Potential - the first series of Atlantis had this in droves but too often squandered it. Frequently undermining its more dramatic moments with misjudged slaptick, this was, for the most part, a show too broad to appeal to any but the very youngest of viewers.
BBC One saw fit to grant the fantasy series a second run, but if the show was to endear itself to audiences enough to warrant a third, changes would need to made - and fast.
Happily, this is an Atlantis much-changed and a good deal of what's different about 'A New Dawn: Part One' feels like a direct response to last year's criticisms, this premiere immediately striking a more sombre tone as we open on a grand royal funeral.
Though it's a pity to lose the great Alexander Siddig as Minos, killing the character off pays dividends. Last series, both Aiysha Hart's Ariadne and Sarah Parish as Pasiphae were frequently neglected – sometimes absent from episodes altogether – and this change in the status quo appears to be an attempt to rectify that.
Recast as a young monarch with the weight of the world on her shoulders, Hart's character is better served here than she was in the entirety of the first 13 episodes, while Pasiphae also benefits from her new role as power-hungry warlord (warlady?).
Pasiphae covets a statue known as the Palladium, an icon that offers Atlantis holy protection – or at the very least grants its soldiers power by infusing them with such a belief.
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Planting her own man within the palace - Robert Pugh's treacherous Sarpedon – allows Pasiphae's agent, Medea (Amy Manson), access to the sacred statue, in a fun sequence that unashamedly channels Indiana Jones.
But the persistent look of consternation on her face suggests that Medea might not be wholly comfortable working for Pasiphae and you suspect it won't be long before she's on the side of the angels.
Jason (Jack Donnelly) and friends could certainly use the help, as their quest to retrieve the Palladium takes an unfortunate turn and they end up a man down and trapped in a cave system with a savage Cyclops.
As is made eminently clear from the off, Atlantis is now at war and a more adult tone pervades this episode throughout. Though it contains perhaps one sword fight too many, the battle scenes in 'A New Dawn: Part One' are that much more visceral, that much more brutal, than last year's.
Taking part with gusto is Mark Addy's Hercules, at last more than a comic relief buffoon, he's shown early on to be physically capable and later to have a little inner depth, as he ponders the true nature of heroism.
The threats our heroes face this week are predominantly human, but the CGI beasties that do feature are realised effectively - and are wisely kept in the shadows as much as possible, helping to hide any deficiencies.
There's even a little gentle dwelling on the moral ambiguities of war, as our heroes ponder whether to kill an unarmed soldier in cold blood, only to have their decision come back to haunt them.
This is still an escapist family adventure, but it's a more cohesive, more consistent, less frivolous example of the form than series one often produced. Only one moment - a sequence involving a giant catapult - serves as an unwelcome reminder of the type of knockabout silliness that previously plagued the show.
I'm optimistic though that Atlantis can resist any temptation to fall back into its old ways. 'A New Dawn: Part One' is a very promising start and if Jason's visit to the Oracle is anything to by, the future looks like an ever deeper and darker proposition.
