I was not interested in watching it initially for the reasons you describe, then I binged the first season in a weekend and was hooked, and it's one of my favorite shows. I know you said you're almost through the first season, but still. Overall, taken as a whole the entire series describes kind of a slow burn arc -- it's basically how these characters deal with the '60s, good, bad, and ugly. IMO there is plenty of payoff.