[Editors' note: thus begins an unofficial recounting of some of the best TV shows of 2010. Enjoy!]
There are many shows on TV right now that are underrated and do not get enough praise. Cougar Town is one of those shows. During the summer I usually turn to Netflix to keep me entertained and this year I decided to watch the first season of Cougar Town. I really like Courtney Cox and Friends was one of my favorite shows so I thought I might as well try something else of hers. I was hooked after watching a few episodes and the discs couldn’t take long enough to get to my house! I am proud to say I am now a faithful fan of Jules and the cul-de-sac crew.
The show is helmed by Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence and centers on newly-divorced Jules (Courtney Cox) getting back into dating after being married for seventeen years. She has her friends Ellie (Christa Miller) and Laurie (Busy Phillips) to guide her. Just off to college is her teenage son Travis (Dan Byrd) and r ex-husband Bobby (Brian Van Holt) seems to be around an unusual amount of the time. Other supporting cast members include Ellie’s husband and Bobby’s best friend, Andy (Ian Gomez). Grayson (Josh Hopkins) is Jules' neighbor who is also divorced and initially it drove her crazy to see Grayson get with any younger lady that he can. While the initial arc of the show focused on Jules' journey to learn how to be single again with her friends by her side, she now seems to be settled into her relationship with Grayson while much of the antics and drama stem from the relationships of a close knit and oddball fourtysomething crew.
Cougar Town wasn’t a hit with critics in the beginning, but near the end of the first season it had ditched the older woman chasing younger men idea and instead became about Jules and her friends. The writers realized that the show is funnier when the gang is all together. Yes, the title is bad, but the writers know that. It is evident in the title sequence of each Season Two episode with a slogan always being above the title. Some of the headlines include “All I want for Christmas is a new title” and "It is okay to watch a show called Cougar Town”.
The best part about this show is the cast because they interact so well together. Courtney Cox is better at comedy shows and you can’t help but love the overbearing Jules. I loved Christa Miller on Scrubs as Dr. Cox’s wife Jordan and she brings the same sarcastic nature to her character Ellie. She and Busy Phillips, who is a scene stealer as ditzy Laurie, are a match made in heaven. It is fun to watch them hate each other, but it is also fun to watch them team up when Jules needs them to or when they want to be mean to someone else. One of their best episodes together is “You Don’t Know How It Feels” in Season Two when they dress up as each other for Halloween.
My favorite scenes are when the crew is together, such as Episode 21 of Season One, “Letting You Go.” Andy, fed up with Ellie’s rules, decides to break them while she is sleeping which includes lounging around in his underwear while wearing his cowboy hat and not using a coaster. Soon, Bobby is in his underwear with him with Grayson and Jules singing and dancing to Enya. This is just one of the many scenes together that show how great they are as a cast.
More people need to give Cougar Town a chance because it has become one of the funnier shows on television. Just a couple of episodes in and you will be wishing you were a part of the cul-de-sac crew, playing Penny Can or having a snuggie party with a 52 oz. glass of wine in your hand.
Video: Best TV Shows 2010: Cougar Town
Check out the Season Two episode, "The Same Old You," in full from Hulu while available:
