The expectations for “Other Space” are unfairly high. Paul Feig wrote the series, and the last time he set his sights on a television show, it was the completely genius, utterly underappreciated “Freaks and Geeks,” which lasted one piddly season but quickly gained a huge cult following and launched a generation of comic talent.

Could “Other Space” possibly live up to that?

Not really. The first three episodes are fairly entertaining and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. But there are too many moments where you feel like you’re watching an improv set that isn’t quite clicking.

The show was originally created for NBC, where it languished for an astonishing eight years, the network holding onto the rights but doing nothing with them. (Note to Feig: Stop working with NBC.) Eventually, Feig reclaimed the rights and took it to Yahoo, where the whole first season debuted last week, begging to be binge-watched.

And yet, it might not inspire a whole lot of back-to-back viewing. It’s a futuristic comedy about a crew of incompetent astronauts, lost in space on a rickety shuttle with nothing on board to eat but fudge. Hijinks ensue — an alien breaks into the vessel, a beloved robot gets kicked into the ether, a newly-forming planet threatens to swallow the ship — but somehow the ill-prepared bunch manages to survive, one mishap at a time.

Even if the show isn’t all it could be, there is reason to watch. In fact, there are six reasons to watch and they are: Karan Soni, Bess Rous, Neil Casey, Milana Vayntrub, Conor Leslie and Eugene Cordero. These are the names of the fresh-faced cast, and you might be hearing about them a lot in the future as part of the next wave of comedic talent.

To understand why, we need to rewind a bit. “Freaks and Geeks” may have flopped, but just about everyone associated with it has had a booming career since. With big-screen hits like “Bridesmaids” and “The Heat,” Feig proved women really do go to see movies; he’s been charged with the all-female “Ghostbusters” reboot.

Judd Apatow, who produced and directed a few episodes, is one of the biggest players in Hollywood. The then-unknown cast included Lizzy Caplan, who went on to star in “Masters of Sex”; Linda Cardellini, who followed up with big roles on “E.R.” and “Mad Men”; and Martin Starr, now of “Silicon Valley” — not to mention Hollywood heavy hitters like Seth Rogen, James Franco and Jason Segel.

Their rise is thanks largely to casting director Allison Jones, the subject of a recent New Yorker profile which termed her the “nerd hunter” for gifting us with some of the most memorable characters in recent cinematic history. She introduced Apatow to Jonah Hill, which led to a memorable cameo in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” followed by a string of other funny roles and a couple of Oscar nominations. Chris Pratt was mired in stereotypical hot guy roles until Jones recommended him for funnier fare; his role in “Parks and Recreation” paved the way for his turn as Star-Lord in last year’s blockbuster “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Without Jones we might not have any Ron Swanson gifs; without Jones, Dwight Schrute might have just been a funny name instead of a recognizable synonym for an emotionally unintelligent misfit.

Which brings us to today. The six little-known leads were lovingly and meticulously assembled by Jones as chronicled in the New Yorker profile. (The cast also includes includes “Mystery Science Theater 3000” alums Joel Hodgson and Trace Beaulieu, who lends his voice to a robot.) So this crew will likely boast a few actors to watch.

But who of them will become the next breakout star? They all have moments of really owning their characters. Soni plays the people-pleasing captain of the ship and Rous is his no-nonsense type-A sister; Casey is a socially awkward eccentric with an Oedipus complex and Vayntrub is the flaky navigator; Leslie is a scantily-clad A.I. and Cordero is a sweet but dim optimist.

Aside from Hodgson and Beaulieu, who nearly steal the show, the most memorable players of the first three episodes are Casey, whose deadpan expressions heighten his oddball character, and Leslie, who has great comic delivery and timing.

As usual, Jones has made some fine discoveries. Even if “Other Space” doesn’t take off the way Feig’s fans hope it will, it may still make a lasting impression on pop culture to come.