Ruby Yao (Stephanie Hsu), the protagonist of the Peacock comedy “Laid,” is variously described as “egocentric,” “a nightmare,” “the worst particular person I’ve ever met” and belonging “in jail.” Hsu’s efficiency and Ruby’s characterization as a complete are certainly intensely off-putting, in methods each intentional and never. However Ruby’s karmic comeuppance on this collection, tailored by sitcom veterans Nahnatchka Khan (“Recent off the Boat”) and Sally Bradford McKenna (“The Goldbergs”) from an Australian present of the identical title, doesn’t have an effect on her instantly. As a substitute, everybody she’s ever slept with begins to die — typically in outlandish methods, at all times within the order she had intercourse with them.

This morbid premise evokes the late, nice “Lovesick.” However not like that British collection, by which the hero’s STI leads him to revisit previous relationships, the heightened stakes of “Laid” current a tonal hurdle the eight-episode season proves unable to surmount. “Laid” is breezily informal about Ruby’s (literal) physique rely with out totally embracing the horror or bleak, slapstick comedy of its implications. In educating Ruby a lesson about her narcissism, “Laid” finally ends up solely reinforcing it by speaking that no precise life, or much more than a dozen lives within the mixture, issues as a lot as Ruby’s internal one. The issues with “Laid,” very similar to these in Ruby’s personal affairs, largely stem from Ruby herself.

“Laid” marks a collection lead debut for Hsu, an Academy Award nominee for her breakout function in “The whole lot All over the place All at As soon as.” Hsu had no downside taking part in an out-and-out villain for lengthy stretches of that movie, however her Ruby is extra of an oblivious blabbermouth vulnerable to surprising bouts of callousness, like failing to recollect the names of individuals she’s inadvertently condemned to die. She’s neither foul sufficient for her sheer monstrosity to be the joke, just like the Dubek siblings in “The Different Two,” nor candy sufficient for her inevitable redemption to really feel even barely earned. As a substitute, she’s simply annoying. In a redundant illustration of her total obnoxiousness, Ruby is a superfan of musicals usually and “The Biggest Showman” specifically.

If Ruby fails to compel within the second, “Laid” additionally struggles in its efforts to explicate the roots of her romantic dysfunction. That is principally achieved not by natural interactions, however by Ruby’s therapist (Elizabeth Bowen) explaining her issues — from abandonment points to fixating on a type of love that solely exists in standard tradition — to her face. As skilled observe and compelling tv, the tactic is equally poor.

“Laid” perks up a bit when Ruby companions with Richie (Michael Angarano), an ex with an apparent incentive to determine what’s occurring. Richie’s low opinion of Ruby makes him a certified sparring accomplice and sorely wanted foil; he’s higher suited to the half than both AJ (Zosia Mamet), Ruby’s roommate and finest good friend, or Isaac (Tommy Martinez), her newest event-planning shopper and potential love curiosity. (Anganaro even gamely shoulders some clunky product placement for Toyota. I assume “Laid” is making an attempt to be tongue-in-cheek concerning the plug, however like the remainder of its makes an attempt at darkish humor, the sarcasm doesn’t translate.) Sadly, Richie is late to the get together, depriving “Laid” of its personal sharpest instrument and indicating a broader difficulty with pacing. Ruby’s co-worker Brad (Ryan Pinkston) seems to play a pivotal function within the plot, nevertheless it’s not clear she even has a co-worker till a number of episodes in.

There are moments when a snider, sillier model of “Laid” peeks by; a scene the place John Early performs himself is, per traditional for the comic, chic. The season nonetheless ends on a cliffhanger, leaving its central thriller in addition to its personal id unresolved. Ultimately, “Laid” lacks a perspective on Ruby’s affliction. Is it a metaphor for a way she treats her exes, or simply an opportunity to make comedy from the sheer agglomeration of tragedy? Whichever metric one makes use of, “Laid” in the end falls quick.

All eight episodes of “Laid” at the moment are streaming on Peacock.