Utopia (UK)

Fans of an obscure graphic novel find themselves connected to something dangerous in the British Utopia. What begins as shared curiosity becomes a problem they are not remotely prepared to manage.

Dennis Kelly's thriller has a distinctive visual identity: bright colour and carefully arranged spaces make its menace feel stranger, not safer. The contrast matters because the violence can arrive with very little of the warning that a more conventional thriller supplies. The awkwardness of the group gives the conspiracy people to inconvenience rather than merely pieces to move.

This is dark, graphic material, despite the vivid appearance. Its short, interrupted run also leaves matters unresolved. Those are real considerations, but the combination of uneasy humour, threat and visual precision makes it stand apart from more interchangeable conspiracy television. Make sure you are choosing the UK series if that is the version you want.