Brave New World’s biggest flaw is the success of its source material. Aldous Huxley’s 1932 novel is so influential that its ideas appear in almost every dystopian imagining of the last century. Many elements of the story have also come to pass. Huxley envisioned mass consumption of mood-altering drugs, genetic engineering, videoconferencing, targeted advertising, birth control and society’s continuing stratification, just to scratch the surface. How do you adapt a depiction of the future that’s already here? The new flagship show from NBC’s Peacock should be forgiven, then, if the setting feels familiar. 

The series is faithful to the novel, but dispenses with its misogynistic and racist overtones. Characters have been reimagined in subtle but compelling ways — World Controller Mond and Helm Watson, both white men in the book, are replaced by black women (Nina Sosanya and Hannah John-Kamen). Lenina Crowne (Jessica Brown Findlay) is given more depth and autonomy, while Bernard Marx’s (Harry Loyd) role is pared down. John (Alden Ehrenreich) becomes the central character as he navigates the jarring transition from the Savagelands to New London. The same three rules still govern society: no privacy, no monogamy, no family.

These rules are driven home immediately when Lenina is called away from her work to meet with Bernard. She glides through the manicured, futuristic environs (soundtracked perfectly by Goldfrapp’s ‘Happiness’) and into his office. The utopian mirage disappears when she’s confronted for violating the second rule. Bernard seems bemused as he lectures her about “Two people engaged in possessive, monogamous relations… in private, with no regard for the social body and the pain they cause — the damage they inflict.” Visibly shaken, Lenina responds in a forced manner with New London’s conditioned maxim, “Everybody belongs to everybody else.”

It’s here that the adaptation’s critical conflict begins to take shape: Bernard on the edge of jealousy; Lenina feeling restricted by the structures of society; John living a stilted life in the Savagelands, on the cusp of taking control.

John’s character has been tweaked to mostly positive effect. In Huxley’s work, he was raised almost exclusively on Shakespeare, quotes the writer’s work frequently and IS essentially “Shakespearean.” David Wiener’s adaptation deftly replaces Shakespeare with an obsession for music, providing an emotionally resonant soundtrack that stands in stark contrast with the bland, wordless electronica of New London.

The musical choices work extremely well. Car Seat Headrest’s “Fill in the Blank” captures John’s restless anxiety while trapped in the Savagelands, entertaining New Londoners who’ve come to gawk at the backward ways of American life. Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees” swells as John clutches a bullet at the end of the first episode, contemplating a decision that could change his life. Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” and Neil Young’s “Natural Beauty” also make timely appearances. 

While there are many cracks in New London’s futuristic facade, the sinister undercurrent here is distraction — distraction from one’s caste, from one’s emotions, from anything that might cause introspection. Distraction in this case is largely sexual, often in the form of Helm Watson’s”feelies” and pleasure gardens — immersive, rave-like parties meant to arouse the populace. When distraction fails to do its job, medication and rigid social conditioning are there to fill in the gaps. 

As John becomes embedded in New London, his struggle to acclimate nudges surrounding characters onto introspective paths. John’s love interest, Lenina, stops taking her soma in an effort to experience her emotions more fully. Bernard is troubled by feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. CJack60, a low-level Epsilon doomed to a life of menial labor, begins to question his place in society. 

Other than a few minor acts of subversion, John doesn’t push anyone toward outright rebellion. He subtly plants the seed, though. World Controller Mond rightly compares him to a virus, a small change in the system that could upset the equilibrium. In the end, John does little to bring about change in the status quo, but his ideas do take root in a few key minds, causing ripple effects he couldn’t have anticipated.

While John’s story ends less tragically here than in Huxley’s work, the many cliff-hangers make clear Peacock’s intentions for a second season. Assuming it goes forward, John may yet have a role to play as a more purposeful agent of change. Still, winding detours surely could have made way for more developed portrayals of the revolutionary Epsilon CJack60, World Controller Mond, the mysterious Indra or Kylie Bunbury’s revelatory “Frannie.” A nearly unrecognizable Demi Moore (above) surely deserved more screen time as John’s ailing Mother.

This adaptation of Brave New World has little new to say, largely because its source material did the job so effectively years ago. It remains compelling because, despite its lavish, technology-driven future, it remains firmly grounded in the emotional turmoil of a diverse group of individuals. If only more time was spent delving into those individuals’ interior growth rather than the superfluous sexual exploits of the “social body.”

Andy Witchger (@andywitchger) is a naturalist and freelancer from Minneapolis. You can find his past work in Time Out, Bring Me The News, Forbes, Far Out, The Current, Rolling Stone MX, Fast Company, City Pages, and his mom’s refrigerator.