While watching Cougar Town's freshman season on DVD, I was reminded of several overarching themes.
The first is that Cougar Town is an exceptionally fun and consistent and entertaining half-hour comedy. Co-created by Bill Lawrence of Scrubs fame, it's a story of a goofy/quirky gang of fourtysomethings who live in a cul-de-sac in a Florida suburb… except that's not really what it was supposed to be from the outset.
And that ties into some of the misconceptions that many have about Cougar Town, starting with the name of the show itself. It's easy to get scared off by or dismiss a show that sounds like it could be a one-dimensional riff on a middle-aged woman stalking out young boy toys.
And, granted, the initial series of episodes do center around Jules Cobb (Courtney Cox) exploring single life – as well as a few younger dudes – in the wake of being freshly divorced from Bobby (Brian Van Holt). It works well enough on its own terms, particularly because of strong writing, an offbeat sensibility, and an easy chemistry between the main cast. I should point out too that the role of Jules is custom tailored to Cox' comedic sensibilities, and Cougar Town is an ideal starring vehicle for her (as opposed to FX's Dirt, for example).
But as has been widely reported, the show shifted gears midway and began to focus more equally on each of the members of the "cul-de-sac crew," which includes co-worker Laurie (Busy Philipps), best friend Ellie (Christa Miller), her husband Andy (Ian Gomez), Grayson (Josh Hopkins), and son Travis (Dan Byrd).
I mark Episode 12, "Scare Easy," as the one where this transition feels complete. This is where we see the introduction of already classic bits such as Penny Can, in which the fellas toss pennies into a can from great distance with the goal of screaming penny can! with glee after a successful attempt, and Question Bombs, where Andy launches increasingly pointed questions ("How do you feel about having babies in your 40s?") after a few rounds of red wine (with Ellie making appreciative explosion noises as accompaniment).
I love this exchange, for example, where Andy screeches up to Bobby's boat (called "Jealous Much?" which lives in a parking lot) in his SUV and cries:
I must mention too that Ian Gomez has long been a favorite of mine, dating back to his role as Javier on Felicity. His amiable and goofy character here is a great compliment to the acid-tongued Ellie.
Cougar Town hits its creative peak in Episode 21, "Letting You Go." Here's a clip from what I wrote at the time it aired:
I wait for the moment each week. That moment where I'm purely delighted unexpectedly and laugh at something absurd and wonderful. Cougar Town has been exceptional on delivering of late, and the moment came early on this week when Andy (Ian Gomez) wakes up and throws on his cowboy hat. It's time for he and Grayson (Brian Van Holt) and the fellas of the cul-de-sac to express the freedoms of suburban men in this modern age (to Enya, of all things!?). Down slams the wine glass on the table, to coasters be damned! Out comes the popcorn, and if it falls on the floor, not even the mouth vacuums will be deployed to retrieve. Don the high school jeans and the dorky suspenders and awkward '80s dance movements, for it is time to rejoice!
And that's a perfect example of how Cougar Town wound up as a show about far more than a woman tracking down young prey in the suburban Florida wilds. It has much to offer for both men and women, and I should note too that while there is plenty of the funny (always a deep relief to find in a comedy) there's a depth and dramatic edge that makes it a pleasure to keep on tuning in to see what will happen next.
A lot actually happened, character arc-wise, over the course of Season One. Jules and Grayson went from frenemies to "paper buddies" to friends to a couple, Travis is set to attend college in Sarasota, and Laurie is dating last name-as-first name Smith (Ryan Devlin). Heading into Season Two, the biggest question is obviously what will happen with Jules and Grayson, and whether the writers will be able to navigate the tricky situation of what to do with romantic leads once they get to the seemingly happily ever after stage.
That said, because of the strength and flexibility of the cast, I wouldn't be surprised to see a shift to watching Bobby try to negotiate dating as fourtysomething divorced dad (who lives on a boat that's parked in a parking lot), let's say, or Travis' travails at college.
If you're a fan of Cougar Town, then grab the DVD set for the reasons listed above. But know that there's not much else there in terms of bonus features and absolutely zilch as far as commentary tracks. I'm a big fan of the latter for shows I dig (see: Mad Men Season Three DVD review), so I was a little disappointed to not have Cox, Lawrence, Gomez, et al on hand to talk through an episode here or there. And beyond a featurette that clocks in at the four-minute mark that discusses the concept of the show, there's almost nothing there on the bonus front – a few deleted scenes, your standard two-minute blooper reel, and a few oddball but forgettable asides such as "Stroking It with Bobby Cobb" (it's about golf, get it?).
