Dear Edward, the novel adaptation of a lone survivor from a plane crash, and the group grieving around losing family members from that same flight, arrives on Apple TV this weekend. And while it enlists beloved veteran actor Connie Britton in a creative role, she alone can’t lift what is a very heavy emotional television lift.

The story weaves a web of family stories revolving around that ill fated flight. After the crash, we get Edward, who has to adjust from both unwanted fame from the tragedy and losing his own family, as well as the stories of others who have to pick up the pieces following the tragedy.

We get a captivating pilot, but the story really loses its momentum in the following episodes. It tries to both build characters and provoke emotion at the same time, and there just isn’t tied to a lot of these other plots to make it work. Because of the subject matter, its also understandably a rather joyless watch.

Britton is always worth a look, and here we get to see her play something of a wealthy and clueless socialite laced with her signature charm from her other roles. Its also shot very well, but Apple TV always nails the visual side of things.

Whether you’ll enjoy “Dear Edward” might be determined by how much emotional weight you want to pull. If you’re patient and looking for a melancholy TV experience, this might be your show. However, most of us will have to pass on the heavy content.