Y: The Last Man

It is, simply as an apocalypse drama, good enough. And there are, as the series progresses, signs of hope that Yorick will be relegated further into the background, the female characters will come further to the fore, and that it will start to exploit some of the gyno-opportunities offered by the premise. It could just do with getting there a bit faster, that’s all.

Though depicting a much different sort of post-cataclysmic world than The Walking Dead, it's often paced like that series, counting on simmering intrigue and the occasional burst of action to keep viewers engaged.

The series is often provocative, generally compelling and almost never quite as entertaining as it should be. ... Clark’s serious-minded approach to Y: The Last Man gives it grounding and thematic richness and sets up several terrific monologues to underline its speculative choices. It also makes the show talky and murky, and although the storytelling doesn’t exactly lag, it never finds the right balance with action-fueled adventure.

It’s apocalypse-by-numbers, with a good cast — see also Olivia Thirlby as Yorick’s paramedic sister Hero, and Amber Tamblyn as Kimberly, the conservative pundit daughter of the newly-deceased president — and the occasional interesting set piece, but most of it is generic at best.

Y: The Last Man is a perfectly serviceable political thriller, but the comic-book trappings that really made the panels sing just aren’t present here.

Add Y: The Last Man to the long list of comics-turned-series since "The Walking Dead" became a smash hit that have yearned to emulate its post-apocalyptic appeal. Like most of the others, this beyond-grim drama falls short, at least initially, despite a strong cast headed by Diane Lane as the US' new leader.

All of the up-to-the-minute gags may seem gratuitous to some. But most of them come off clever and resonant, often better thought-out than some of the show’s thudding emotional and action beats.

It takes itself too seriously to allow for many other emotions beyond “desperate” and “grieving.” ... Even while furiously grieving, human beings are able to laugh, flirt, and dream bigger than our circumstances might allow. “Y: The Last Man” acknowledging as much wouldn’t betray the genre, but enrich its own reality to become more recognizably poignant — and, yes, harrowing — than the monochromatic pain to which it otherwise defaults.

Some intriguing ideas and individual performances can't save Hulu's latest from feeling dated and languid.

At best, the new FX on Hulu drama (debuting Sept. 13) takes the Brian K. Vaughan/Pia Guerra source material in intriguing new directions. Too often, though, it's a dutiful adaptation, turning the comic's eccentricity into a familiar genre wallow.