Agreed. If you set aside the comedy bits for just one second and examine the plots, they're very standard Star Trek, and I love how LD is able to simultaneously be funny and also good Trek.
Frankly, I'm thrilled that it's something different. Especially now that Prodigy has apparently been canned, and I was fascinated by that one because it felt Star Trek but also like they were bringing in some Star Wars-esque character designs and villain...
I do think the key to making Star Trek the "expanded universe" Paramount wanted is to make various different subgenres of shows, but make sure they all adhere to core Star Trek values. (I still want my Starfleet Medical Drama, dammit. I want Star Trek Law and Order where every episode is a courtroom drama. Maybe an anthology series where they just kind of throw ideas at the wall and see what sticks for new shows.)
I don't know what's going on with the Starfleet Academy series but, frankly, I don't care if it's Riverdale level trash as long as the actual Star Trek bits are authentic. Let the teenagers enjoy things.