Cougar Town: Season 1

We like to believe that we are part of a society that holds dearly to the ideals of equality but the fact is there are many occurrences of double standards in our culture. One of the most notable is the double standard dividing the genders. If a man is older goes after much younger women he is hailed as virile and lauded for his masculine prowess. If a woman of the same age pursues a relationship with a younger man tongues wag as she is denounced as being predatory. This has taken on new connotations recently with term as ‘MILFs (Mothers I’d like to F***) and the now popular ‘cougar’. Although originated as a pejorative s some women have embraced it as a badge of honor; a post feminist victory of another form of equality with men. When an element of pop culture becomes so entrenched in the lexicon that it makes the jump to main stream media it is certain to be adopted by television. With the term cougar this took place in the form of a sit-com on ABC, a standard broadcast network in the aptly named series ‘Cougar Town’. Just to play it safe the writers gave an out for the usage of the term by naming the local high school football team ‘The Cougar’ although this thinner than the hair on the heads of many over fifty male lotharios. I admit that I never had much of an opportunity to catch this during its initial airings so when I noticed it on the preview schedule I really didn’t have any preconceived ideas about the show. I though it might be more dramatic it’s inclination. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered the series was a sharply written modern day comedy. It may break the trend of focusing on the tween to teem demographic by giving some representation to the adults out there. It didn’t take long but after just an episode or two I found myself a fan.

The series was created by a pair of creative men with a proven track record for quirky, successful television; Kevin Biegel and Bill Lawrence. Their previous hit, ‘Scrubs’ became so well loved by fans that even when the show was cancelled by one network another leapt at the opportunity to pick it up to finish its run. That series also provided them a chance to work with
Courteney Cox. Her time in ‘Friends ‘made her a household name as well established comic actress both in film and TV. Ms Cox had just had her own project, ‘Dirt’ cancelled but in the two short seasons it helped her hone her satiric skills helping incredibly in this series. Her she plays Jules Cobb, a woman in her forties who is only five months out of her marriage. Now, on her own she lives with her 17 year old son, Travis (Dan Byrd). Her ex- husband, Bobby (Brian Van Holt) is somewhat of a flake. His big thing at the moment is landing a job doing landscaping for the high school. From his perspective the job is perfect; he is out in the fresh air, shirt optional and plenty of high school girls to check out on his way to the beach. Unfortunately from Travis is social life is severely hindered once word gets out is dad is the creepy old dude that mows the lawn.

Jules is reluctant to get back out in the dating scene most to the consternation of her best friend and co-worker, Laurie Keller (Busy Philipps) who is also a divorcée who works selling real-estate with Jules. Laurie is pushy, frequently loud and in many respects exactly what Jules needs to light a fire under her breaking her predisposition to maintain the status-quo no matter how much she dislikes it. Judging from several comments made by Laurie Jules stayed in her marriage with such a looser mostly out of her hesitation to take control of her life and act. Also acting as a sounding board for Jules is her best friend from her married life, Ellie Torres (Christa Miller) who is still married to her husband; a man in his forties staving off admitting to his age through a great libido directed, thankfully, towards his wife. In the first episode Jules is pushed closer to the realization that life is not remaining the same. A look in the mirror while getting dressed reveals loose skin, mud flap arms and other affects of the march of time and the unceasing pull of gravity. This does make her more receptive when Laurie coaxes her to go with her to a singles bar. Another factor in this decision is her ever horny neighbor across the street that reacted to his divorce with an unending parade of much younger, nubile young women. He is a modern version of a gentleman; ‘it’s not a walk of shame if he accompanies his latest conquest to the cab in the morning. The social dynamic is strained for Jules with Laurie and Ellie constantly bickering over the title of Jules’ best friend.

Unlike the traditional sit-com which depends is the parental response to the high jinks of the kids this series is a refreshingly adult look at what has become a very common set of circumstances that allows many in the audience to readily identify with the characters. When Jules describes her best lighting as ‘off’ many people, not just the women in the audience, will nod their heads in understand as a smile of solidarity crosses their face. There is a humorous yet realistic portrayal of the gender differences post divorce. Women like Jules have to not only get back in the dating pool but many have to find a way to pay the bills with a twenty year gap on their resumes. Meanwhile a man like Bobby can continue to drift along barely employed this discrepancy is made fun of but like many sources of humor it is firmly based on reality. This is formed the pleasant surprise I felt when watching. The series has not yet begun to tap into its potential but from the looks of this freshman season it is well on its way.

Posted 08/04/2010