Adjective meaning 'interesting, but not relevant'

Question

I'm looking for a word to describe a podcast I was listening to. The podcast was interesting, but contents weren't relevant to my life or objectives, it was just an interesting story that you might recount later at a dinner party, but not something that you would ponder at night time. The second part of the podcast was relevant, and I'm looking for something to contrast this.

What I've got is:

This Radio Lab podcast talks about liars and self deception. It starts off [platonically] enough, talking about everday lying and pathological liars. The final part of it is where it gets interesting – self deception.

Words I've consider are platonic, neutral. Platonic actually seems pretty reasonable here - it's usually used to contrast with romantic, but I think it can be used metaphorically here.

Answer 1

I suggest the word prosaically, meaning matter-of-fact; straightforward; lacking in imagination and spirit; dull.

This Radio Lab podcast talks about liars and self deception. It starts off prosaically enough, talking about everyday lying and pathological liars. The final part of it is where it gets interesting – self deception.

Answer 2

I ended up going with entertainingly.

entertainingly adjective affording entertainment; amusing; diverting:

It starts off entertainingly enough, talking about everyday lying and pathological liars. The final part of it is where it gets interesting – self-deception.

It's straight-forward term that describes what I need, and its context ('entertainingly enough') suggests that it's entertaining but lacking something.

Answer 3

It starts off idly enough.... The final part of it is where it gets interesting....

(You had an idle interest in the first part of the program.)

Idle: [only before noun] without a good reason or real purpose

It was only from idle curiosity that she opened the book.

(macmillandictionary.com)

Answer 4

The idiom have a keen interest in something is useful for your example.

to have a strong interest in something; to be very interested in something.
_{The Free Dictionary by Farlex}

If you apply keenly to the first part, it pairs with interesting in the second part to invoke the idiom to indicate the first part was not as relevant as the second part, but still of interest.

It starts off keenly enough, talking about everday lying and pathological liars. The final part of it is where it gets interesting – self deception.

Answer 5

Consider

utopian - excellent or ideal but impracticable; visionary; quixotic - extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable.

Hope it helps