Cougar Town – Grrrr orGrrrreat?!

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My Dear Friends,

Fans of the hit sitcom, Cougar Town will be pleased to know that it’s new home is TBS. The show stars Courteney Cox (Friends, Dirt), Brian Van Holt (John from Cincinnati), Christa Miller (The Drew Carey Show), Ian Gomez (Rita Rocks), Josh Hopkins (Ally McBeal), Busy Philipps (Dawson’s Creek, White Chicks) and Dan Byrd (Easy A). The all-new season is set to premiere tonight Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), exclusively on TBS.

When Cougar Town first aired on its original network at ABC TV in 2009, the term “Cougar” was being heralded throughout the media as a liberating concept that represented older women on the prowl hunting for “Boy Toys” (A younger conquest)! As the author of the best-selling book DATING THE YOUNGER MAN (Adams Media), I am a staunch believer in ageless love. It’s a woman’s right to date, marry and enjoy men of all ages. However, to label all single mature women into a predatory stereotype is not really progress. Certainly, there are women that fit that stereotype. However, I find the term to be an extremely inaccurate generalization and simply stated – I don’t like it. Heck – I’m more of a pussy cat than a growling cougar. Tee hee! Therefore, I was hesitant about what a show with “Cougar” in the title would represent to women. Before I go on with my surprising revelations about Cougar Town let me share a brief snippet from my book relative to the term “Cougar”. Here goes:

….There is an old stereotype of predatory women on the hunt for young meat. The word cougar seems to keep resurfacing. I personally do not like that image. It reeks of being the female counterpart to an old man who uses young women strictly for sex. The truth is that very few of the women in my study were the hunters. These younger men were in pursuit of them. (the older women) Oh sure, some women have lured their boy toys in the way that women have always done with men through the ages. However, a young man usually chases a woman because he thinks she’s hot and he likes her. Age was not an issue. This is quite a contrast to what transpires when a younger woman dates an older man. The older man is usually a symbol of long-term security. Of course, love is the foundation of many older man / younger woman relationships, so please don’t think I’m being a snoot. Let’s just stop the double standard. The biggest message is that love is ageless. Why not open your mind and heart to more dating options in your life? Let’s crush the outdated “cougar” concept and adopt a more positive attitude. Let the fun begin!….

~Dating the Younger Man (Adams Media)

After reading the above please do not think that this means I do not have a sense of humor. I confess that I can find humor in stereotypes as much as the next person and have indeed laughed at many “cougar” inspired jokes. Frankly, it’s ok to find humor in situations between an older woman and a younger man. Heck, I can find humor in EVERYTHING! Lol! However, my concern is for the many women who deny themselves a fulfilling relationship with a younger man for fear of being a labeled a “cougar”. For that reason I was anxious to see the show Cougar Town.

When Cougar Town first aired, episodes did indeed include some very funny older woman younger man material. However, as the series continued, something wonderful happened. All the characters evolved. The show became more of an ensemble cast in the likeness of the hit TV shows “Friends” and “Seinfeld”. It involves characters that I genuinely care about. In fact, the “cougar” theme is rarely addressed on the show. In Cougar Town, a family of friends keeps things funny as they support each other through the challenges and pitfalls of life. Courteney Cox stars as Jules Cobb, a recently remarried mom who is never far from her group of friends known as the “cul de sac crew.” They include her under-achieving ex-husband, Bobby (Brian Van Holt); next-door neighbor and confidante Ellie (Christa Miller); Ellie’s loveably average husband, Andy (Ian Gomez); Jules’, neighbor-turned-husband Grayson (Josh Hopkins); and Jules’ feisty protégé, Laurie (Busy Philipps). Meanwhile, Jules’ 21-year-old son, Travis (Dan Byrd), often proves himself more adult than anyone in the group.

I was thrilled to have met the cast of Cougar Town. In person it is obvious that this is a close knit group who enjoy going to work every day. Below is a shot of the shows lead, Courteney Cox and me.

In the new season of TBS’s Cougar Town, Jules and Grayson are adjusting to married life just as Jules’ son, Travis, tries his hand at being a “playah.” Meanwhile, Ellie will head back to work, Bobby jumps back into the dating scene and nosey neighbor Tom (Bob Clendenin – Scrubs, TBS’s 10 Items or Less) will try his best to become a part of the crew. Along the way, Jules and her group of friends will wrestle with big life issues, like whether it’s considered adultery if a married man hooks up with a sex robot or what kind of courage it takes to stick an arm into a muddy hole in order to catch a catfish barehanded.

I pose with Brian Van Holt. Brian plays the under achieving ex of Cox’s character.

Christa Miller poses on the right in the far right photo.She plays the part of Ellie who is a good neighbor and confidante.

Here I pose with Dan Byrd who plays Jules’ son Travis on the show. Travis is often more adult than than the adults.

Posing in the photo is Ian Gomez who plays the part of adorable neighbor Andy.

Cougar Town was co-created by executive producer Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Spin City) and consulting producer Kevin Biegel (Scrubs). This season, Ric Swartzlander (Gary Unmarried) joins the show as executive producer and showrunner. Courteney Cox and David Arquette also serve as executive producers. Cougar Town is produced by ABC Studios.

I give kudos to this Cougar Town team for turning out a playful, fun and yet meaningful sitcom. However, my praise has to go even further. If you have heard or seen any of their promotions for the tonight’s TBS premier, you know that they are not afraid to admit that the title is not an accurate representation of the show or women. It is reported that producers thought briefly about changing the title but in doing so they would run the risk of losing loyal followers who might not realize it was the same show. To resolve this dilemma they did what a great comedy team does and created an ad campaign that allowed them to joke about the bad title. My favorite commercials on YouTube about this show are the ones with an animated Cougar animal and an oversexed Cougar woman sitting on the sofa as they watch the show while complaining that the show is NOT about them. LOL! You gotta love a Hollywood creative team that does not take themselves too seriously. Gotta love this show!

On a personal note, I am very proud of the fact that when the media was capitalizing on the term “Cougar” I maintained my belief in an ageless philosophy and refused to go with the trend. Women deserve better than that and so do men. However, I also know that you can’t judge a book by its cover or a TV show by its title. With a delightful sitcom giggle I say Cougar Town is a Grrrrrrrrreat show! Grrrrrrr!…. I may be a pussy cat but I can still ROAR! LOL! Shhhh!