Fox Fall Pilot Review: Ben and Kate - Premieres September 25 at 8:30PM ET/PT - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TJ · 09-25-2012, 01:15 PM

Ben and Kate - Tuesdays 8:30PM ET/PT on Fox
Premieres Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 8:30PM ET/PT

What happens when an exuberant dreamer who always says “yes” moves in with his overly responsible little sister to help raise her five-year-old daughter? Ben and Kate, a new single-camera ensemble comedy, follows a pair of odd-couple siblings and their friends as they push each other out of their comfort zones and into real life.

Kate Fox (Dakota Johnson) followed the rules all her life…until she got pregnant in college and dropped out just shy of graduation. After the birth of her daughter, Maddie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones), Kate put her 20s on hold. Now working as a bar manager to make ends meet and maximize her time with Maddie, she's uber-prepared for every possible catastrophe – except for the arrival of her older brother, Ben Fox (Nat Faxon).

Ben likes trouble a lot more than his sister does. His infectious energy makes everyone want to follow him into any number of bad ideas. He'll totally screw up their lives, but somehow, they'll feel good about it. Where Kate is all about planning and preparing, Ben is big on spontaneity and out-of-the-box ideas. But don't let the Velcro wallet fool you – he'll probably be a millionaire someday.

When Ben comes to crash on Kate's couch for a few days, he finds a sad state of affairs. For the first time in their lives, Kate needs Ben's help, and he's determined to bring some much-needed chaos into her overly stable world. He starts by looking after Maddie so Kate can get back to making mistakes, since the one real "mistake" she’s made turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to her.

Always there to help with Ben's crazy schemes is his partner-in-crime, Tommy (Echo Kellum), who worships Ben like a hero and nurses a serious crush on Kate. Kate's British best friend, BJ (Lucy Punch), is a cocktail waitress at the bar and an all-around hot mess who would do anything for Kate, even if it's questionable or illegal.

Read our review of the pilot here:
http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2012/0...-and-kate.html

TMC · 09-26-2012, 08:57 PM

http://www.vulture.com/2012/09/tv-re...-and-kate.html

Fox's new comedy is enjoyable, if you don't mind its overt cuteness, says Matt Zoller Seitz. "Fox might have missed the boat by calling its Tuesday night 'New Girl' follow-up Ben and Kate," he says. "The network should have considered calling the latter 'New Guy,' because it shares New Girl’s belief that spacey, immature adults with zero impulse control are free-spirited, liberating life forces rather than deeply annoying and possibly disturbed."

http://www.avclub.com/articles/ben-and-kate,85136/

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogstv...oying.html.csp

09-25-2012, 01:15 PM	#1
TJ Site Owner Administrator Forum Star Join Date: Feb 03, 2000 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 10,772	Fox Fall Pilot Review: Ben and Kate - Premieres September 25 at 8:30PM ET/PT Ben and Kate - Tuesdays 8:30PM ET/PT on Fox Premieres Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 8:30PM ET/PT What happens when an exuberant dreamer who always says “yes” moves in with his overly responsible little sister to help raise her five-year-old daughter? Ben and Kate, a new single-camera ensemble comedy, follows a pair of odd-couple siblings and their friends as they push each other out of their comfort zones and into real life. Kate Fox (Dakota Johnson) followed the rules all her life…until she got pregnant in college and dropped out just shy of graduation. After the birth of her daughter, Maddie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones), Kate put her 20s on hold. Now working as a bar manager to make ends meet and maximize her time with Maddie, she's uber-prepared for every possible catastrophe – except for the arrival of her older brother, Ben Fox (Nat Faxon). Ben likes trouble a lot more than his sister does. His infectious energy makes everyone want to follow him into any number of bad ideas. He'll totally screw up their lives, but somehow, they'll feel good about it. Where Kate is all about planning and preparing, Ben is big on spontaneity and out-of-the-box ideas. But don't let the Velcro wallet fool you – he'll probably be a millionaire someday. When Ben comes to crash on Kate's couch for a few days, he finds a sad state of affairs. For the first time in their lives, Kate needs Ben's help, and he's determined to bring some much-needed chaos into her overly stable world. He starts by looking after Maddie so Kate can get back to making mistakes, since the one real "mistake" she’s made turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to her. Always there to help with Ben's crazy schemes is his partner-in-crime, Tommy (Echo Kellum), who worships Ben like a hero and nurses a serious crush on Kate. Kate's British best friend, BJ (Lucy Punch), is a cocktail waitress at the bar and an all-around hot mess who would do anything for Kate, even if it's questionable or illegal. Read our review of the pilot here: http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2012/0...-and-kate.html

09-26-2012, 08:57 PM	#2
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 127,407	"Ben and Kate" should've been called "New Guy" — it's infected with "the Cutes" http://www.vulture.com/2012/09/tv-re...-and-kate.html Fox's new comedy is enjoyable, if you don't mind its overt cuteness, says Matt Zoller Seitz. "Fox might have missed the boat by calling its Tuesday night 'New Girl' follow-up Ben and Kate," he says. "The network should have considered calling the latter 'New Guy,' because it shares New Girl’s belief that spacey, immature adults with zero impulse control are free-spirited, liberating life forces rather than deeply annoying and possibly disturbed." http://www.avclub.com/articles/ben-and-kate,85136/ http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogstv...oying.html.csp