Television Review

Utopia: Season One

A group of young adults find a cult graphic novel, which brings them to the attention of a deep state organisation…

Gillian Flynn was originally set to remake the UK television series Utopia with David Fincher, who directed the adaptation of her novel Gone Girl (2014). The project was set to become a major series for HBO, reuniting Fincher with actress Rooney Mara (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), but Fincher left over budgetary disagreements. Flynn chose to keep going alone and Amazon financed a cheaper version, which has duly premiered in a year that finds the world living through a pandemic that’s worryingly real.

Much like the Channel 4 original, which ran for two series between 2013–14, Utopia introduces us to a group of young adults who share a fascination with a peculiar graphic novel called Dystopia. There’s Becky Todd (Ashleigh LaThrop) who suffers from seizures, doomsday prepper Wilson Wilson (Desmin Borges), shy geek Ian Ackerman (Dan Byrd), and winsome Samantha (Jessica Rothe). After a fabled sequel to Dystopia is found by a couple who move into an abandoned house, the loose pages…