Welcome to Cougar Town
Well, my last word on Cougar Town was that it was probably going to be worth a watch. Now that I’ve seen the first episode, airing on Living this Tuesday, I can conclude that I was right!
The comedy, which follows a recently-divorced mother of one who wants to get back into the dating scene, has Courtney Cox back on form. I wasn’t bowled over by her previous efforts in Dirt, but this programme sees the old Courtney return to our screens. Her excellent comic timing is something we’ve all been witness to in Friends. In fact, her Cougar character, Jules Cobb, is quite reminiscent of the bumbling Monica Gellar. She even has the same catchphrase for when things go wrong: “CRAP!”
The opening scene of the first episode had me laughing for all the wrong reasons. It shows Jules woefully analysing all the physical evidence of ageing throughout her body. What I found amusing about this was that, looking at 45-year-old Courtney Cox (45!), she has aged so ridiculously well that if anyone should feel self-conscious it’s the viewer! Anyway, who needs to be realistic when you’re having fun, eh? The bottom line is, Cougar Town is funny. If you want 30 minutes (ooh, another 30-minute wonder – they’re quite the trend!) of fun and laughs then this is for you. There is the whole underlying feminist message subtly hammering away in the background – something along the lines of society believes men get more attractive with age and women don’t. But it’s not shoved down your throat by any means.
The first episode seemed like it was trying to pack in all the good lines all at once, but I guess they’re just setting the scene. And with so many shows being cancelled after their pilots, I don’t blame them for trying to start off strong. There’s slapstick, one-liners and some seriously cringe-worthy dilemmas to enjoy. I’m looking forward to the next few episodes for more laughs. Most comedies also fall into moments of sentimentality or drama now and again. There was no evidence of this in the first episode of Cougar Town, so perhaps this is going to be an all-out comedy or maybe the more serious moments are still to come. Either way, I’m in for the ride.
What has she had done to her face? Far from aging well, I don't think she looks like a human being any more… Such a shame.