also, excellent soundtrack too, fits absolutely perfectly. Kinda like Aphex Twin, but with slightly more influence from the mainstream electronic scene at the time - which I don't usually care much for, but it's so subtle and well used that it doesn't matter. Really very fantastic, if you like that stuff.

If you really love Stanley Kubrick and Quentin Tarantino, this is the show their love child would make after they lost a bet and had to use the worst actors that answered a casting call. The color saturation and scenes are kinda Tim Burtonesque. Is there a fan base for this, absolutely but know what you're getting into before watching this. I hung on through episode 4 because of the positive reviews but I had to give up, I didn't get any sense of the science fiction they are trying to categorize it as and as other low rating reviewers point out, the chemistry in the cast is non existent.