The show leans heavily into identity themes, promoting characters with traits primarily defined by their gender, race, or sexuality. Personality, merit, and nuance often take a backseat, with many story arcs feeling constructed purely to spotlight modern ideological talking points. Suspense and realism suffer as some characters seem immune to flaws or meaningful challenges.

Mid-Century Modern frequently questions or deconstructs traditional institutions, family, religion, and masculinity are often depicted as outdated or problematic. The storyline regularly upends cultural traditions to align with contemporary values, making the past look like a caricature.

Virtually every character seems to share the same fashionable worldview, and any dissenting voices are predictably painted as narrow-minded or antagonistic. There’s little to no genuine ideological debate, with counterpoints presented only to be ridiculed or dismissed, giving the whole thing the feel of a lecture instead of a drama.