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'Deep State' season 1 review and spoilers: Promises much, but leaves a lot to be desired

'Deep State' claimed to be an espionage thriller that was different from the rest. It succeeded, but not in a good way.

Possible spoilers ahead.

Each decade sees one particular brand of television series come to the fore and dominate the airwaves. In the 90s, it was sitcoms such as 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S,' 'Seinfeld,' 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,' 'Full House,' Home Improvement,' and many more. In the 2000s, it was often the broody, dark dramas that got their time in the sun, whether it was 'The Sopranos,' 'House,' 'Mad Men,' or 'Dexter.'

With the second decade of the 21st century, that trend shifted towards espionage thrillers, no doubt aided by the NSA scandal that rocked the U.S, as well as the unprecedented success of 'Homeland.' The Claire Dane-starring spy thriller was impeccable in its plotting, character developments, and casting, with the added intrigue of a show exploring the possibility of an American soldier turned into a terrorist making it one of the most well-received shows, critically and commercially. Unsurprisingly, several further shows have attempted to copy and paste the formula hoping for similar success, and while few make a reasonable name for themselves, most end up as cheap knock-offs with little identity of their own. 'Deep State' in somewhere in the middle.