Utopia

Yes, you read that right. Utopia, the British-based, wacky, conspiracy thriller in which graphic novels masked conspiracy theories and spoons made for unnerving torture implements, has been cancelled by Channel 4.

The UK series (written by Dennis Kelly) followed a group of ordinary people linked by an online chatroom and a graphic novel hiding a disturbing conspiracy theory. The programme was notorious for its quirky dialogue and striking visuals… in addition to its controversial graphic violence.

Standout performances including Neil Maskell as the relentless killer Arby and Fiona O’Shaughnessy as the aloof (and possibly psychopathic) anti-hero Jessica Hyde. Dennis Kelly took everything we loved about comics and conspiracies and gave us something that stood out among the crowd, that made the audience sit up and take notice.

The second series, which concluded on 12th August earlier this year, had taken the mythology even further, making the need to take the story further all the more necessary. Yet despite positive reviews from critics, Utopia was cancelled on the grounds of making way for new drama (though I do suspect the under-1-million-per-episode viewing figures might have also had something to do with the axe coming down).

What makes the cancellation even more brutal is that creator Dennis Kelly had plans for a third and possible fourth series. After a nail-biting ending to the second series, it feels a little harsh to condemn the legions of Utopia fans to forever wondering, “Where is Jessica Hyde?”

A question we may never get an answer to.

However, Utopia is not completely gone from our screens. The creative team behind mystery thriller Gone Girl – director David Fincher and writer Gillian Flynn – are to produce a US remake of the hit thriller for HBO, due to air sometine during 2015.

If this is to be the end, then Dennis Kelly, Marc Munden, Neil Maskell, Fiona O’Shaughnessy, and all those who shaped Utopia into one of Britain’s finest dramas in recent years, we salute you.

Utopia: 15th January 2013-12th August 2014

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