If you’re anything like me, you walked out ofThe Giverthinking, “Man, if only the post-apocalyptic society had been built around a dance competition.” I also walked out ofThe Hunger Gameswishing it had been more likeWest Side Story, walked out ofThe Maze Runnerimagining the heights it could have reached as a season ofDancing With the Stars, and just sort of walked out ofDivergent. If for some inexplicable reason you’ve experienced all those same thoughts, then you are in luck - Hulu has just released the first trailer for their upcoming sci-fi young adult dystopian dance seriesUtopia Falls.
The show, which premiers on the streaming service February 14, takes place in the distant future society of New Babyl, wherein impossibly attractive young people form dance teams and compete with each other to see who can pay their founders the most glorious tribute. But one group of competitors receives a mysterious invitation to travel outside of the city limits, where they discover a cache of artifacts called the Archive (voiced bySnoopDogg) that appears to contain every work of art ever created. Within the Archive, the characters stumble upon hip-hop music and dance, and begin incorporating it into their performances, which threatens to bring down the entire society. For some reason.
The trailer leaves out a lot of crucial details. For instance, it isn’t clear exactly what forms of expression are restricted in New Babyl, considering our main characters are a group of highly skilled dancers. We see some random paintings in the Archive, as well as a magnifying glass, aBusta Rhymesvideo, and a book of fairy tales. I have no idea what all of those things have in common, but as one of the characters defiantly announces, their introduction into New Babyl is an act of extreme rebellion. To sayUtopia Fallslooks utterly ridiculous would be an understatement so massive that it is considered a felony in most states. But the dance choreography is impressive, and the show’s premise is so wildly outside-the-box that all of its considerable absurdity might come together to make for a fun watch. Check out the trailer below and decide for yourself. All 10 episodes ofUtopia Fallswill be available on Hulu February 14.
