The real strengths of HBO’s The Night Of are placed right front and center in the first episode. The hour chronicles the titular night, and we sit with future-murder-suspect Nazir Khan as his journey out to a party goes from ethereal to tragic. This episode is impeccably directed, with gradual shifts in tone emphasized by the color pallette and a softened depth of field. Director Steven Zaillian does a terrific job of drawing our attention to the little details that seem small in the moment, but will be significant down the road.

The decision to begin a criminal procedural mini-series with an episode that features practically no procedural elements is a real stroke of brilliance, and it colors our perspective of the whole show moving forward. We trust that Nazir is innocent not only because we know that his account of the night is truthful, but because he is our initial eyes and ears into the world. We have no reason to doubt him, since his perspective is our reality. Meanwhile, introducing some of the key points of contention in the first episode makes the procedural elements even more engaging. We have a real point of reference from watching the events unfold on our own.

It’s unfortunate, then, that The Night Of is only half-heartedly interested in getting to the bottom of Andrea Cornish’s murder. After the initial installment of the series, the writers lose sight of the case for the majority of the next 5 episodes. New insights into the story are occasionally sprinkled into the following episodes, but our time is spent primarily on Naz’s transformation in prison and attorney John Stone’s battle with Eczema. Most of the details that seemed so interesting about the pilot are placed on the backburner.

It’s hard to say if this narrative decision was a way of stalling for time, or the point of the series in the first place. Like The Wire before it, The Night Of is at least a little interested in exposing the systemic failures that can lead to false incarcerations. There are moments in the series in which the course of the “procedural” is impacted by real-world complications, or the motivations of important people run counter to uncovering the truth.

But as an exposé, The Night Of also comes up short. There are all sorts of elements in which a healthy suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy the series, such as Michael K. William’s Freddie having complete control over the prison, or Stone being nearly killed by a potential suspect, or Stone’s inspirational closing argument, or the sheer unlikeliness of Andrea encountering so many different men with violent criminal backgrounds within a single night. The writers seem flexible about using such clichés and shortcuts when they feel they need to, but refuse to give their story over to the formula that, in the end, makes such stories engaging.

This mixed scenario, in which the criticism of real-world criminal justice undermines the strengths of traditional courtroom drama and vice versa, is readily apparent in the series finale, in which neither direction manages to come to a satisfying conclusion. Nazir’s trial comes to a ridiculously abrupt end, an odd choice following Stone’s closing argument scene. The reveal of the likely killer, too, is strangely sudden, with a particular character obtaining an absurd amount of evidence to support his case off-screen in what appears to be a couple hours of time. Even Naz’s exit from prison, representing the systemic exposé element of the story, does little to tie up that storyline.

Even worse, the shortcuts that the show takes in order to wrap up terribly undermine some of the strongest character work up to that point. The betrayal of Chandra’s character, in particular, is extremely disappointing. It’s impossible to know whether her turn from naive-but-competent lawyer to swooning schoolgirl was the result of lazy writing, or the byproduct of a performance that always portrayed her with more intelligence and dignity than was on the page. In either case, her actions in the final two episodes of the series seem extraordinarily out of character.

Despite these failings, The Night Of remains enjoyable on a moment-to-moment basis. It never comes together to form an especially compelling story or message, but It’s incredibly strong acting and cinematography help it remain watchable even in its weaker moments. With a more specific dramatic focus, it could have ended up in the pantheon of great HBO dramas. Instead, it’ll have to settle for being one of the most binge-able series of the summer.