If there’s one thing that makes people click on a show, it’s a strong premise. And on paper, Utopia had everything going for it: a mysterious comic book that might predict real-world disasters, conspiracy theories, a deadly pandemic, and a group of misfits trying to uncover the truth.
Sounds incredible, right?
That’s exactly why the disappointment hits so hard.
I went into this series without watching the original UK version, so this review comes purely from the perspective of someone judging the 2020 adaptation on its own. And honestly? I couldn’t even make it past episode three.
A Premise That Hooks You Immediately
At first, Utopia feels strange in a good way.
The opening episodes create this unsettling atmosphere where you’re not entirely sure what’s happening, but you want answers. The mystery surrounding the comic book is genuinely intriguing, and the idea that fiction could secretly reflect reality is a concept that instantly grabs attention.
For a moment, the show feels bold, weird, and potentially brilliant.
But then everything spirals into complete nonsense.
Violence Without Purpose
One of the biggest problems with Utopia is how absurdly violent it becomes.
Violence in television can work when it serves the story or develops characters. Here, it often feels random, excessive, and emotionally empty. Characters die suddenly, brutal things happen constantly, and yet the show barely gives anyone time to react like actual human beings.
That disconnect completely killed the tension for me.
There’s one moment in particular where a friend is killed, and the group barely seems to care afterward. Instead of grief or shock, the story just moves on as if nothing happened. It becomes impossible to emotionally invest in characters when the show itself doesn’t seem interested in them.
Jessica Hyde Completely Kills the Show
The moment Jessica Hyde (Sasha Lane) enters the story, the series falls apart.
She’s clearly meant to be this mysterious, dangerous, unpredictable figure. But instead of becoming compelling, she just turns the show into a chaotic mess. The character feels more irritating than interesting, and the writing expects viewers to instantly accept her behavior without earning it.
The problem isn’t that she’s weird - the problem is that the show mistakes “being bizarre” for “being fascinating.”
None of the characters is charismatic enough to make their strange personalities enjoyable. They’re awkward, erratic, and emotionally flat, but not in a memorable or entertaining way.
Ironically, the kid - Grant (Javon 'Wanna' Walton) - in the group was probably the most likable character. He brought at least some humanity to the story. Unfortunately, even that wasn’t enough to save the series.
The Pandemic Storyline Never Convinces
Considering Utopia revolves around conspiracy theories and a pandemic-related plot, you would expect the story to become smarter and more gripping as it unfolds.
Instead, it becomes harder to take seriously.
The show tries so hard to be shocking and edgy that it forgets to build a believable world or coherent narrative. The mystery stops feeling mysterious and starts feeling random. By episode three, I wasn’t curious anymore — I was exhausted.
There’s a difference between a story being unpredictable and a story simply making no sense.
Utopia constantly crosses that line.
A Massive Missed Opportunity
What frustrates me most about Amazon Prime Video’s Utopia is that the idea itself had enormous potential.
A hidden comic predicting catastrophic events? Secret organizations? A deadly global conspiracy? That could have been an unforgettable thriller.
Instead, the series delivers shallow shock value, disconnected characters, and chaos disguised as depth.
Maybe fans of the original series will disagree. Maybe the UK version handles these ideas better. But as a standalone experience, the 2020 adaptation feels like a complete failure.
I wanted mystery, suspense, and intelligent storytelling - what I got was noise, violence, and disappointment.
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