© Michael Desmond/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
Wednesday’s this fall (after the superb Modern Family), ABC is going to trot out it’s fourth new comedy, Cougar Town. I can’t really say I have ever had that high of expectations for Cougar Town. The show just didn’t appeal to me. I actually thought it was ABC’s least interesting new comedy. While Cougar Town might not be the worst new comedy on ABC (that might go to Hank), Cougar Town definitely needs work.
Characters
© Michael Desmond/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
Jules Cobb (Courtney Cox) is a real estate agent that is successful in business but not in relationships. She has a great son and a best friend but she has been missing that special someone ever since she recently divorced. Even though she has been out of the dating world for quite a while, Jules decides to try a re-find love even though she is already in her forties.
© Michael Desmond/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
Ellie Torres (Christa Miller) is Jules’ next door neighbor and best friend. She loves to gossip about everything and also give advice as long as she doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to do.
© Michael Desmond/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
Laurie Keller (Busy Phillips) is Jules’ assistant. When Jules decides to date again, Laurie tries to reaquaint her to the world of dating.
© Michael Desmond/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
Travis Cobb (Dan Byrd) is Jules’ son. He loves both of his parents but is constantly embarrassed by both of them.
© Michael Desmond/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
Bobby Cobb (Brian Van Holt) is Jules’ unemployed ex-husband. He tries to be a good father but more often embarrasses his son.
© Michael Desmond/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
Grayson Ellis (Josh Hopkins) is another one of Jules’ neighbors. Like Jules he is recently divorced. Unlike Jules who dreads dating again, he actually enjoys being single and dating younger women.
© Bob D'Amico/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
Andy Torres (Ian Gomez) is a devoted husband to Ellie and also a loving father.
Review
Before watching Cougar Town I didn’t have very high expectations. Something about the show just didn’t seem very funny. Unlike Modern Family which shocked me by how great it was, there was no surprise as far as Cougar Town.
It’s too bad really. Cougar Town has the potential to be a very good show. It has so many things going for it but it still fails to be funny. It has a great creator in Bill Lawrence. Scrubs is a very good comedy which was hilarious in it’s early days. I thought Bill Lawrence would bring that humor to Cougar Town but it is severley lacking in the pilot. Cougar Town also has pretty good cast and yet none of the characters really stand out (at least in the pilot).
Overall the problem with Cougar Town is that it isn’t that funny. Being a comedy that is obviously not a good thing. I laughed a couple times during the pilot but not nearly as much as Modern Family, Community, and even The Middle. I am guessing the show will be funnier for women but it will probably disappoint most people.
Cougar Town also has the problem of not being that original. While the exact same elements haven’t been involved in another show, the show just doesn’t have an original feel to it. It feels like it is just borrowing from a bunch of other series. The shows jokes are also highly predictable which goes along with the lack of originality in the show.
Hopefully things pick up in future episodes. The show does have potential with a good creator and cast. Cougar Town needs to find a way though to be more original and add more humor. If that doesn’t happen in the next episode or two I am probably going to give up on the show or at least wait till the summer to catch up.
If the concept appeals to you, I by all means would recommend that you give the Cougar Town a chance. Everyone finds different things funny so you might just enjoy Cougar Town a lot more than I do. I wouldn’t recommend though that you go in with really high expectations since you are most likely going to be let down. At this point Cougar Town is a very average comedy.
Other Fall 2009 Previews/Reviews:
ABC
The CW
USA
We must have been watching two different shows. My husband and I loved Cougar Town, It was funny , and refreshing. If the first episode is any indication , this will be a hit.
There is a sleeper in this show. An up and comming talent that plays ryan. I have followed this multi talented kids career for a while, (Since Hollywood records and Thats so raven show.) If you see more of him you will not only get the youth to watch but he has a large following and is funny to boot.
I’m not giving up on it yet…but I do hope that it gets (much) better. As a 40 something divorced woman I found the behavior of Cox’s character completely ridiculous. Nothing wrong with getting back on the horse (so to speak) but she is 40 something and while I know plenty of 40 somethings that are into younger guys I don’t know one that is as immature as Cox’s character on the show. She acts like a teenager…not a grown woman experimenting with getting back on the horse as it should be. Nothing wrong with sleeping with the younger guy but when she acts more immature than her teenage son I find it hard to watch.
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