I really dislike the Robinsons. Maureen Robinson actually makes me uncomfortable. She really gives off the vibe of one of those fake suburban mothers who suffers from massive amounts of anxiety, always has a fake smile, but is actually very judgemental and highly calculating in everything she does. She'll get the kids on Adderall for their SATs, make sure they get into the best universities, always grease the right hands, but constantly speak about 'fairness.'
Ironically, that's actually exactly who Maureen is supposed to be. She's a hypocrite, but in a way that the writers actually expect us to overlook.
Judy is the 'oldest', but looks and sounds much younger than Penny. She is also a very one-dimensional character. Even in the moments where she is supposed to show how much she 'cares', it just falls emotionally flat. Where's the passion, the sadness. She is the embodiment of 'crying without tears' kind of acting.
Penny is the most 'real' character, but there is something that just not really helps to convince the audience. If I were to give one description to the character of Penny it would be that she is 'hard.' The rough voice, the persistent cynism. Ya, no chemistry or tension or shy flirtatious glances at her 'crush', no teenage girl longing.
Her neurotic self-obsession can actually be something characteristic of a teenage girl, but it should be accompanied by a kind of general self-doubt. Penny almost always seems overly confident, again, too rough and too masculine to give her basic teenage arc much weight.
Now, in fairness to all the actors, the writing on this show leaves a lot to be desired. A lot. So I don't think they have been given a lot to work with, and they might just be executing the creator's vision and can't really let their talents shine, but even with the mediocre writing, I have not to seem them elevate the characters beyond the page.
Will is probably the biggest example of this. Will is just this morally simplistic, naive kid who wants his 'robot.' Even as those very robots have attacked and killed humans. Even after he lost control of the robot. Now, I'm not saying he should give up on the robot, but we should see him struggle with the dangers of the robot and be given a reason to understand his connection, beyond 'my best friend in the whole universe/blankey'.
If Will is the bridge between worlds, a kind of messiah, then bloodly show us the kind of insights and powers he has, what makes him special. Instead, we just get 'Mommies' good little boy who's afraid of the dark but always tries to do what is 'right'. Will's sense of 'right' needs to rise above that of a suburban soccer mom who does not like her kids to lie or say the word 'damn.' Make this a story of Will ascending towards a kind of messianic (lite) perspective, or his realization of manhood and his struggle with moral ambiguity, cause right now its going in a very bad direction.
For my two cents, Maureen is definitely the most dislikable. John Robinson is mostly a non-character. He basically does want his wife tells him to. They don't really gave any chemistry. Also, a Navy Seal is someone who goes into another country and slits throats, you can't be a choirboy and be a Navy Seal. Sorry. But where is the edge, the independence? Where is their relationship as they are now spending so much time together.
The family is boring, and since the entire show revolves around the family, the entire show is boring.
And oh ya, Maureen is creepy as hell.