How to watch Utopia: Amazon Prime release date, trailer and reviews

Art is an eerily close imitation of life when you watch Utopia, Amazon Prime Video's new thriller about conspiracies and a pandemic. The ensemble cast features Rainn Wilson and John Cusack. 

Utopia follows a group of comic fans who are obsessed with a comic titled Utopia. But the fans soon realize that what they thought was a fictional comic book actually contains hidden messages describing threats to humanity. These aren't just conspiracy theories, either — they predict very real dangers that are occurring, such as a pandemic.

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The fans' adventures bring them face-to-face with the comic's central character, Jessica Hyde (Sasha Lane), who joins them on their mission to save the world while harboring secrets of her own.

The series comes from Gillian Flynn, the writer of Gone Girl, so Utopia has genuine thriller bona fides.

Here’s everything to know about how to watch Utopia on Amazon Prime Video.

How to watch Utopia online anywhere, with a VPN

If you're away from home, in one of the few areas that doesn't get Amazon Prime, you don't need to miss Utopia. Watching along with the rest of the internet can be pretty easy with the right VPN (virtual private network), you can stream the show from wherever you go.

Our best VPN pick is ExpressVPN. It meets the VPN needs of the vast majority of users, offering outstanding compatibility with most devices and impressive connection speeds. It's also affordable at $12.95 per month. (Signing up for longer periods of six months or a year reduces the cost even more.)

Our favorite VPN service, ExpressVPN, really shines thanks to its safety, speed and simplicity-to-use. It's also compatible with loads of devices - from iOS and Android to Roku, Apple TV and PlayStations. You'll even get an extra 3 months free if you sign up for a year, or there's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you just want to give it a try.

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How to watch Utopia online in the US and the UK (and most other countries too)

Practically everyone around the world has access to Amazon Prime Video, which means they can watch Utopia online starting on Friday, September 25.

All eight episodes will drop at once, which means it's binge time!

Amazon Prime Video has a huge library beyond Utopia. Not only do they have a ton of top movies and TV shows, they've got a lineup of acclaimed originals. They've got everything from The Boys to The Expanse to Jack Ryan, plus award-winning shows Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Fleabag.

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Utopia trailer

The trailer opens at a happy time — a comic convention. But soon, events take a sinister turn. "Everything in Utopia is real," one character declares in the trailer. That includes "viruses, bio warfare, man-made disease." It's all disconcertingly familiar — and prescient.

Utopia cast

The Utopia cast is a big one, a sprawling ensemble featuring some big names and rising stars, including:

• Sasha Lane as Jessica Hyde
• Rainn Wilson as Michael Stearns
• Dan Byrd as Ian
• Javon Walton as Grant
• Cory Michael Smith as Thomas Christie
• Ashleigh LaThrop as Becky
• Desmin Borges as Wilson Wilson
• Farrah Mackenzie as Alice
• Christopher Denham as Arby
• John Cusack as Dr. Kevin Christie
• Jeanine Serralles as Colleen

Utopia reviews

Here's a roundup of what the critics are saying about Utopia.

CNN: "Amid the real-world prevalence of crazy conspiracies percolating through social media, "Utopia" feels uncomfortable at first. The mounting jeopardy, however, keeps pulling the audience further down this quirky rabbit hole, filled with mysterious characters like a wealthy tech titan (John Cusack) championing a vaccine and a virologist (Rainn Wilson) enlisted to help eradicate the danger."

Time: "Its mood is apocalyptic. Its violence, while often cartoonish, is frequent, nihilistic and brutal. Its credulous attitude toward conspiracy theories doesn’t feel so exhilarating in the QAnon era. And there’s a subplot about a deadly pandemic that escalates as the story progresses. What makes the show unbearable, though, is that it exploits some of contemporary civilization’s greatest anxieties without saying anything worth hearing about them."

AV Club: "The series incorporates a slew of thematic elements that are eerily timely—an increasingly devastating pandemic, for one—but an overreliance on brutal violence masks the fact that Utopia doesn’t have much to say about the corporate overreach or government listlessness that inspired the show’s concept."

The Independent (UK): "Our heroes are meant to be sassy outsiders, the dialogue sometimes strays into teen-movie territory, and I found myself wishing everything was 30 per cent sharper. We can see what's coming, even when the characters can't, which reduces the tension."