At the beginning of the TV season last year, I, like many other people, thought that "Cougar Town" would be the last show I would want to watch. The main cast, the concept, the title - it all sounded absolutely dreadful. I'm ashamed to admit that I had no idea Bill Lawrence was one of the creators of the show. I probably would have given the show a chance if I had known, since he brought the wonderful yet tragically underrated "Scrubs" to my life. One day, I ended up leaving it on after "Modern Family" and found it to be a totally different show from what I expected. Today, it's one of my absolute favorite, must-see shows of the week. I just wish other people would give the show a chance to defy their preconceived notions. So, to do my part, I decided to make a list in defense of the show by clarifying what it's about and why it's worth adding to your weekly schedule.You may think...
it's all about being a cougar
You'd be wrong because...
the title is incredibly misleading. I do wish they would change it, although I don't know if that would help it or hurt it. Really, only Courteney Cox's character Jules is a cougar. And furthermore, it was only for a short period after Jules' divorce when she yearned to relive her glory days. Currently, she's been involved with someone age appropriate and most of the cougar humor is used sparingly if at all (these days, it's relegated to brief appearances by Barb, a hilarious cougar who pops into a scene just to deliver a perfectly awkward one-liner only to disappear moments later. She did get a fun extended bit with Jules' son Travis in one episode, though). The other characters on the show either date others their own age or are, like Andy and Ellie, happily married.
You may think...
it's all about older people
You'd be wrong because...
there's actually a range of ages portrayed on-screen. I know being the age I am that I wasn't the target demographic for the show, at least initially. But I think that's what's the hidden beauty of the show. It was originally marketed towards older women, maybe 30s onward, but I think it has appeal for a younger audience as well. A recent episode involving Jules' son Travis choosing a college was entirely relatable for me, as someone who had gone through the same thing relatively recently. Any young adult would have identified with that plotline and found it hilariously on-point. Travis and his relationship troubles (romantic and familial) get a good amount of screentime and the actor, Dan Byrd, shows that he really does have some solid comedic chops. I remember him being good in the shortlived "Aliens in America" on the CW, but he absolutely shines here and plays off of his neurotic mother and redneck father perfectly. Busy Philipps as Laurie is another part of the Cul-de-sac Crew (as Jules calls their group), and she's only 30 and dates age appropriate men as well. Between Travis, Laurie, and Jules, this show does a fantastic job of showing the relationships of people of all ages.
You may think...
it's all about the women.
You'd be wrong because...
the men get a lot of focus as well. And they're excellent, non-stereotypical male characters that you sometimes get and think, "well those were obviously written by women." Bill Lawrence creates great male characters. It's fun to see just as much camaraderie among the men on this show as among the women. Grayson plays like the male version of Jules, dating much younger women after his painful divorce. His side, along with Andy's marriage drama and Bobby and Travis' family drama are all given just as much time as the ladies'.
You may think...
it's completely unoriginal.
You'd be wrong because...
it's a unique show with inventive running jokes each episode and bizarre characters. My favorite character, Bobby, is so different from the others as he revels in his redneck persona in a genuine, not annoying, way. He's so sincere that it's hard not to like him. A lot of the jokes seem very realistic in that they seem like jokes any group of friends could come up with. Whether it's the guys playing a game of Penny Can or the women turning the "that's what she said" joke around into "that's what he said" so the guys know how annoying it is, you never get the feeling like you're hearing tired old sitcom jokes. Each episode normally has a running joke or two, like the gang creating "gay traps" for each other to reveal the inner gay in each other. They play random, made-up games like Emotional Chicken, where Bobby and Andy competed to see who would cry first to "Cats in the Cradle" while holding eye contact. One of the things I love about watching this show is hearing their new jokes and games every week. It's like hanging out with your friends, if your friends were witter and more endearing. And if your friends sang spontaneously.
You may think...
it's about rich, Hollywood women.
You'd be wrong because...
the show is set in Florida, just to give it a different setting than LA. I get sick of shows just settling for their filming location as their setting, because it gets unrelatable for people living somewhere like the Midwest. Like I commented on before, it's not all about the women. It follows the normal sitcom rule of "everyone has a nice house but not necessarily a high-paying job," but it's a fantasty comedy, so that's fine. The two main women work in realty, one guy works in a bar, and it's definitely not all about living like a socialite and it's not a very "Hollywood" show. These seem like average, albeit pretty, normal people.
You may think...
it's all about the romance.
You'd be wrong because...
it's also about family drama between husbands and wives, ex- husbands and wives, parents and children. It's about friendship, finding yourself, chasing after a balloon filled with cash...okay those things sound cheesy and weird, but the show isn't all about sexing it up with young hotties. Much like "Scrubs," there are real life lessons grounded in real human emotion.
You may think...
the guest stars suck.
You'd be wrong because...
um....Beverly D'Angelo was pretty fun as Laurie's mom? All right, so far, their guest stars haven't been fantastic. Lisa Kudrow was fine enough, but I was never a "Friends" fan so any spark of reunion between her and Cox was lost on me. Scott Foley was also okay, but I thought he was better utilized on "Scrubs." Mainly I write this because Sheryl Crow's guest stint was really underwhelming. And here I thought it was impossible to be that boring when you at least have an accent. She had no presence onscreen and no chemistry with Grayson, so I cheered when she finally left. The characters on this show are dynamic and each humorous in their own way. Crow had no personality and could not compete with the other stars onscreen.
You may think...
Josh Hopkins is just as annoying here as he was on "Private Practice."
You'd be wrong because...
he's a totally different person here. Yes, for the five other people on the planet who watch "Private Practice," you don't want to rip his throat out on this show. He's much better in a comedic setting. And he can sing and play guitar! I love that they incorporated that into the show. My favorite song idea so far is "Someday Girl." (As Laurie puts it, "a someday girl is someone who someday someone else can see themselves ending up with someday. It's really serious.")
Now, I know comedy is really subjective. People swear by "The Office," yet I keep waiting for someone to say something funny on that show. But "Cougar Town" has a very "Scrubs"-esque feel to it, so I can say with a degree of certainty that anyone who loved "Scrubs" will appreciate "Cougar Town." I hope I knocked down some mistaken ideas people had about the show, because it really is fun. It has a great tone and clever jokes and I hope it finds a larger audience. It's only a half-hour long show - how hard is it to give it a chance one week? If it's not your thing, all you've lost is about 20 minutes after commercials are taken out. If you like it, you'll be really happy you gave it a chance.
I wanted to include some clips from the show that I love. So the first one is all about Grayson and includes some of his fun moments, musical and otherwise. (I have to say I love his "Sex with the Ex" song.) The second clip is another of my favorites, where the gang gets converted to the Snuggie (or Slanket, as they call it) and I think it introduces all of the characters well.
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