Heartbreaking, funny and endlessly fascinating.

Once you get on its wavering wavelength — sentimental, sincere, sweet, a little silly, not overly concerned with making perfect sense — and realize the show is not out to hurt you, it’s a very enjoyable watch.

Never as intense as Stranger Things, but also never as surprising, The Boroughs charms while plucking the heartstrings as its characters, especially Sam, contend with grief, loss, and regret while displaying admirable resilience and a timeless respect for Bruce Springsteen.

Early episodes of “The Boroughs” are stronger than those deeper in the season — again, this could have been a movie; eight episodes is at least two too many — but the show’s general vibe is upbeat and there are a few surprising twists along the way (although the show’s villain is exactly who viewers will guess it to be from the jump).

The set-up is intriguing and fun, with the first episode establishing an appealingly quirky tone that’s hopefully backed up by a worthy story across the eight episodes that will fully make proper use of these actors.

More than just a spiritual successor to Stranger Things, The Boroughs is an original sci-fi that succeeds on its own terms, even if it does need to iron out a few wrinkles, figuratively speaking.

The series’ writing is rarely up to the level of its actors, and Woodard in particular gets shortchanged by a character arc that runs all the way from morose to glum.