Cougar Town (2009–2015) User Reviews

Attracted by Abed, like it by itself.

[arsty · 7/10 · 28 May 2017]

Since IMDb cancel the discuss board for some reason I don't know, I can't figure out what is the real feeling of most people for this show. I have to say I was not interested in this show at first. Even I know there is Monica here. Still I started to watch it because Abed from "community". And it turns an amusing experience I didn't expect.

I like it!

No, I don't appreciate most life style of the characters. I don't love it as my favorite "community" or my love "friends", "HIMYM" either. But it's a warm, touched, comedy actually.

I really wonder why people feel so different about it. Almost 50% love and 50% hate it. I guess maybe I haven't seen sitcom much. Or maybe people feel it's too girly. Anyway I like it. It may not classic, however it's definitely above the average.

They should change the title, but it's stuck

[Mike-DD · 7/10 · 20 March 2014]

I began this show thinking there'd be lots of cougars prowling for young men, but it was actually only about one woman, the naive and exuberant Jules, well-played by Courteney Cox. And even that stopped after about half a season, when she found Grayson, not-so-well played by Josh Hopkins.

I expected the show to die off slowly then, but amazingly, it's now halfway through season 5 and I'm still watching. While there is no more 'cougaring', there are other characters that keep the show interesting: her ex-husband Bobby and his couldn't-care-less mode of living, her best friend neighbour Ellie (brilliantly played by Christa Miller) and her killer sense of deadpan humor, and Ellie's husband, the indefatigable and one-man-Bobby-fanclub Andy, also brilliantly played Ian Gomez. And each episode usually contains its own self-contained plot that is generally resolved at the end of 20 minutes. For the most part, those plots are engaging enough to keep you watching, especially when Ellie deploys her unique brand of humor.

And one more thing that seems insignificant yet adds interest to the show: those title cards. I'm always anticipating them with the start of each episode.

Enjoyable to watch

[daniellefontenot · 7/10 · 13 October 2021]

Just rewatched the series and really enjoyed it. Funny, smart, and plenty of heartfelt moments. They do drink a lot of wine, but they have some great ideas and conversations while doing it. I have to admit that plenty of the episodes had me tearing up as well. Can't be compared with friends, but why should you?

Not what you think (And a good thing, too)

[somniumergosum · 10/10 · 31 March 2010]

Cougartown is a brand new show starring Courtney Cox as a newly-single over-40 mom ready to start dating a bunch of young guys!! ... fast forward a few episodes Here's the deal. The whole "cougar" idea really didn't work for this show. They wanted a show about a hot 40-something dating young guys, and stumbled upon some genuinely likable characters ready for a sitcom. So while the title remains, the show is actually about the life and friends of Courtney's character, Jules, as she struggles to rediscover herself when she thought she was past the age of new discoveries.

Just when you think the show is getting predictable, it pokes fun at itself. Once you get tired of Jules chugging wine every single episode, there's a show about her trying to quit drinking. As soon as you get tired of her meddling in the affairs of her friends, there's a show to see if she can go a day without prying. The show is very self-aware and unpretentious.

The characters are hilarious. Andy has the guy-love obsession with Jules' ex husband. Grayson was a superficial jerk until we found out he worked better as a damaged, but ultimately likable guy with intimacy issues. Jules' two best friends couldn't be more different, and the conflict stays refreshing. The son is hilarious, and provides some great sarcasm and a constant reminder that this nut-case main character is still a mom who is trying to raise a teenage son.

The bottom line is this: The show is no longer about it's title. I don't care what you decide to call it, Cougar Town is relaxing, funny, and a flat out easy watch.

Rinse and repeat

[smc4761 · 7/10 · 17 August 2020]

Currently watching this on Netflix and have now watched season 1 and half way through season 2 It has its moments, not hysterically funny, more amusing, a gentle watch you could drop into anytime A collection of mainly middle aged friends, middle class living in a quiet cul de sac in a posh part of Florida Every episode seems to consist of the same thing. Courtney Cox tries to look hot and she does. Busy ( or should that be Busty) Phillips shows plenty of cleavage. Courtney's character, Jules, drinks wine, lots of it Jules wears about 5 different outfits per show and never wears the same thing twice, ever.

Best character is the ditzy and vulnerable Laurie (Busy Phillips) who has some wonderful one liners. The love/hate relationship with Jules best friend Ellie and Laurie, is the funniest part of the show.

Every episode is the title of a Tom Petty song

Worth watching but hopefully it will progress beyond the same premise

Love it!

[blondesweetie0027 · 10/10 · 5 October 2009]

Well, I see no one else likes it. Oh well. I think its hilarious. Maybe a little much for basic television, but on cable it would be awesome. I think it's really funny. I don't think it's offensive at all. Just because we don't feel like we relate to a character doesn't mean that they are offensive. I'm from Texas. Have you ever seen how they portray us on television. They act like we are all how do I put this, "Big ol' country bumpkins that say ya'll every other word and wear cowboy hats and belt buckles as large as our state, and that every word we say has to have some southern twang to it". It's a television show. It's funny. For once can we just let one show survive at least one season. I've already lost Lipstick Jungle and Samantha Who.

Super crazy and funny

[Shopaholic35 · 7/10 · 28 August 2015]

Cougar town may be a chick show but that doesn't change the fact that it's still really good. It's 22 minutes of irrational normalcy that is somewhat believable but extreme. Some people may think it's too far fetched but everybody knows at least one person who is always the "dramatic attention seeking type". So I buy the craziness and I can even relate to a lot of their issues. In fact I wish I had such a tight knit crazy group of friends like they have. It looks like fun.

Aside from the craziness, the episodes focus on real life issues but with a comedic edge. It's not without its flaws but overall Cougar Town is really entertaining.

I didn't expect to, but I really loved this show !!!

[brenee24 · 10/10 · 5 March 2010]

Hearing the name Cougar Town and thinking of Courtney Cox Arquette's recent plastic surgery, I didn't expect much from this show. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. I was driven to write a review (my first one after being a member for many years) because I really enjoy this little gem of a show and I wouldn't want to see it go off the air after only one season.

The characters work beautifully well together. There is a nice chemistry to the cast, but their rivalries and grudges are also appealing. Cox plays a great neurotic divorcée, but the character is quite different from her portrayal of Monica on Friends. Her son does a superb job as a deadpan role, probably the most down to earth of the entire cast of characters, he is great for one liners and comments on the awkwardness of his familial situation. The strangely devoted relationship between her ex-husband, Bobby and her best friend Ellie's husband Andy is hilarious and over the top but still believable. Meanwhile Ellie (Christa Miller a.k.a. Jordan from Scrubs a.k.a. Kate from Drew Carey) plays a slightly nicer version of her Scrubs character and does so with panache. It's actually nice to see her tone down the meanness and be more human, but still with the wittiness and bossiness of Jordan.

I've heard that Cougar Town has been garnishing some pretty scathing reviews and I can't really understand why. Not an episode has gone by where I didn't Laugh Out Loud several times. Honestly, I think it might be the second best show to debut in 2009- right behind Community, which would be extremely tough to beat.

Anyway, my overall grade ? A+ Very well done.

fun wacky alcoholic group

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 14 May 2015]

Jules (Courteney Cox) is divorced from her slacker husband Bobby Cobb (Brian Van Holt) and living in a cul-de-sac in a Florida town with her son Travis (Dan Byrd). She's a real estate agent with flighty Laurie Keller (Busy Philipps). Her best friend Ellie Torres (Christa Miller) is married to Andy Torres (Ian Gomez). She falls for Grayson Ellis (Josh Hopkins) who lives across the street. Tom (Bob Clendenin) is the weird doctor who also lives in the cul-de-sac. The group drinks wine and hangs out.

The cul-de-sac gang is a fun alcoholic wacky group. That's the most important part of these traditional sitcoms. It has the similar wackiness as Bill Lawrence's previous show Scrubs. The change to TBS didn't change it too much although it did indicate a slow inevitable decline. After a few seasons, the show became repetitive and safe. It is a little weird to have Travis go with Laurie. It tied down Laurie from having wild adventures and it stopped Travis' hopeless romantic search. It felt like the show closed off two avenues of possibilities to go down one road with limitations. The show eventually runs out of stories.

love it.

[lovenaty · 1 August 2009]

Can a woman of a certain age be a mom, a successful career woman and still be on the prowl? Jules Cobb (Courteney Cox) is about to give it a try.

In a small Florida town, the center of high society is the Cougars high school football team... which is wildly appropriate since this town is the natural habitat for over-tanned, under-dressed divorcées prowling for younger men. Jules desperately doesn't want to be one of them, but with an ugly divorce behind her and 40 staring right back at her, she's longing for a little more action in her life. The available men her own age, like her silver fox of a neighbor, Grayson Ellis, only seem interested in dating barely legal hotties -- which is awkward considering he's also her teenage son Tad's therapist. Egged on by her very married and very irreverent best friend Elle and her determined assistant Laurie, Jules reluctantly dips her toe back into the dating pool. To her surprise, she hits it off with a nice young guy named Bobby -- emphasis on the young -- and discovers this gal still has the goods.

Outdated

[veronika-forselius · 3/10 · 26 August 2021]

This series feels like a mixture of Gilmore girls and new girl without the class and humor. A lot of the jokes are fatphobic, sexist and just not funny. For example it's supposed to be funny that Grayson brags about having sex with Jules while she was out of it on sleeping pills. While denying it to her he gets celebrated for doing it behind her back. It's supposed to be funny but it's literally rape. The show is filled with "jokes" like this. If you are able to look past it and all of the other non funny jokes you'll probably like this show.

An absolute treat (ignore the misleading title)

[bono_gover · 10/10 · 1 September 2020]

For fans of Bill Lawrence (scrubs, spin city etc) this is another brilliant comedy that is goofy and light hearted but filled with heartfelt moments.

This is an underrated and under appreciated series, partly (as the writers have acknowledged themselves) due to the name. The initial premise of the show changes quite quickly in season 1 and stays this way until the end.

The casting and performances are spot on

It's like watching a bunch of friends, and I will miss them now it's over. There is something here for everyone (I'm a mid 30s fella).

Give it a chance, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Friends with Beverages

[soger · 6/10 · 17 January 2013]

When I first started watching this show, I did it only because of Courtney Cox. I'm a huge "Friends" fan, so it was nice seeing her again. But the show started as a disaster, there were no other topics in it but relationships and they were whining all the time. Actually after watching 13 episodes I stopped watching the show for a really long time. Then after a couple of years someone talked me into resuming the show because not far from where I stopped watching it, it transforms into kinda like Friends - no wonder the show was almost renamed to "Friends with Beverages". Not as good as "Friends" but watchable, I just really don't like Josh Hopkins and I'm not ever sure why.

Uncomfortably Bad Show

[marciaoh · 1/10 · 15 October 2009]

I've watched this series every week since it began thinking that perhaps the next show would be better than the previous one. But, each week I'm disappointed.

The main problem with "Cougar Town" is that it isn't funny or well-written. The characters are painfully superficial without authenticity. Unlike "Sex and the City" which was skillfully crafted with wit and genius, "Cougar Town" lacks both charm and intelligence. The Courteney Cox character, Jules Cobb, has no real interests beyond an obsession with her looks and whether she's attractive enough to hook a good looking man. The story lines all revolve around Jules pathetically stalking some unrealistically handsome guy, frantic he won't think she's attractive enough to want to sleep with her, then, magically, in the end, he validates her weirdly needy ego, by paying attention to her. Jules' main focus is luring males who are as vacuous as she is. The idea that a man or a woman might have other attributes beyond simply a hot body or unlined face is apparently lost on this pathetic cast. Unlike Carrie Bradshaw in "Sex and the City,"who was looking for love and intimacy not just sex, and who had a serious and creative career as a writer, Jules Cobb shows no commitment to her job or to finding a meaningful attachment to a man. It's all about sex. Jules, as of episode three, had not attempted one smart or romantic conversation with the boy-candy, young man she sleeps with beyond comparing notes about how well either of them performed gymnastically in bed. The other characters are equally shallow and cliché--just caricatures of cartoon people--the frumpy housewife buddy, the slutty, side-kick girl friend, the vapid, dumb-jock ex-husband, the 40ish, GQ handsome, neighbor dude who dates only Gen Y girls. The audience has no empathy or connection with any of these people. Perhaps the most ludicrous idea of all is that the viewer is expected to believe that Courteney Cox, as Jules Cobb, eats midnight pastry or has problems interesting any man whether 20 or 60. With her perfect features helped by thousands of dollars in surgical intervention and her size 2 body, most middle aged women can't relate to Cox as Cobb, the hungry cougar. In this mess of a sit-com, all the women come off as predatory, sexual addicts who are cognitively challenged. Hopefully, the network will have the good sense to blow "Cougar Town" off the map.

Favorite new show of the season

[marypfra · 10/10 · 29 October 2009]

Cougartown, as a whole, is my favorite new show this season.

Jules (Cox) is a divorced mom who lives next door to her best friend (Krista Miller), and sells real estate with her other best friend (Busy Phillips). She married young, so is just now testing her wings in the dating world and it happens to be with a younger man. Her best friends can't stand each other, but love her and are a good support system in helping her navigate this strange new world. The dialogue between the best friends is snarkiness at it's best.

Courtney Cox is brilliantly funny - I always thought she did comedy better than drama and this is a much better vehicle for her than Dirt, IMO.

In addition to our star, the show has an excellent supporting cast - Krista Miller rocks, as usual, Busy Phillips is a hoot - loved her in Freaks and Geeks, Dan Byrd (her son) is a breath of fresh air, and the rest of the men are not only hilarious, but delicious eye candy.

The writers are genius and I just hope that they can continue with this high level of hilarity through-out the season.

I can't imagine any woman 30+ who isn't going to identify with Jules & her friends.

If you haven't given it a shot, yet, I hope you make the time to do so.

Not there yet, but still decent

[Donny_Stay · 7/10 · 22 October 2009]

It's a new show; it's still got some kinks to work out, and I don't completely disagree with any of the previous reviews. The characters aren't well developed (yet), and, yes, some of them are essentially caricatures, especially the promiscuous male neighbor.

However, I think the previous reviewers who dismiss Cox's character as a vapid, sexually charged woman have somewhat missed the point. The show is not really about love or sex; it's about women retaining their feminine identity despite society's insistence that middle-aged women are past their prime, and about dealing with the societal prejudices that come with being a middle-aged woman (some of which can be seen on this very board; more on that later).

Jules is recently divorced, and is suddenly plunged into the single woman's dating world as a 40-something. The show is attempting to capture (with admittedly middling success), the panic and confusion that accompanies the single, middle-aged woman, as she competes with women half her age for the same men. Love? Sex? Never mind all that; Jules would settle for having some fun -- and doesn't she deserve it, after being a mother and housewife for so many years? The show extracts its humor from the awkward journey middle-aged women must often traverse, from motherhood to single-hood, and through whatever else is along the way.

This is where the neighbor's one-note caricature becomes necessary, or at least makes sense. He exists to contrast the different societal attitudes towards middle-aged men and women. Men easily rejoin the dating scene, but women are met with harsh sneers and judgmental assessments. Even in the reviews here on IMDb, some of the people complained that Jules was a sex-crazed maniac, an idiot nymphomaniac, and whatever else, despite that she waited until the tenth date to have sex with her boyfriend. A woman who waits until the tenth date is sex-crazed? No, she just wants to have fun and feel desirable, just like the rest of us.

That brings us to the show's problems, and it has a few. Cox is far too attractive to be convincing as a desperate cougar, for instance. And yes, it would be better if the other characters were more interesting, and if neighbor were more than just a one-note cad. But the show is, in my opinion, still quite funny, and the characters are becoming more sympathetic, even Jules's do-nothing ex-husband. I think the show has a lot of potential, and I will continue to watch it.

As I recall, Courtney Cox's other show, Friends, was almost unwatchable in the first two seasons. But there were good elements there, and eventually they figured it out. I suspect they'll do so with Cougar Town as well.

I love this TV show...

[taylorkingston · 10/10 · 9 October 2014]

I love this TV show. Courtney Cox coming back to the small screen is just fantastic. With a great cast and funny story lines, this show can do no wrong. Even getting cancelled didn't stop this show.

This show is about a forty-something divorced woman getting back on the dating scene. The first few episodes of the show is actually her being a cougar, dating younger men, but then it turns to be a nice story about a woman dating someone her age. That is the reason why, at one point, they were going to change the name of the show. But they decided to keep it. I love this show so much. All of the cast are great actors and actresses, and the characters are everything you would hope for.

Overall, I give this show a 10 out of 10.

Still Funny (Minus Courtney Cox)

[soheilshb · 6/10 · 12 February 2019]

Recently I have a hard time finding new funny shows so I'm rewatching old shows. Cougar town is an amazing show with funny incidents. Sadly... Courtney Cox is the most flat unfunny actress I've ever seen. She is always repeating the same character that she played in friends. Maybe friends only flaw. I don't know why ppl feel that an obsessed control freak is funny. It's not!

great show

[lspin337 · 10/10 · 17 February 2010]

This show has a brilliantly funny writing staff, employs a fantastically talented cast and is an all around entertaining show. The characters all compliment each other so well that the jokes and transitions look seamless.

The dynamic between Courtney Cox's show-centric Jules and everyone else in the cast is so perfectly executed. Busy Phillips' Lori, is one of the funniest relevant characters seen on TV today. Christa Miller adds as much to this show as she did and continues to do on Scrubs. As Ellie, she is cross between her character on Scrubs and June Cleaver.

Although the formula is very similar to Scrubs, there is no reason why that should be a bad thing. Scrubs was a very innovative show when it began and now Cougar Town is following in its hilarious footsteps.

The men in the Cougar Town cast are also so strong. Brian Van Holt's comedic timing, Josh Hopkin's character complexities, Dan Byrd's wide eyed innocence and Ian Gomez's slapstick all work so well with the rest of the cast's abilities.

The only negative in my eyes is the shows title-only because it throws the men off with thoughts of a Sex in the City, Desperate Housewives, Lipstick Jungle hybrid. Men need to have an open mind and not judge a show by its title. They will end up realizing that this show is just plain funny, regardless of gender. Men will definitely enjoy this show on the same level or even more than woman.

Entertaining

[zombiemockingbird · 7/10 · 9 February 2021]

I like this show. It's stupid and silly but it's entertaining. It works because it has a good cast that works well together. I like all of the characters except Busy Phillips; she's just gross. Everything she does and says is over exaggerated and clownlike, waving her hands and arms around constantly, making ridiculous facial expressions, her eyes bugging out, opening her mouth wider than necessary to talk, yelling everything she says, always jumping and gyrating around like she's having some kind of fit; truly nauseating. She just doesn't really mesh with the rest of the cast. Without her it would be 1000 times better.

Desperate Ex-Wife

[mirwais-orbit · 1/10 · 20 December 2009]

Cougar Town is an awful TV Show. Seems that Courtney is not lucky enough to work in a project like this one after the failure of Dirt. She's just jeopardizing her career.

I was expecting something funny and mature, but it's not. Even being a comedy show, it never is. It tries so hard to be funny to a point that you feel ashamed for those actors. What I feel is that Bill Lawrence tried to give to the show the same tone that made Scrubs a success and a masterpiece in comedy for almost 10 years, adding to the characters some of those surreal situations in a city called Cougar Town. But it never works. The plot of a 40 y.o. woman desperate for a man is so obvious and full of clichés that what once upon a time surely was hilarious now is nothing but a boo-hoo thing; all the dialogs never goes right; the comedy time is horrible and the characters are really-really annoying.

This show is a lot more like DESPERATE EX-WIFE. Seriously, Courtney Cox is totally wrong in it. I doubt that this show will be a success or survive more than 2 seasons because its ideas are very poor, the whole characters are unsympathetic, and 25 minutes of each episode never gets a half smile of my face.

That's bad, because I really like Courtney Cox and I thought that joining forces with Bill Lawrence this show would be, at least, enjoyable. But it's not even that.

Wonderful

[loza-75698 · 10/10 · 2 July 2019]

I'm on my second round of watching all the way through, says it all!

This show is easy going, laughs at itself, and has a fantastic ensemble cast!!

The first few episodes are shakey, and that's why the creators changed it they made a bold call about an honest mistake, making 5.5 seasons of awesomeness!

Enjoy!

Love it, classy and rooting for cul-de-sac group

[sarath3347 · 7/10 · 8 June 2021]

Love the characters, especially jules and Grayson. A little off by Andy and Bobby character as feels like neglected and careless and irritating for me. But all in all the group is great.

Cougar Town is Pathetic

[lhh90403 · 1/10 · 4 October 2009]

I caught up with the Cougar Town premiere online and thought it was absolutely terrible. The best words I have to describe this raunchy and demeaning show are desperate, pathetic and insulting. Courtney Cox's character asks her son why he doesn't laugh at her sex- obsessed jokes and he says: "Because they make me sad." Bingo!

I have nothing against sex-obsessed women who fret about aging and the difficulty of finding love. I am a big fan of Sex and the City. But that show has something that Cougar Town lacks-- authentic characters who feel real. Carrie and her crew each has a distinct and very specific take on sex and romance that defines who she is, how she sees the world and what love means to her. Each woman is throughly believable and acts consistently with specific attitudes about life and love. I recognize women I know in the characters in Sex and the City.

Cortney Cox's character is is poorly defined, cartoonish and utterly inauthentic. She acts like a thirty-year old Judd Apatow guy trapped in a one-note joke about being desperate but clumsy in the attempt to get laid. I have no idea what her cardboard cut-out character believes about life or love or why she is doing what she is doing. To you tell you the truth I really don't really care. Someone please put this excruciatingly pathetic show out of its misery.

For a more extensive review and comparison of this show to Sex and the City go to http://www.etbscreenwriting.com

10 Stars!!!

[Kedwards725 · 10/10 · 26 November 2010]

I cant say anything bad about this show. Its like they have worked together forever. Being able to see Busy Phillips in HD on a weekly basis ain't to shabby either but she also earns her comedy chops along side Courtney Cox who is HIGHlarious. Its like Monica Geller, divorced and on the prowl. Im not mad at that. And Christa Miller entertains on any show she is on. It seems as if every person playing on it and everyone behind the scenes working on this show fits perfectly within it. From the jokes to the actors and actresses to the writers directors camera guys editors anybody that works on the show works well in the best oiled sitcom machine since My Name is Earl. Watch it and be entertained.