doughmartin I don't normally write reviews, but I feel like I need to speak up for this show. It has quickly become one of my all-time favourites and I can't stand to see it get passed by week after week.Right out of the gate, I knew Ben and Kate was destined for greatness, but I could never have predicted it would be so consistently great. Every episode (there have been 8 so far) has been better than the last.It has an amazing cast. I'm convinced that Nat Faxon can make any material hilarious (and anyone who makes fun of his teeth can kindly **** off - sorry, but don't be so shallow). Dakota Johnson does nervous and awkward like no other ("Then that is when I'll see you... with my lookin' balls."). The supporting cast is amazing too, particularly Lucy Punch, whose scenes with Kate's daughter (played by the adorable, but professional, Maggie Elizabeth Jones) are always exceptional. In fact, in general, Kate's daughter Maddie is one of the best kids you'll see on a TV show (they treat her like an adult and not a moppet).The show has such great writing too. It's not just joke after joke, but also has real character growth and development. And the sentimental stuff is embedded in the comedy itself, so it all feels organic. For example, after Kate embarrasses herself at a Halloween party, she and her brother have a very touching and enlightening conversation about sandwiches.Another thing I love about it is its ability to take sitcom tropes and do something completely new and original. It's refreshing. For example, last night's episode did something sweet with the fake green card marriage trope.Bottom line: This is an excellent show that consistently makes me laugh and warms my heart at the same time. It has quickly become the highlight of an already crowded night of comedies on Tuesday night, and I hope that more people are able to see that before this becomes another great comedy that comes and goes unnoticed.Oh, also. If you didn't like the pilot, keep watching. While I liked it, I thought it got way funnier after that.

sconsetgal1958 Horrible...have tried 2 episodes and won't bother again. It's simply not a premise that works. These people do not act like brother and sister (if you didn't know that's what they were supposed to be you'd be baffled -- as we were the first episode and DIDN'T know the plot). Everything is overly-contrived and um, isn't this supposed to be a comedy...where are the laughs?. Dakota Johnson looks like she's in pain all the time (probably from having to recite the boring lines in the pointless scripts). Nat Faxon acts like a clueless teenager, but he's obviously not, so this is a hard act to buy. And I'm sorry, it may seem trivial, but his snaggleteeth are beyond distracting. A smile doesn't have to be perfect, but c'mon.

addeisdead So what they did here is basically find a way to clone New Girl by replacing Zooey Deschanel with a guy. I'm tired of these shows where the characters are so odd that they become essentially unrealistic, yet somehow we're supposed to love them for their oddness. On New Girl, Jess is written to be so socially awkward that it goes way too over the top. I mean, she started tap dancing in a 5-star restaurant because something upset her. In the real world that would get you institutionalized or medicated at the least. Enter Ben, who is well into his 30's and likes to walk around wearing hockey and wrestling masks. When he realizes that his ex-girlfriend (who dumped him TWO YEARS AGO)is getting married, he can't stop himself from shouting even though his niece is in the car, so he just starts shouting gibberish words. When he plans to crash the wedding, no one talks him out of it and tells him to get a life and move on already. In real life, this guy's friends would demand he get therapy. Instead, his friends band together and help him. And even then, he's so out of touch with reality that he can't even rehearse his speech without screwing it up. I realize that TV would not be interesting if it was completely realistic all the time, but shows like New Girl and Ben and Kate go way too far in trying to make these characters into screw ups (Ben can't even back up and turn his car around for crying out loud!).

cameronzargar "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.