Utopia: What Makes the British TV Show a Masterpiece You Should Watch (2024)

Channel 4 released the British thriller drama series Utopia, written by Dennis Kelly, in 2013. The series follows a community of comic book fans who believe the cult graphic novel, The Utopia Experiments, predicted several disastrous epidemics, like mad cow disease. It is rumored that a sequel that hadn't been published is supposed to hold more information on other future world events. When a group of Utopia enthusiast friends get their hands on the manuscript, they suddenly find themselves dangerously over their heads on a high-stake adventure to discover more about the secrets that the manuscript contains.

While a secret organization known as "The Network" wants the manuscript as well, they're not afraid to kill anyone in their way. A happy ending seemed far from their grasp. The original and brilliant British series unfortunately did not get the recognition it deserved, unlike the American remake, Utopia. However, from the fans that did embark on this gritty and unnerving rollercoaster, it was hailed as a masterpiece, so let's see why.

Everyone Loves A Conspiracy Theory

While Utopia is a powerful and electrifying series, it surprisingly became known as a cult classic, with only a small group of fans that recognized its incredible potential. It was sadly dismissed from Channel 4 after only two seasons and remains to be underwatched almost everywhere. The distinct series (which most would recognize as soon as they press that play button) challenges you with its paranoia and conspiracy filled storyline and feels like a mystery that is impossible to answer. The consequences of lurking in the shadows of the conspiracy it projects onto its audience can fracture reality as we know it, which makes Utopia both outrageous, yet realistic and totally believable.

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From the very first episode, we were introduced to grotesque violence and grit, even including an ultimately disturbing school massacre scene, which actually spurred controversy for its timing, being only a month after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in the USA. Despite this, the series dared to take matters that step further with possibly the best shock value, incredibly astonishing violence, and dramatic tension that had the audience gritting their teeth with nerves while enjoying the musically and visually stunning show.

This is the reason for it being so hard to understand why the show was so overlooked; however, with the events of 2020 and a real-life pandemic and viruses, people may just be that much more intrigued to see what dark themes of extinction, epidemics, deranged society, and conspiracies Utopia has to offer.

Second Guess Your Answer

Something that was so addictive about Utopia was the way it really had the audience constantly second guessing; the shocking twists and turns within the storyline seemed to get in your head, and it was easy to imagine how everyone's thoughts were racing. The most mind-boggling part to the series was the inability to distinguish whose side everyone was on. The good guys become the bad guys, and the bad become the good, as the show's ethical questions about morality and utilitarianism get under the audience's skin.

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Every episode had you questioning your decisions, who your allegiance lies with, and who was good and bad. There was clearly a good and bad side, but even the characters would doubt themselves, so it made each episode a shocker. It is reasonable to say that usually with TV shows, you always have a solid guess of who is bad, or what the answer is, but Utopia was genuinely unpredictable and even raised questions about who you are as a person. Utopia very subtly explores the villain's perspective without ever revealing it.

The two seasons are an experience full of disconcerting panic and distress, and leave you with heaps of anxiety over what is going to happen next. It becomes so addictive, and for this reason, it can possibly be seen as one of the best and most bingeworthy shows ever made. Despite the brutality of the story and the mind-bending conspiracies throughout, the characters are so intricately written, with every one of them used to their full potential. Each character was brought to life with brilliant acting, especially from Neil Maskell, Adeel Akhtar, and Fiona O'Shaugnessy.

What compliments the actors and is so eye-catching about Utopia is how it may be one of the bleakest stories on TV, but fills your screen with an immense amount of color. From a bright green field, switching to a sudden pop of bright yellow and red mailboxes. It feels almost refreshing to have such colorful sequences in the midst of such dark and disturbing scenes and almost forces us to keep our eyes locked to the screen. It also makes the bright, colorful world somehow more menacing.

Ultimately, the series is utterly exciting to watch. It doesn't fail to get your heart racing, and it is a thoroughly adrenaline-pumping experience, which is also clever and witty. It is always a great feeling to discover a new masterpiece, especially a series that you know you can watch multiple times, and Utopia is without a doubt one of them. Hopefully, it will eventually get the attention it deserves with its gritty story and fantastic acting and aesthetics,.