After posting about something funny, it’s time to post about something not funny at all.

Reuters reports that Fox News has picked up two episodes of a new satirical show called The Half-Hour News Hour. Yes, it’s just as much a laff riot as the title suggests. Ahem. A-hem.

Okay, what I’ve seen is atrocious. Lines that should barely pass as an offhand quip are greeted by gales of laugh-track mirth. (Yes, it’s obviously a laugh track. Not only can you tell by the sound of the laughter, people just don’t react to ongoing humor by laughing the same way, exactly the same amount of time after each line. It’s as mechanical as the delivery of the jokes. And speaking of mechanical, if Reuters hadn’t said the anchors are comedians, I would have never known.)

See for yourself: Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter kick things off in a fantasy sequence as President and Vice President—with Coulter delivering the screamingly funny line, “And if you don’t [watch the rest of the program] we will invade your countries, kill your leaders, and convert you to Christianity.” What a kidder!

There’s more, another clip at the Huffington Post. Bob Cesca suggests that maybe conservatives just aren’t funny. Be that as it may, in 30 minutes this show very well may do to political comedy what it took Louis Pasteur six years to do to anthrax.

I’d like to see Fox News pour as much money as possible down this particular rat hole. So, by all means, watch the YouTube videos! Repeatedly. Maybe they’ll think they are really onto something with this show.