Fox introduced "Utopia" as a one-year social experiment with 15 participants trying to create a new society from scratch. Instead, the network pulled the plug on the community and the show after just 66 days.
The American adaptation of the successful Dutch series failed to find an audience to watch the Utopians living in isolation on a ranch in Santa Clarita, Calif. "Utopia" aired its final episode on Oct. 31 and pulled down its 24/7 online live stream of the compound on Nov. 2.
"Utopia" premiered on Sept. 7 and Fox originally planned to air the series two nights a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. The network then cut back to just Fridays due to Tuesdays' low ratings. The live stream stayed up throughout filming, and viewers could gain access to multiple, around-the-clock feeds if they paid a $5 a month subscription fee.
The reality series also introduced the threat of elimination for one of the 15 contestants. The online subscription viewers could vote and possibly replace the eliminated contestant, but Fox received no feedback from the audience, according to Variety.
"Utopia" presented a challenge to its 15 participants with "wildly diverse backgrounds" to create a working society with limited supplies and no indoor plumbing. They would have to decide on a type of government, economy, to follow a religion and other great choices a community must make in the beginning.
Fox released an online message to its viewers that the "Utopia" project would end on Nov. 2. It did not state if the participants had been notified or what would happen next for them.
Dutch reality producer John de Mol of Talpa Media attempted the transport of his thriving foreign series to the United States. The Dutch version will finish its final year on Dec. 31 and announced in September that current Utopians could stay in their new society for another full year, according to Utopia Madness.
