BY DAVID KRONKE >TV CRITIC

Viewers likely will obey "Do Not Disturb's" title entreaty after getting just a taste of this distressingly unfunny sitcom.

The show takes us behind the scenes at a trendy New York inn.

General manager Neal (Jerry O'Connell) handles the employees whom guests encounter - mainly lithe young beauties forced to perform their duties in stiletto heels - while human-resources honcho Rhonda (Niecy Nash, late of "Reno 911!") oversees those who handle the hotel's less-glamorous chores.

And when they're not doing that, they're of course bickering with one another. When, in a future episode, Neal is told by the inn's owner (Robert Wagner in a cameo), "Say something nice to Rhonda, " Neal replies, "You have amazing cans, Rhonda."

Those are the jokes, folks.

Tonight's episode concerns the hotel's panicky response to a story in a local magazine about a supervisor getting busy with an employee on hotel grounds. Rhonda hosts a sexual-harassment seminar - with emphasis on Neal's behavior - then turns a little hypocritical when an underling expresses the desire to cozy up to her, while Neal tries to fend off the advances of a new hire.

Series creator Abraham Higginbotham assiduously travels the low road here. Performances are pretty broad - O'Connell's Neal is a little too oily to be particularly empathetic, while Nash is reduced to trucking in generic sass. Others - such as Molly Stanton as a neurotic aspiring model who avoids food whenever possible, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson as the tart-tongued gay head of housekeeping - get an occasional amusing line but tend to overplay their hands.

"Do Not Disturb" is yet another sitcom underscoring the long-running malaise in the genre. You can check in anytime you like, but you'll want to check out about five minutes later.

David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke@dailynews.com

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DO NOT DISTURB

>What: The dysfunctional employees at a trendy New York hotel and their wacky high jinks.

>Where: Fox Channel 11.

>When: 9:30 pm Wednesday

>In a nutshell: Jokes would be nice.