About an autistic-genius boy who is hunted down for his talents and the father who is trying to protect him, “Touch” has a charming first season and then runs into serious trouble in the second season. Season 1 works quite well as a very original, family-friendly melodrama in what’s essentially an anthology format, each episode presenting multiple stories from all around the world that are all nevertheless connected to each other. This season has a lot going for it: Kiefer Sutherland (always a great and magnetic actor) plays the father, the kid is intriguing, the stories highlight different cultures and countries (finally, a U.S. series in which the U.S. isn’t the center of the universe), and each episode emphasizes how interconnected we all are, a nice thing to focus on in an age when everyone seems to be fighting one another. The ongoing storyline develops slowly, but the uniqueness of the series relies more on the human interest and intricacies of the anthology stories. Unfortunately, the only things that continue in Season 2 are the running storyline, the dad, and the kid—everything else is gone in the second season. And that’s too bad, because “Touch” Season 1 is a cheerful and intelligent program you could enjoy yourself and watch with the family as well, something you could relax with and end with a bit of hope left over.

2021 Update: One way for me to determine whether something I’ve seen years ago is truly good is to measure how much I remember the movie or series five years or so later. This one, I don’t remember; I remember seeing it, I remember Kiefer Sutherland’s face, but that’s about it.