Season 2 & 3 get better - there was a major production shakeup between 1 & 2 and smaller ones for 3. Season 4 goes slows, but I think one of the biggest problems is the way the seasons are told. One large overarching story with minor character building because of it, instead of the episodic storytelling from TOS etc. It took some getting use too and I almost stopped watching the first season as well. Season 2 is good to watch if you watch Strange New Worlds, which does go back to the episodic stories making it more like Star Trek.

Also, Lower Decks is pretty funny - I put it on for background noise and ended up binge watching, something I rarely do.

The Orville is much better.

It really is. The first few episodes were shaky as they were trying to decide whether it was Family Guy in space or TNG with more humor, but fortunately they chose the latter.

Also enjoying Strange New Worlds which takes itself much less seriously than Discovery and Picard.

I'm also liking strange new worlds, although the latest episode was really boring.

The Orville is inconsistent and often unpleasant.

I'm a fan. Discovery is consistently unpleasant.

Just like TNG, sometimes it was brilliant, and sometimes it wasn't. That's the risk with actual creativity instead of fistfights and non-stop action. Discovery looks good, but very thin on the meat.

I watched season 1 and 2. It is only Star Trek in name and not in spirit.

They should just rename it to The Michael Burnham Show at this point.

I've not seen the show, but have heard that Burnham is basically the Mary Sue of all Mary Sues.

She's the protagonist, all the show is about her. I suspect it's intentionally a divisive character, to form a small but hard fanbase at the cost of losing the rest. Demagogues follow the same formula, it's kinda interesting to see it applied on a TV show.

So much moral inconsistency

?

Burnham is a terrible officer, but also always trying to talk up Starfleet as if she isn't constantly acting like Starfleet doesn't know what the fuck it's doing.

You stopped just as it was getting good. Season 1 was bad. Season 2 was a bit better. Season 3 was pretty good. Season 4 is boring and poorly paced.

Perhaps, but I saw no reason for it to be named Star Trek. They should have named it anything else and I'd probably have enjoyed it more.

I've found it consistently bad all the way.

It did look like it was going to get a bit better when S3 started but it's still a lot of moping and crying and even the ship's AI having existential issues and zero exploration and socio-politics.

Even the most high profile representatives of the different peoples are just a bunch of emotionally immature and persistently frightened individuals.

The plot of season 4 reminded me a little too much of "Orphans of the helix"

Same here, people kept telling to give it a chance, as TOS found its stride until season 3. The ending of season 2, and the beginning of season 3 looked like they were listening and addressing their flaws, only for it to redouble on them.

Their seasons can be resumed as: Michael is the beginning and the end, all things are about Michael.