Amazon pulls the plug on Gillian Flynn’s sci-fi drama Utopia

Streaming platform Amazon has pulled the plug on sci-fi drama _Utopia_ after only a single season. As per a report by Variety, the show has been cancelled in just over two months of its launch. The Gillian Flynn-produced series (known for writing Gone Girl and Sharp Objects) was an eight-episode conspiracy thriller centered on a group of comic fans who meet online and bond over their obsession for a seemingly fictional comic. The show followed Becky (Ashleigh LaThrop), Ian (Dan Byrd), Samantha (Jessica Rothe), Wilson Wilson (Desmin Borges) and Grant (Javon “Wanna” Walton) in their journey as they unearth hidden meanings cloaked within the pages of the comic that predicts threats to humanity. The show saw the comic book fanatics meet the comic’s central character Jessica Hyde (Sasha Lane) who joins them on their mission to save the world. Utopia also starred John Cusack, as well as Rainn Wilson, Farrah Mackenzie, Christopher Denham and Cory Michael Smith. During an interaction earlier this year, Flynn had revealed she had started working on the project almost seven years ago and stated that her idea for the show was not only to Americanise it but to make it gritty and dirty in a realistic way. According to her, while Dennis Kelly, the UK show’s writer took his inspiration from graphic novels, she based it more on the 1970s’ paranoia thrillers she loves. As per Hollywood Reporter, Amazon, like other streaming services, does not release traditional viewership data. However, the drama was not very well-liked among viewers on its launch on 25 September, having a 51 percent rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The report added that the decision to cancel Utopia after only one season came after Amazon recently picked up sci-fi drama The Expanse for a sixth and final season. It was a co-production between Endemol Shine North America, Kudos and Amazon Studios. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)