Thriller fans only just discovering 'masterpiece' Channel 4 series with perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score 13 years on from TV debut
Viewers are only just finding a 'masterpiece' Channel 4 thriller with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score - 13 years after it debuted on TV.Created by Dennis Kelly, Utopia aired on screens for two series between 2013 and 2014.It comprised 12 episodes in total, although the show has since picked up a cult following.The premise follows comic book fans who believe a bizarre strip called The Utopia Experiments predicted major epidemics such as Mad Cow Disease.Fiona O'Shaughnessy stars as Jessica Hyde, a woman on the run from an organisation known as The Network.The cast also includes Alexandra Roach, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Adeel Akhtar and Oliver Woolford. Viewers are loving this Channel 4 thriller series - a whopping 13 years after it originally landed on TV Created by Dennis Kelly, Utopia aired on screens for just two series between 2013 and 2014 The premise follows comic book fans who believe a bizarre strip called The Utopia Experiments predicted major epidemics such as Mad Cow DiseaseTaking to Reddit, one viewer penned: 'Possibly the best drama Channel 4 ever made, and certainly not surpassed since. Always happy to see people talk about it still.'Another wrote: 'Phenomenal bit of TV. Cinematography, score, acting, narrative – all sublime.'While a third branded the programme as ‘exceedingly gripping from the first opening scene onwards’.A fourth remarked how it had been a 'shame it went unfinished’, given the show was hitting its stride.Utopia's popularity is further shown by its perfect 100% score on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.At the time of Utopia's cancellation in 2014, Channel 4 said in a statement: ‘Utopia is truly channel-defining: strikingly original, powered by Dennis Kelly’s extraordinary voice, and brought to life in all its technicolor glory through Marc Munden’s undeniable creative flair and vision, the team at Kudos delivered a series which has achieved fervent cult status over two brilliantly warped and nail-biting series.‘It also has the honour of ensuring audiences will never look at a spoon in the same way again.‘It’s always painful to say goodbye to shows we love, but it’s a necessary part of being able to commission new drama, a raft of which are launching on the channel throughout 2015.’ Utopia's recent popularity is further shown by its perfect 100% score on aggregator site Rotten TomatoesElsewhere, a 'stressful' Channel 4 thriller left viewers with 'anxiety through the roof' upon its debut. Summerwater stars Harry Potter actress Shirley Henderson - aka Moaning Myrtle - and follows interconnected storylines of holidaymakers in the Scottish Highlands.Taking place over 24 hours, viewers see the story told from multiple characters' perspectives.Some of the show's audience were left perplexed by the thriller's storytelling - and were quick to their thoughts online. One wrote on X: 'I am so lost, my anxiety is also through the roof, what a stressful programme'.A second person penned: 'I stuck with #summerwater for 20 minutes in the hope of something captivating. Too way out of it for me, goodbye.'While a third remarked: 'What weirdness is this?! #summwater?' A fourth chimed in: 'Not sure how I feel about #Summerwater - part gripping but part slightly-too-weird.'Other viewers had a more positive impression, as one commented: 'Summerwater - wow. Very good first episode... This is very intriguing.'Another meanwhile branded Summerwater as 'good but very strange'. Based on Sarah Moss' 2020 novel of the same name, the cast also includes Dougray Scott, Daniel Rigby, Valene Kane and Jamie Sives. While at the end of 2025, Channel 4 discovered a riveting thriller described as 'perfect' for Agatha Christie fans.Originally released in Italian in 2023, Stranded has just found a new audience thanks to the broadcaster, who have made all eight episodes of the series free to watch.
Released under the Walter Presents label, the show begins on Christmas Eve when a group of strangers find themselves trapped in an isolated location after an avalanche. The show's IMDb synopsis reads: 'An earthquake isolates a luxury hotel and the mountain valley in which it stands, causing a general blackout. Days pass, help does not arrive and communication seems impossible. 'Isolation and the gradual depletion of supplies increase the conflicts but give some of the survivors, first and foremost Giovanni and Claudia, murderer and unwitting victim, an unexpected chance of redemption. 'One question hovers over everything: what really happened outside that valley?'Utopia is available to stream on Channel 4.
