I do think you have to be a bit generous with it and overlook some things… but the characters do develop and the storylines are good and then some of the actors just pop. Costner is great, and I think the whole family, Rip, Jimmy etc come to life too. And then Beth just sort of steals the show/scenes at times.
The location is incredible too as DS says.
The danger with saying you won’t venture into S2 with shows is generally that S1s tend to end on a cliff hanger and you can’t help yourself. Suddenly you’re a few eps into the next season and the characters develop a bit more and you’re suddenly in it more.