Each of the first four episodes of Vampire Academy, the new YA series from creators Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre, opens with a quick sequence outlining the three principal roles that characters occupy. The first are the Moroi, vampires who have magical Elemental powers, but are basically powerless to defend themselves. Then there’s the Strigoi, who are Moroi that have turned evil and adhere to characteristics that audiences traditionally associate with vampires such as bloodlust and aggression. Finally, there are Dhampir guardians – half Moroi/half Dhampir who have sworn to protect the Moroi from the Strigoi.

If that primer is confusing, Vampire Academy only gets more convoluted from here. The 10-episode Peacock adaptation of Richelle Mead’s bestselling fantasy romance series is overstuffed, overcomplicated and often nonsensical, especially in its first half.

We open at a party that introduces Lissa Dragomir (Daniela Nieves), a Royal Moroi, and her best friend Rose Hathaway,...