Utopia (Australian TV series)

Utopia
Genre Comedy
Created by Rob Sitch
Santo Cilauro
Tom Gleisner
Written by Rob Sitch
Santo Cilauro
Tom Gleisner
Directed by Rob Sitch
Starring Rob Sitch
Celia Pacquola
Dave Lawson
Luke McGregor
Kitty Flanagan
Anthony "Lehmo" Lehmann
Toby Truslove
Emma-Louise Wilson
Michelle Lim Davidson
Opening theme "Volare" by Dean Martin
Country of origin Australia
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 16
Production
Executive producer(s) Michael Hirsh
Producer(s) Rob Sitch
Santo Cilauro
Tom Gleisner
Location(s) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Production company(s) Working Dog Productions
Distributor Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Release
Original network ABC
Original release 13 August 2014 (2014-08-13) – present
External links
Official website
Production website

Utopia, titled Dreamland in the UK, Canada, and US, is a Logie Award-winning Australian television comedy series by Working Dog Productions that premiered on ABC1 on 13 August 2014. The eight-part series follows the working lives of a team in the Nation Building Authority, a newly created government organisation. The Authority is responsible for overseeing major infrastructure projects, from announcement to unveiling. The series explores the collision between bureaucracy and grand ambitions.[1] The second series aired in 2015, beginning with the first episode on 19 August 2015.

Background

Utopia is written and produced by three of the founding members of Working Dog Productions: Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner. It is produced by Michael Hirsh, directed by Sitch who also stars as one of the main characters Tony, and casting managed by Jane Kennedy.[2] When casting, Sitch wanted to have actors that possessed a certain acting style, that appeared as if nothing absurd was going on. Sitch described the series as being about "the currency of grand dreams". He described that the idea of the "Nation Building Authority" was to portray it as one of those things that got set up in a bit of a mad rush and that under all the grand dreams there was a white elephant waiting to appear.[2] Utopia continues on the satirical themes of other Working Dog works such as Frontline and The Hollowmen. Sitch also noted that the series was more observational than satirical and that it depicted how organisations may or may not function.[2] When creating the show, Gleisner said the production team spoke to people who worked with government authorities and had experienced for themselves the daily unpredictabilities of working in these environments.[3]

Characters

Plot

The series is set inside the offices of the fictional Nation Building Authority, a newly created government organisation responsible for overseeing major infrastructure projects ranging from new roads and rail lines to airports and high rise urban developments. It follows the working lives of a tight-knit team of bureaucrats in charge of guiding big building schemes from announcement to unveiling. Throughout the series grand projects are frustrated by self interest, constant shifts in priorities and bureaucracy.

The series features a number of recurring themes. The office is continually focused on various fads. In one episode, staff become obsessed with exercise after a visit from a Heart Smart representative, practicing communal yoga in the office at regular intervals. In another episode, Amy (Davidson) hires an indoor plant consultant, making major changes to office air conditioning and lighting, after Tony's (Sitch) plant dies and he asks for a replacement.

Rhonda (Flanagan) frequently attends conferences or workshops on various forms of online media. She returns to the office enthusiastically and doggedly drawing priorities away from important projects to superficial online projects.

Episodes

Season 1

Episode
number 		No. in
series 		Title Directed by Written by Original air date Viewers
11"Wood for the Trees"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner13 August 2014778,000[5]
22"Protected Species"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner20 August 2014597,000[6]
33"Very Fast Turnover"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner27 August 2014663,000[7]
44"Onwards and Upwards"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner3 September 2014566,000[8]
55"Arts and Minds"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner10 September 2014614,000[9]
66"Then We Can Build It"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner17 September 2014603,000[10]
77"The First Project"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner24 September 2014620,000[11]
88"The Whole Enchilada"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner1 October 2014620,000[12]

Season 2

Episode
number 		No. in
series 		Title Directed by Written by Original air date Viewers
91"A Fresh Start"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner19 August 2015779,000[13]
102"Shovels Ready"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner26 August 2015738,000[14]
113"Keep Out - Public Property"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner2 September 2015769,000[15]
124"Dot Dot Dot"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner9 September 2015845,000[16]
135"Terminal Problems"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner16 September 2015797,000[17]
146"Starting the Conversation"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner23 September 2015803,000[18]
157"Reporting for Duty"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner30 September 2015866,000[19]
168"Summit Attempt"Rob SitchRob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner7 October 2015756,000[20]

Reception

Anne Pender from The Conversation described Utopia as "light – but sharp and witty" political satire. She praised the talents of the writers and the cast of "exceptional actors". She also noted that it was an improvement from The Speechmaker, a stage show that Sitch and Working Dog Productions put together earlier in 2014.[21] David Knox from TV Tonight noted the show's similarity to Sitch's previous work, The Hollowmen. In addition to praising the performances of cast members, he opined that the city backdrop of East Melbourne gave the series a "fresh, contemporary feel" accompanied by a "driving percussion soundtrack" and "cityscape montages".[22]

Netflix purchased the rights to the programme in 2015 to broadcast the first two seasons under the title Dreamland.[23]

The series has found comparisons to the earlier and more cynical seasons of American workplace comedies The Office and Parks and Recreation. But it builds further on the mold, offering a "painfully funny satire that focuses on the interaction between the media and press friendly projects wanted by government administrations and the disparities it presents to those in the agency who would prefer practicality."[24]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipients and nominees Result
2015 4th AACTA Awards[25] Best Television Comedy Series Utopia Won
Best Performance in a Television Comedy Celia Pacquola Nominated
Logie Awards[26] Most Outstanding Comedy Program Utopia Won
5th AACTA Awards[27] Best Television Comedy Series Utopia Nominated
Best Performance in a Television Comedy Celia Pacquola Won
2016 Logie Awards Most Outstanding Comedy Program Utopia Nominated

See also

References

  1. ↑ Knox, David (30 July 2014). "Airdate Utopia". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Enker, Debi (7 August 2014). "Working Dog productions hits Utopia jackpot". The Age. (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  3. ↑ Thomson, Phillip (9 August 2014). "ABC finds Utopia is in the public service". The Age. (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  4. ↑ Molk, Steve (11 August 2014). "This Is @WorkingDogProd's #UtopiaABC…". Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  5. ↑ Knox, David (14 August 2014). "Comedy debut tops Drama return". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  6. ↑ Knox, David (21 August 2014). "Ready for the ratings J-Curve". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  7. ↑ Knox, David (28 August 2014). "No Wonderland for TEN as Seven wins Wednesday". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  8. ↑ Knox, David (4 September 2014). "Wednesday 3 September 2014". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  9. ↑ Knox, David (11 September 2014). "Wednesday 10 September 2014". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  10. ↑ Knox, David (18 September 2014). "Wednesday 17 September 2014". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  11. ↑ Knox, David (25 September 2014). "Wednesday 14 September 2014". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  12. ↑ Knox, David (1 October 2014). "Wednesday 1 October 2014". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  13. ↑ Knox, David (20 August 2015). "Wednesday 19 August 2015". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  14. ↑ Knox, David (27 August 2015). "Wednesday 26 August 2015". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  15. ↑ Knox, David (3 September 2015). "Season high for Bachelor, Nine takes Wednesday". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  16. ↑ Knox, David (10 September 2015). "Wednesday 9 September 2015". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  17. ↑ Knox, David (17 September 2015). "Wednesday 16 September 2015". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  18. ↑ Knox, David (24 September 2015). "Wednesday 23 September 2015". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  19. ↑ Knox, David (1 October 2015). "Wednesday 30 September 2015". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  20. ↑ Knox, David (8 October 2015). "Wednesday 7 October 2015". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  21. ↑ Pender, Anne (21 August 2014). "Working Dog's Utopia is a welcome satirical treat". The Conversation. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  22. ↑ Knox, David (13 August 2014). "Utopia". TV Tonight. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  23. ↑ Idato, Michael (2015-07-23). "Netflix buys hit Australian comedy series Utopia from Working Dog". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  24. ↑ Journalist, Ahmad Khan Freelance; Strategist, Media/Tech (2016-07-15). "A Hidden Gem: Australian Comedy Dreamland is a Must-Watch". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  25. ↑ "4th AACTA Awards Nominees & Winners" (PDF). Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  26. ↑ "Logies 2015: full list of award winners". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  27. ↑ Maddox, Garry (30 November 2015). "AACTA Awards 2015: first round goes to Mad Max:Fury Road". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
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