Utopia

[Acapelli]

http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/8020/utopiaweb2447539b.jpg

new show on channel 4 in the uk, starring curtis from misfits and jamie from the thick of it/in the loop. pretty great first ep. i think this would be right up 8's alley

[Acapelli]

figure i should throw a trailer in here too


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drh2HiEAj3c

i wonder if winston has seen it

[Irish]

Caught the first two episodes because of your rec.

It's a good show. I like the humor. Surprising violence. The awkwardness (and resulting non-fallout) from that one sex-scene. I liked the way it acknowledged the line it's treading (The "I Want to Believe" poster in a prominent character's bedroom.)

They can go in any direction with it, but I think the struggle will be to keep people interested in a premise that can only raise more questions, and never give definitive answers.

The dialogue in the second episode with The Tramp began to feel a little dry, because it's so obviously just a massive expostion dump. I really dug the energy & inventiveness & the pacing of the first episode but that kind of thing, so soon, has me a little apprehensive about the show in the longer run.

It feels like they've boxed themselves into a corner because, unlike "Fringe" or "Warehouse 13" or "The X-Files," they have no room to do a monster-of-the-week, one-off episodes.

Edit: Of course, unlike those shows they're not committed to massive 20+ episodes per "series." I could see this working really well if it's kept to 3-8 episodes per run.

[Acapelli]

well this first series is only 6 episodes, and it seems to me like it may only be a one-off mini-series

[Irish]

well this first series is only 6 episodes, and it seems to me like it may only be a one-off mini-series

That's an interesting thought. I don't know if they do miniseries like that in the UK (at least, like the ones that used to be popular in the US).

My instinct is that they don't, and anything that's put on air is there because it's going to be an ongoing show (sometimes that means long breaks between 'series,' as with "Doc Martin" and "Foyle's War").

The only instance I can think of where something popular was a one-off is "Ultraviolet," which ran for only six episodes. The story behind that is a little weird, though.

[Acapelli]

i'm pretty sure they do it fairly often on british television. i mean, jon hamm and daniel radcliffe both recently starred in a miniseries this summer for the bbc

one of my favorite television shows of the last 5 years (as flawed as it was) was "the shadow line" and that starred chiwetel ejiofr, christopher eccleston and stephen rea, and that was a single series. one of tom hardy's breakout roles was the british miniseries "the take"

seems to me that this happens in the uk enough that it wouldn't be out of the ordinary

[Irish]

Thanks for the clarification.

Do you know if those projects were announced as mini-series beforehand? It feels odd that they'd run it without clueing in the audience.

[Acapelli]

Thanks for the clarification.

Do you know if those projects were announced as mini-series beforehand? It feels odd that they'd run it without clueing in the audience.
that's what i've tried to look for online to no avail

all i see is them refer to it as a "six part thriller" which might be a sign of its finite nature

[Irish]

that's what i've tried to look for online to no avail

all i see is them refer to it as a "six part thriller" which might be a sign of its finite nature

Heh! I tried the same, also with no results.

If this is a one-off mini-series my appreciation of it will quadruple. Kinda hoping it is now. That would be way cool.

[number8]

Most UK dramas are initially produced as a mini-series, and subsequent seasons are considered "sequel" productions. That's why there could be 2-3 year gaps between seasons, or having them switched to a different channel every season, or have different premises entirely for each season (This Is England, Blackadder). And, I guess, why they qualify for miniseries awards at the Emmys or Globes.

[number8]

BTW, there are plenty of popular UK shows that lasted only 1 "season." Dead Set, Red Riding, Garth Marengi's Darkplace, Alan Partridge, to name a few off the top of my head. I also hear that The Fades is not getting a second series, despite winning the BAFTA last year.

[Acapelli]

I also hear that The Fades is not getting a second series, despite winning the BAFTA last year.
oh damn. i liked this a lot

[number8]

oh damn. i liked this a lot

The good thing about the British format is there's always someday. It's not getting one this year, but who knows about next year?

Fawlty Towers's second season aired FOUR YEARS after the first.

[Acapelli]

this is back. guess irish was right

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/video/2014/jun/20/utopia-trailer-exclusive-season-two

i'm excited

[Irish]

Cool.

(Although, wow, has it really been 18 months? That's the one thing that kills me about Brit TV-- get super involved in something and it'll disappear for, like, two years.)

[EyesWideOpen]

US remake of this being done on HBO with David Fincher directing the whole first season and Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) writing it. (http://www.thewrap.com/gone-girl-author-gillian-flynn-to-write-entire-season-of-hbos-utopia-for-david-fincher/)

[Henry Gale]

I saw the first episode of this a while ago after a friend recommended it, but for whatever reason never finished it, but it was a strong, unique show for sure. Definitely added to the list of things I have to catch up with. (It's a long list.)

The title's going to have to change for the HBO remake, right? I mean, even when I saw the thread bumped I assumed it was about that year-long Fox reality show.

[Lazlo]

The title's going to have to change for the HBO remake, right? I mean, even when I saw the thread bumped I assumed it was about that year-long Fox reality show.

Maybe, maybe not. I doubt if the HBO version will be on before late next year, early 2016, and the FOX version is probably gonna get cancelled soon.

[Qrazy]

I really enjoyed this show for it's style, characters and premise. It must be said though that it's chock full of plot holes. Here's hoping the American version can iron those out.