I really want to like this show, but I can't

I went into this really wanting to like the show. Each episode that I watch I think "that wasn't TOO bad, and I'm still in the first 10 episodes, so maybe it'll pick up." Unfortunately it doesn't.

In some ways it's really close to living up to the original, but in other ways these new creators are dragging the show kicking and screaming away from the style of the original.

The original show did an awesome job of character development not only for the girls, Utonium, the mayor, Ms. Keane, Ms. Bellum, and all the villains, but they even did a great job of making character development for the narrator and Townsville. They created a very tongue-in-cheek world that's so off-the-wall that the can make weird transitions from comedically over-dramatic reactions from characters, to a beat-em-up action scene, to a moral of the story scene, all without having any of it seem forced. The show wasn't taking itself too seriously and so they got away with whatever they felt like. The reboot just seems so subdued in comparison. The girls are the only ones who get any kind of character development, and it's in a very different direction from the original. The supporting characters are all but forgotten, almost like they've become nameless extras in the show. It's like the creators wanted to remain true to the original, but they have a much stronger loyalty to modern-day tropes and gimmicks than they do to McCracken's original show. They kept just enough of it the same but changed so much of it that when you're watching the show it's like seeing someone who looks strikingly similar to your best friend doing things that you know your friend would never do, and it leaves you with a confused feeling that doesn't sit well.

The biggest mistake was changing the characters. I don't mean just the voice actresses but the characters themselves are fundamentally different from the original. Blossom talks too much like an "oh, like, you know, whatever" type of girl when her character is supposed to be intelligent, overly moralistic, and slightly arrogant. They basically reduced Buttercup from a confrontational tomboy to a snarky brat. Bubbles is just bland and has become essentially every other female extra in the original show, so much to the point that she's forgettable even though she's a main character. She also has way too many of those "sweet-to-evil" transitions for the sake of humor. The first couple of times it was cute, but they do it so often that it's not even a gag in the show anymore; it seems to imply her character's got bipolar disorder. Even the narrator is downplayed. He used to be a fairly major character and probably the funniest character in the show, making jokes and popping in throughout the episode.

I don't know. The show is an all right show in its own right. It's got a few funny jokes per episode and I really do want to give it a chance and to try to like it, it's just failing to live up to the original in every way. I'm about ready to just write it off as a lost cause that could have had great potential.