This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Have you ever been in a room when someone tells a joke and, while some people laugh, you're wondering why anyone would think it's funny?

That's the situation I find myself in with Ben and Kate (Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13). Some people seem to like this show, which puzzles me because I found it entirely unfunny.

The best thing I can say about "Ben and Kate" is that you never have to worry about the will-they-or-won't-they thing in this relationship comedy - this couple are brother and sister. Kate (Dakota Johnson) is the responsible one, except that she got pregnant in college and is raising 5-year-old Maddie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones) on her own. Ben (Nat Faxon) is an idiot who lives in a dream world. He moves in, ostensibly to help raise Maddie, but he really needs a parent himself.

Ben is supposed to be funny, but he's incredibly annoying. He's the kind of relative you move across the country to get away from, not invite to share your home. Spending a half hour a week with this character sounds like torture.

Bottom line: "Ben and Kate" really isn't funny, which is a problem for a comedy.