Featured Image Credit: Channel 4
Topics: Channel 4, TV and Film
Jess Battison
Despite new shows seeming to drop on streaming all the time, we all have a series from years ago that we just can’t let go of.
And for many fans, it’s a ‘nightmare fuel’ watch that features one of the darkest scenes in TV history.
It’s been over a decade since the thriller stopped airing but still, people haven’t got over the fact it was cancelled.
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With a whopping 100 percent for its first season on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, it was originally broadcast on Channel 4 between 2013 and 2014.
Written by Dennis Kelly, Utopia is described as ‘funny, violent and addictive’ and has racked up a cult following.
On X, users say it’s without a doubt ‘10/10 British TV series’ but it seems that didn’t necessarily ring true enough at the time of broadcast.
Utopia followed a group of online comic book fans who uncover a mysterious graphic novel they believe predict future world events.
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They become pursued by a shady group, ‘The Network’, who also are wanting to get their hands on this manuscript.
And in the third episode of one, there’s a particularly dark scene which reportedly contributed to the series getting a number of Ofcom complaints at the time.
So, it all kicks off when assassin Arby (Neil Maskell) is sitting in a toilet cubical when he receives a phone call. He then grabs his gun, walks out into a school corridor before shooting a teacher in the head and firing shots into a classroom.
With screams ringing, he goes back into the hall where he runs into a boy sitting on a bench, hesitating as he points his gun at him. There’s no denying it’s a particularly tough watch but it’s scenes like that which contribute to it having such a huge following.
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One user said on X: “The British Utopia is one of the most visually striking and unsettling shows ever made. ahead of its time and impossible to forget.”
But still, it wasn’t something everyone was so keen on, with the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting having only occurred in the year before.
A Channel 4 spokesperson said at the time: "Channel 4 thought very carefully about continuing with the planned broadcast of Utopia. The drama is in no way based on real events, and the scenes featuring violence are editorially justified within the context of the storyline.
"All material has been carefully considered in accordance with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code and we were satisfied that, appropriately scheduled in a late night slot at 10pm and preceded by clear on-air warnings about the graphic violence and very strong language, it could be broadcast as planned."
Utopia ended up being cancelled in August 2014 with ‘poor ratings’ tipped as part of the reason why.
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Yet over time, it’s proved to be the opposite, as it’s continued to keep a popularity since it aired over a decade ago with a user on Rotten Tomatoes calling it ‘absolutely perfect’.
Another echoed: “This show is undeniably perfect in its genre,” as one added: “Best show I’ve ever seen.”
While one said on X: "Utopia is pure nightmare fuel, every frame is a work of art, and just when you get comfortable, it knocks you off-balance. Still way ahead of its time, and even now, nothing else looks or feels like it. Impossible to shake."
Utopia is not currently available on streaming.