So! The US Utopia is fascinating. It's almost a shot-by-shot remake. The Americanization of it means that they've added an extra layer explaining the background -- mainly to give John Cusack something to do. Building up Cusack and giving us a glimpse at what Harvest is actually all about initially feels like a mistake, but then it sort of grows on you. Ultimately, it's handled very well. It removes some of the mystery, and it definitely softens the twist. The big twist from the original is still there, but now it's less of an impact because we've been so distracted by Cusack.
The casting is also a little flawed. In some places it's brilliant (the sadly underused Milna, Wilson Wilson, Grant, etc). All of those characters are almost carbon copies. The big hole is Jessica Hyde, whose creepy alien-ness is removed entirely and replaced with a violent street urchin.
The show also focuses on Utopia as opposed to Jessica. It's no longer "Where is Jessica Hyde," but, instead, "Where is Utopia," and the comic itself is actually important as opposed to being a macguffin.
All this makes US Utopia just...not quite as amazing. I almost wish they had broken completely from the original and done their own thing. Then, maybe, it would have been as impressive as the original. But aping the original so loyally and, yet, missing the most key elements feels...well, deflated.
MEANWHILE: Dennis Kelley, creator of the UK Utopia, has rebooted The Wicker Man in HBO's The Third Day. But, here. he's completely dropped the ball. The first three episodes are the Wicker Man reboot we always wanted. The fourth episode (with two more to go) is the Wicker Man reboot we never wanted.