fibro,
I hear what you are saying but disagree on certain aspects. Of course I am coming from a 'male perspective'...
TNG did have two very attractive characters, and it became a part of the plot (to the point it became 'soap opera'-ish)...
Diana Troi and Will Riker were the two perfect looking specimens (although Troi was not human, but humanoid)...
In discussing this recently it was said that Riker was supposed to be the series new 'macho' looking character for the plots which call for the 'Kirk'-like rolls.
I said 'Diana is hot' a lot... I like that brunette, intellectual character, who is empathetic and may I add 'buxom'..
And like mushrooms and cheese, the TNG series did require a little time to get used to. But the plots sometimes were interesting ways of looking at philosophical issues. The whole 'Data' character and his search for what it means to be human (which I call the pinochio plot) does provide some good plot material.
I was very tired of plot devices like the 'Holo-Deck' which would occasionally malfunction and cause predictable events in the story... I thought some characters were obviously on the cast to provide comic relief (like the woopie Goldberg character)...
Anyway, TOS is still my all time favorite. And Kirk can kick some ssa....