Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy was first a radio show, then a book, then a TV series and finally a movie - and each one treats the source material differently (and 3 of them all involved the original creator).
People need to get over the idea of faithful adaptations for different media formats.
I like the show so far. I did read the books several times because they are incredible.
I think its better for people to think of this (or any film based on other media) as someone's adaptation. I wonder if the expectations for such endeavors are high because of how good Jackson was with LoTR - surely an epic story and films, but this is just a TV series. Some of these imdb comments are funny, like the one that likens this show to the Friends TV series - only set in Oxford. Probably because the portrayal of the group of scientists is more social than science, but that is just a reflection of the time we live in.
So not without thorns, but if you are a fan of the books this is a fun watch.
People need to get over the idea of faithful adaptations for different media formats.