Marvel's Inhumans

With intriguing storylines and compelling characters, this superhero entry has promise, but it's also plagued by a distinct cheesiness. Viewers used to seeing superhero tales told with lusher sets and more elegant costumes and lighting may be distressed at how flat this drama looks. Most scenes are glaringly shot on sound stages (dubiously dressed up with stage design that looks stolen from Flash Gordon -- the 1936 version), the wigs are truly terrible, the lighting and effects makeup strangely reminiscent of -- but not as effective as -- the effects on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Oh, and the CGI. The CGI is bad, particularly the giant teleporting bulldog, Lockjaw.

And yet, Inhumans isn't devoid of charm. Setting much of the action in an otherworldly city that reads like a Mount Olympus full of gods is a good move, as is focusing on the political implications of a world in which many people are downtrodden so that a favored few can live in ease. Dropping hints about a growing contamination on Earth is another relatable subplot. Having seen the terrigenesis process, in which regular humans are made Inhuman by deliberately exposing them to terrigen mist, viewers can darkly imagine what powers will crop up as terrigen spreads in the water supply. Make no mistake; this series isn't as trippy as Legion or as gripping as Netflix's superhero entries like Luke Cage or Jessica Jones. But the storytelling is interesting, and viewers who love sci-fi may find themselves swept away -- if not dazzled.