There won’t be another season of Utopia on Amazon Prime Video. This is because the retail giant has decided to cancel the British drama that has witnessed not-so-nice reviews since its premiere on September 25. The series was a screen adaptation of a book written by screenwriter and author Gillian Flynn.
The series had John Cusack, Sasha Lane, Ashleigh LaThrop, Desmin Borges, Farrah Mackenzie, Christopher Denham, and Rainn Wilson. The movie also had Flynn making her entrée as a showrunner.
The story centered around a group of comic-obsessed teenagers who meet online, having discovered an ancient manuscript that predicted the havoc that happened in the previous century. Their possession of this manuscript made them the target of an underground organization. With such profound knowledge at their disposal, they went on a mission to save the world.
The movie was a collaborative production effort by Endemol Shine North America/kudos and Amazon Studios. Executive producers were Gillian Flynn, Jessica Rhoades, Sharon Hall, Karen Wilson, and Dennis Kelly. The series was originally created at HBO in 2014 with David Flincher teaming up with Flynn. When the series was moved to Amazon, Fincher was no longer on the project.
The series clocked a 51% rating on RottenTomatoes.com, with users describing the show as very bland with no different concept from the UK version from years ago. Utopia was a critical hit series when it aired on Channel 4 in the UK. The British version was gripping, unsettling, and held viewers spellbound. Had it been premiered on a streaming platform today, it would have been one of the best shows, with viewership reaching a new high.
Movie reviewer Inkoo Kang described the characters as lacking the needed specificity to provide the escapism that viewers might have wanted and that the writer, Flynn, might have intended. Many other reviewers have decried how Utopia tried to copy the original that it really didn’t understand.
Amazon recently debuted The Expanse for the sixth and final season of the Sci-Fi on its stream platform and may have contributed to its decision to ditch Utopia. Amazon is also dropping Bosh and Goliath in 2021. Goliath was one of Amazon’s popular series. The legal drama was renewed for its fourth and final season earlier this month.
Source: hollywoodreporter.com