Ben and Kate

"Ben and Kate" may not have a particularly original premise, but, in comedy, that is not necessarily a weakness.

The new Fox series not only provides laughs but a positive mood, something "Parks and Recreation" proved can carry a series for years.

Nat Faxon plays Ben Fox, an unemployed, big-hearted, emotionally-unstable bachelor. Faxon's humor is effortless and infectious. His character is comfortable being the object of mockery, having made the conscious decision to live life to its fullest (or rather, funniest), even though that may mean, in the eyes of some, he has no life at all.

Dakota Johnson plays Kate, a single mother who manages a bar. While she is infinitely more responsible than her brother, she believes in Ben enough to follow him into his path of zaniness.

The supporting cast does a superb job of providing laughs while not trying to steal the spotlight. Lucy Punch in particular stands out with her over-the-top-advice and inability to understand Maddie, Kate's daughter (played by Maggie Elizabeth Jones).

The show, like producer Dana Fox's other endeavor, "New Girl", is fast-paced and provides enough one-liners to deserve a look.

An absolutely adorable feel-good series, should have never been cancelled. Very likable characters and small town story, enjoyed every minute of it. Dakota (Kate)and Nat(Ben) are brilliant, Maggie(Maddie), Lucy(B.J) and Echo(Tommy) are equally lovely. Only a short 16 episodes season, go watch it right now. A sibling/family comedy is a nice breath of fresh air nowadays. Nothing forced about the acting and situations, all the humor is very smartly integrated and played out. Great use of guest stars as well, particularly loved Brittany Snow. The little Maddie is very cute, of course very wise for her age as it is most of the time in TV land, BJ is gold in every scene and Tommy is possibly my favourite character. Go watch it. Now. Bravo.

It's pretty crappy. The characters are terrible. The humor almost non existent. No one is very likable. It's no loss like many other much better series that didn't get enough of a chance. Awful.

Ben and Kate is a cute little feel-good comedy about a brother and sister coming together. The show follows Kate Fox (Dakota Johnson). Kate is a hard-working, high-strung single mom caring for her daughter Maddie (the girl from We Bought a Zoo). She lives with her older brother Ben (Nat Faxon), who is somewhat of a man child jumping from one get rich scheme to the next. Ben and Kate are accompanied on their adventures by BJ (Lucy Punch), Kate's best friend, and Tommy (Echo Kellum), Ben's best friend. Kate and Tommy are basically a couple, although the show drags it out and dances around the subject by having them date other people. Also, Ben and BJ have great chemistry, and you think they could be a cute couple. Bj also is perhaps the funniest character in the show.

Dakota Johnson is charming as the show's main protagonist. I haven't seen 50 Shades of Gray, but I loved her in How To Be Single and Peanutbutter Falcon, and she plays a similar role in this show. Ben, on the other hand, reminded me a lot of Taco from The League, in that he doesn't really fit in society and kind of beats to the sound of his own drum. The only exception is that Ben is more family Friendly than Taco, and he is actually a god surrogate dad to Maddie. Brittany Snow also guest stars in a few episodes as Lila. Lila isn't her best character as she is rather one-dimensional. This is largely due to the fact that the script never really gave her character much to do or any room to grow. Lila is pretty much just an obstacle for Kate and Tommy to work around. However, with that said, Brittany Snow does an amazing job with what she is given, and she steals every scene she is in.

The main problem with the show was that it seemed like it never really knew what it wanted to be. At times it seemed like it wanted to be a family-friendly show, and at other times, it seemed like it wanted to be an edgy comedy. And like any show that only has one season, there are a handful of storylines that are never finished, which is always annoying. But overall, it's a cute little show that is a quick binge, especially if you just need to escape from the world for a few minutes.

So far, I love this show! I find the humor witty & hilarious! I wish there was more positive buzz about the show. I think the characters have been casted perfectly. I crack up every time that I watch it. I even DVR it since its hard to watch while chasing after my 2 little ones. My husband is also hooked. It's not all that realistic in its portrayal of daily life, but they take simple things and put a spectacular twist on it. For me, personally, it's along the lines of a Seinfeld or Modern Family type of humor. Great writing, great acting... What more can I say?? Looking forward to next week's episode. I love it!!!