What happens when you take fifteen very diverse people and isolate them on a plot of land called Utopia and let them devise their own way of living? That is the question asked by the new Fox show "Utopia".
After the first two episodes, there are numerous problems apparent. Some of the residents (Fox calls them "pioneers") have anger issues. Since they don't get along well with others, their behavior disrupts the peace of the group. But you don't start with a utopia. You start with anarchy and then, if you wish, you try to achieve your version of utopia.
It should be noted that most utopian communities are populated by people who already had some agreement about what the ideal society looks like. Here, there is widespread disagreement. One person sees religion as the center of utopia. Another would ban money, power and religion. A couple of the residents--Dave and Red--believe, essentially, in the original anarchy, not wanting to be governed by anyone other than themselves. We might ask why, then, did they come to this society? A realist would say they are there to generate ratings.
In the early going, it looks like "Utopia" may be an interesting social experiment, where the basic nature of man is explored. It is for this reason I am watching. But we should not fool ourselves. The size of this community is not large enough to be considered a statistically significant sample, so lessons learned from watching should not be generalized to the general population of the U.S.
I predicted, after the first show, that the group would fracture into sub-groups. That has already happened. It's a problem, but it doesn't mean the fifteen can't get along. I actually find some parts difficult to watch, but I am hoping this group can reach an equilibrium.
Update 9/24//14: After the third week, this experiment is even more interesting that I thought it would be. Almost every day is filled with successes and failures.
