Honestly, I thought the first season of TNG was crap. IMHO, they didn’t hit their stride until into the second season, and even nostalgia can’t suppress the overwhelming cringe and bad direction of S1. The acting is wooden, the scripts awkward… and it wasn’t the actors’ fault. I don’t think DS9 had that many treething problems, and while I never learned to like Voyager, at least out came out of the gate polished.

Anyhoo, maybe it’s just finding its legs?