Can’t recommend this highly enough for its complex (for TV) treatment of strong AI.

I tried a few episodes and thought it was stupid. I'd love to be wrong, so please tell me it gets better. I'm willing to give it a second chance.

The "crime of the week" never really gets any better, and since it was an ABC drama it needed to hew pretty closely to that formula. From S02 onwards they start building a mythology about the machine and where it comes from etc, but since it's a 22-episode season it'a _really_ slow burn.

People tell me it gets a lot better in S02 and S03.

I couldn't get past the first season. I couldn't suspend my disbelief for it to be watchable.

Season 3. Especially season 4 and 5 are almost entirely about battling super intelligence while avoiding super surveilence. The crime of the week mostly subsides and it is all about super intelligence battles.

It has a certain campy style that not everyone appreciates or can ignore. That doesn't get better.

There are 5 seasons, and the AI story reaches greatness in the 3rd or 4th IIRC.

I totally missed your comment when writing mine, I should have refreshed the window :)