After two months on the air, Fox’s ambitious reality series Utopia has been unceremoniously dumped by the network.
Low ratings made the show, which Fox had hoped would breathe new life into its reality lineup as viewership of American Idol continues to decline, an obvious choice for cancellation. The most recent installment had only a 0.5 rating among the key adults 18-49 demographic and a little more than 1.5 million viewers, an all-time low for the series.
No one can say that Fox didn’t give Utopia a chance – the network heavily promoted the series leading up to its premiere, and when ratings were disappointingly low, Fox attempted to condense viewers by dropping the weekly Tuesday episode and airing Utopia exclusively on Friday nights. The shift didn’t help matters. Before long, Utopia stood as the lowest-ranking freshman offering on the network, which is ranked fourth this season among the major networks.
Fox’s decision to end the series goes into effect immediately. Starting November 7th, MasterChef Junior reruns, which already take over Utopia‘s Tuesday slot this week, will air in its stead. The live-streaming component, a big aspect of the launch, wraps up this Sunday.
Utopiatv.com posted a statement responding to the cancellation, which read:
It’s the final day of a brave new world. Thanks so much for joining us.
Viewtopians,
Thank you for your support since the start of Utopia. We greatly appreciate it. However, the Utopia project—including the internet streams—will no longer continue, effective immediately. Last Friday’s Halloween episode will be the last to air.
Should you have any questions about your Premium Passport subscription, please email [email protected].
On behalf of the pioneers, the crew and Fox, thank you for joining us on this great adventure.
The Producers
Tell us, are you disappointed to see Utopia go? Or were you not a fan of the reality series?