COUGAR TOWN "Stand" Strong

Article first published as COUGAR TOWN "Stand" Strong on TheTVKing.

Cougar Town wrapped up its fifth season on the air last night on TBS with "We Stand a Chance." It may not be a big, dramatic finale, nor does it end with a cliffhanger, as renewal is uncertain, but it is still a terrific installment of the friends-as-family show. A piece of exciting news affects just about everyone in the group, though their lives continue normally, as this isn't the type of show that goes for the ridiculous stunt.

 The story begins when Jules (Courteney Cox) borrows Laurie's (Busy Philipps) pee, since Ellie (Christa Miller) drugs Jules shortly before a physical. What's amusing about "We Stand a Chance" is that Jules acts like a guilty criminal even when no one is suspicious of her or really cares if she's breaking the law. It takes a situation often depicted for more nefarious purposes, and it applies it to normal suburban life, making for a silly, light tone.

The doctor soon calls Jules, though, to tell her the pee test indicates she's pregnant. After Ellie points out to Jules that it isn't her pee that has been tested, Jules realizes that Laurie and her son, Travis (Dan Byrd), are now expectant parents. She wants to break the news to them in a positive way, unsure of how they will react, being young and unmarried, but a fight comes between them, making it hard for Jules to find a good time to bring it up.

I love how Jules's concern is only that Travis and Laurie will be happy. She doesn't obsess over being a grandma or fret over the sex her offspring and friend engage in. While Jules can be selfish, when there's something so important on the line, she cares as much as anyone else.

Cougar Town is about a family. Not necessarily a biological one, though some of the players are related, but one built by choice. It's a group of friends as close as any relations, and while that may not be a unique premise on television, the continued way in which it warmly executes this premise makes it feel different. There's a deeper level of emotion behind the situations, and when the entire gang is there at the time Laurie and Travis finally learn the news, offering their support, it's a terrific moment for the show.

On any other sitcom, Laurie and Travis would end the episode broken up or upset, but Cougar Town avoids the false, forced drama. They have a disagreement while helping out Andy (Ian Gomez) and it's a serious one, but after getting a little advice from Grandpa Chick (Ken Jenkins), Travis makes up with Laurie. Again, love is a primary theme, more than laughter for its own sake, and the pregnancy is greeted joyously by all.

The other two characters Laurie's pregnancy affects most, besides the soon-to-be parents and Jules, are new grandfather, Bobby (Brian Van Holt), and step-grandpa Grayson (Josh Hopkins) (though, to the show's credit, the word 'step' is never uttered). They may be Jules's husband and ex-husband, but they're also friends, and decide to compete with young punks in a break dancing competition to hang onto their youth.

Again, Bobby and Grayson are not taken over the top in acting their age, but rather, their attitude comes from an authentic place. They lose sorely to the teenagers, as anyone should realistically predict, but it doesn't kill their spirits. They know who they are and they like themselves, which is probably why fans of the show continue to root for them, too.

Tom (Bob Clendenin) is definitely a character worth keeping around. Upgraded to main cast this season, he gets both the beginning and ending gags of "We Stand a Chance." At the start, he wins a Cul-de-Sac Crew trivia game, thus earning the right to pick their vacation spot. Since he loves just being around everyone so much, he chooses to stay home, to everyone's chagrin. Then, later, he recaps the season with his dolls and model of the neighborhood, which is equal parts creepy and hilarious. Tom may be awkward, but he's our awkward, and like the characters on the series are, even if they may be reluctant to admit it, I am fond of his continued presence.

Looking over this review, a lot of it seems mushy and overly sentimental, but this is the type of feeling Cougar Town elicits from its audience. The structure is common but the depth is not, and that's why it's still must-see TV for me, even after being canceled and reborn on cable (without changing a thing). I sincerely hope TBS keeps this thing running for years to come. This episode, great in its own right, could adequately serve as a series finale, but I hope TBS gives the writers a chance to really wrap things up when that time comes so the last episode is more than just adequate.

Cougar Town's fifth season is complete, and now awaits its fate.

Cougar Town Sweet and Funny In Its Old Age

Article first published as Cougar Town Sweet and Funny In Its Old Age on TheTVKing.

Cougar Town, having successfully relocated from ABC to TBS this year, wraps up their fourth season with the two parter "Don't Fade On Me; Have Love Will Travel." The Cul-de-Sac gang plans a trip to the Bahamas, but when Jules (Courteney Cox) learns that her father, Chick (Ken Jenkins), has Alzheimers, she convinces her friends to give him the dream trip he has always wanted to Los Angeles.

Surely, it saves quite a bit on budget to film a "location" shoot in the same city the rest of the series is taped in, even though the show is set in Florida. And it does feel a little surreal to watch actors who live in Hollywood walking the streets and commenting on what a weird town LA is. Yet, like most of Cougar Town, it strangely, inexplicably works in a very delightful way.

Except for the shot we get of Tom (Bob Clendenin) actually in the Bahamas. That looked super fake, definitely filmed on the green screen in Travis's apartment. In real life, not in the story. I do believe Tom actually went there, for the sake of the plot.

"Don't Fade On Me" and "Have Love Will Travel" are incredibly moving episodes. Cougar Town is funny, but it also has always handled the emotional side of itself well, not just in "special" episodes or as it ages, as some sitcoms do. Seeing Jules worry about, and take care of, her ailing father it a wonderful thing, forcing her to deal with emotions that she would rather avoid. The way her friends rally around her is awesome.

That's what Cougar Town is about: friends that are like a family. These people love one another and support each other through everything. They are always around, and willing to help. Some of them may say things don't sound that nice, but there's genuine affection behind the front, and they all understand that. So if there's anyone left out there that still thinks the series centers around older women chasing younger man, get over it, please.

The unfortunate thing about this arc would be if Cougar Town chooses to kill off Chick. While not a main character, he pops in on a decently regular basis, and is an important figure in Jules's life. I love Jenkins, and don't wish to see him depart the series, but I also don't think we need that level of grief anytime soon. Eventually, everyone loses their daddy. However, it would be heartbreaking for Jules to do so now. Maybe in the final season, but please, not before.

I love that Cougar Town gets Tippi Hedren (The Birds) to cameo as herself, giving Chick his dream date. It's an unexpected star to bring in, but with recent Alfred Hitchcock film projects, she should be back in the public consciousness, so she's not too far out of mind. Very nice.

Aging has been a theme this season, not just in an episode or two, with an older lady, Anne (Shirley Jones, The Music Man), and her husband moving to the cul-de-sac and joining the show on a recurring basis, the main characters embracing the good parts of getting older, and now Chick showing us the bad. It is an interesting direction for the show to head in, and not an entirely expected one, as most television doesn't illustrate this particular aspect of the human experience very often. But Cougar Town has never been most television, so it's terrific that they've found yet another way to be different.

 The first few seasons of Cougar Town do let Jules have a dating life, but she's married off now, so it's up to other characters to carry the romantic element of the show. Finally, in a move that fans have long been waiting for, but had to wait until Travis aged a bit, Travis (Dan Byrd) and Laurie (Busy Philipps) are together.

This two-parter sees them on a rocky start, not able to find a moment to share their first kiss, and stressing out about it. It seems like fate is against them, and they do soon break up, which is what many a show would do to draw out such a plot. But unlike its peers, Cougar Town finds a way to bring them back together, totally naturally, in a very romantic moment.

I don't know if they will be together for the rest of the show or not; that's impossible to predict. But they are together for now, circumstances be damned. Their issues can be tacked up to their worrying and stress, rather than an actual message that they shouldn't be together, and it just feels right. Laurie provides a logical reason for Travis to stay part of the group, so he's not just the creepy kid hanging out with his mom, and Travis lets Laurie grow as a human being with actual depth. It's a wonderful coupling, and it's oh so satisfying to see it come together.

Bobby (Brian Van Holt) also has a gal, Riggs (Maria Thayer), who unfortunately doesn't go on the trip, though I guess everyone can't be included. He has long been the single one, the constantly lonely man. I do think it's time for him to find happiness, though. If not with Riggs, who I see as a perfectly acceptable candidate, than with someone else. Cougar Town doesn't need to have anyone dating; it's good enough just to focus on hanging out. Thus, hopefully everyone finds love and settles in for another several seasons.

I guess a theme of this article is that Cougar Town does it differently than most comedies, and I can't stress enough that it really does. It has a certain tone and way about itself that sets it apart. The characters and writers are completely comfortable in this direction, and don't seem to second-guess what "sells" on television, which is refreshing. They also do it really well, which allows them to depart from convention without being crucified for it. The television landscape would be much poorer without it, which is why I'm very happy to see that TBS has renewed it for a fifth season.

I've been concentrating on the mushy stuff, but there are also a lot of funny moments in these episodes. Grayson (Josh Hopkins) is stuck on his past, remembering his days as a model in LA. The doctors' office that Jules takes Chick to has many of the Scrubs, another series by the same creator, Bill Lawrence, doctors listed on the sign. Poor Tom is still dumped on, but at least he's finally included. Andy (Ian Gomez) tries to make everyone admit he's Latino, even though he never acts like he is.

In short, Cougar Town continues to be a humorous and heart-warming story of a group of best friends who drink a lot of wine. Exactly what its fans want it to be.

Cougar Town finally goes to Napa

ABC's Cougar Town ended its third and final season on the alphabet network last night, before it moves to TBS next year. The full hour episode, entitled "My Life; Your World," felt nothing like a series finale, so it's a good thing that it will not serve as such. Instead, what is presented is a very transitional episode, setting up what next season might be like.

Central to "My Life; Your World" is the marriage of Jules (Courteney Cox) and Grayson (Josh Hopkins). Though planned for four months from now, Grayson suggests eloping after growing frustrated that the rest of the gang is always around. Unfortunately, Jules doesn't understand that he means he wants only the two of them to be present, and she invites the rest of the Cul de Sac Crew to travel to Napa (where else would wine lovers go?) with them! Plans fall apart even further when Jules cannot get Grayson's daughter to join them, and so they decide to wait until they go home to get hitched.

Strangely, TVLine.com's Michael Ausiello seems to be a mute bartender in Napa. For goodness sakes, where are the man's lines?

This disagreement between Jules and Grayson, over privacy is one that seems like a huge stumbling block. Grayson starts out as a character that is not part of the pack. Even after he begins hanging out with the others, he separates from time to time. But lately, he is always with the gang. Does his reaction, which manifests itself in some pretty angry outbursts, stem from a real desire to be alone sometimes, or is he just getting cold feet?

Hopefully, it's mostly the latter, since Jules' friends will not be going anywhere. And this does seem to be the case when Grayson not only gets over his hangup, but proposes to Ellie (Christa Miller), Andy (Ian Gomez), and Bobby (Brian Van Holt), too. If Grayson had not been able to come to terms with this, this would have been a major deal breaker. After all, if the group did not spend every waking moment together, what would the show be about?

Also, before Jules can admit she's got a problem, too, which is eventually shoved under the rug, making Grayson be the one that adapts, totally in character, there is a great homage to Groundhog Day.  Jules has never seen the movie. She makes her friends explain it to her, and it still confused. But as they make her live it until she admits that she's wrong, the hilarity ensues. Great use of a classic film!

The actual nuptials end up being really sweet, as Lynn (Nicole Sullivan) suggests that they be spontaneous, which is exactly what they do. While the couple cannot get permission to marry on the beach, Jules' dream, they stage a guerrilla wedding there anyway. As the cops (including one played by series creator Bill Lawrence) close in, they quickly become a moving wedding. It's a funny scene that really fits the tone of the series, both ridiculous and heart warming. Especially when Chick (Ken Jenkins) brings along his horse to keep him from crying.

Of course, there are other plots in "My Life; Your World," too. Travis (Dan Byrd) turns 21. This is celebrated in Napa by the gang pulling him out of bed and shoving a glass of wine into his hands. His resulting claim to not really care for the vino provides the appropriate shocked reaction from Jules. But that doesn't take away from how satisfying it is to finally see Travis drinking with the others.

As the kid on the show, he has always been a little bit outside of the group. In recent episodes, this has started to change, with less scenes of Travis at college, and more of him being included. Especially cool is his recent friendship with Ellie. The wine is the perfect initiation ceremony to move into the gang fully. And the terrible singing of happy birthday seems more realistic than most shows do.

Andy gets a father-son moment in the first half of the episode. With the joy of Penny Can having been sapped away when Travis points out how silly it's gotten, with all of the additional rules, Andy and Bobby mourn. However, Travis is able to boost their spirits by helping them introduce Stan (Sawyer Ever) to the game. The sight of Andy as a loving, devoted father is precious, and it's sort of a passing of the torch from Travis to Stan as the token kid, now that Travis has joined the adult world.

Is it a little odd that Travis might want to join his mother's circle of friends? Yes and no. Yes, because he's still in college, and they're all much older, and being too chummy with one's mom is a little creepy. No, because Jules has the coolest friends, which includes Travis' dad, whose father-son relationship is not at all creepy. But most of all, it works because of Travis' attraction to Laurie (Busy Philipps).

Ever since the start of Cougar Town, there has been a chemistry between Travis and Laurie. While Laurie is definitely the youngest one of the adults, it didn't work at first, when Travis is still a teenager, because of the age difference. By "My Life; Your World," it begins to feel a lot more natural. Travis makes a play for her, getting smashed, naked, and declaring his love, in front of the entire gang and Laurie's boyfriend, no less.

Laurie doesn't go for Travis yet, but the seed is planted. At the wedding on the beach, she looks at him, and there is definitely something between them, even stronger than before. She is surely actually seeing him as boyfriend material now. Will it work out between them? Who knows? But it will be very surprising if they do not become a couple sometime in season four.

The final plot involves Ellie falling for a hotel concierge named Daniel (David Arquette) who will do anything for her, which eventually lands him in jail. This entire subplot feels wrong and strange. Watching how not cool this all is with Andy, one keeps waiting for the inevitable moment where Ellie realizes she has hurt her husband and apologizes. It never comes. In the tag at the end of the episode, she is still rubbing his face into it. Not even Ellie is this cruel, and so the story falls flat. But it is the only really weak spot in the entire hour, so it can be overlooked.

Cougar Town will pack its bags and move to TBS soon. Make sure to watch for details about when it will come back! My recommended way to do this is to follow Bill Lawrence on twitter @VDOOZER.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here to buy DVDs and streaming episodes of Cougar Town. Read every Cougar Town review I've ever written! Article first published as Cougar Town finally goes to Napa on TheTVKing.com

Cougar Town: Titles Are Hard

     Perhaps the worst named sitcom currently on television, ABC's Cougar Town is also one of the funniest.  The rotten concept the series began with was ditched early on in the first season, and the show morphed into something really great.  Debate raged last spring whether a name change may help the series pick up viewers, but a new one was never agreed upon.  As a nod to fans, this year's season premiere had "(Still)" above the title.  And since then, there has been a new tag every week making fun of the monkier.  This week's was "Titles Are Hard", which, to Bill Lawrence's credit, they are.  Still, I can't help but wishing they had made a change.  My favorite was the sligthly risque Family Jules, which is way more accurate as to what the show is about.

     That's because the show, whose central character is Jules Cobb (Courteney Cox), is now about her group, as they have become a family.  Yes, the other characters often all revolve around her, and her house is the hang out place.  She gave up on being a cougar a long time ago, and is now in a steady relationship with a more age appropriate man, Grayson (Josh Hopkins).  She's not the only one who was rapidly evolved.  Ellie (Christa Miller) and Laurie (Busy Philipps), who started out as bitter enemies still have their tiffs, but they have pretty much accepted each other, and even sometimes spend time together without common denominator Jules.  Jules's ex-husband, Bobby (Brian Van Holt), who was originally kind of a joke, is now beloved and accepted by all of the others.  Andy (Ian Gomez), while still not the one wearing the pants in his marriage, is valued by his wife, and can make decisions without her.  Even Jules's son, Travis (Dan Byrd), who at first seemed separate from the adults as they came together, finds frequent reasons to be home from college, hanging out with his parents' pals.

     If it all sounds honky dory, that's because it is.  Yet, it still delivers laugh out loud moments every week.  Whether it be a funny new song that Grayson makes up, a new drinking game, turning Travis's bedroom into a Jam Room, or everyone hanging out in Jules's renovated dream bathroom, simple, silly things make the comedy must-see.

     Last night, Jules's father, Chick, came for a visit.  He was played by Ken Jenkins, who was Dr. Kelso on Scrubs.  Scrubs was, of course, created by the same man who does Cougar Town, Bill Lawrence, as his wife, Christmas Miller, has appeared in both shows.  Quick Bill Lawrence trivia: Not only does Travis currently attend college at the set used for the medical school in last season's failed continuation of Scrubs, but the original Scrubs hospital can still be seen every week in Cartoon Network's hilarious Childrens Hospital.  Bill Lawrence things just don't die.  Including Ken Jenkins, who was fresh as ever, and actually, thankfully, though I liked the character, wasn't very Kelso-y.

     The episode focused on Chick's refusal to show Jules much affection since her mother died.  Sure, it was perfectly predictable that the root cause would be because Jules reminded Chick too much of his departed wife.  But their reconcilliation after a big confrontation still jerked a few tears.  It made me wish Jenkins was on the show more regularly, and given Lawrence's penchant for constantly adding and bringing back recurring characters, coupled with his adoration of Jenkins, it could happen.

     The episode also was goofy just because of the Halloween element.  Ellie dressed up as Laurie, and Laurie dressed up as Ellie, leading to some choice one-liners.  Travis later showed up as Andy, which confirms once more that somewhere down the line, as Travis gets slightly older, the cougar concept may be revisited somewhat by a Travis-Laurie pairing, and while it would be weird at first, they do have great chemistry.  Even though she is his mom's friend, much older than him, so maybe not.  Chick was a bear, and no one knew he was at the bar for awhile (except observant or intelligent viewers).  Andy was Burt Reynolds, but as Grayson put it, looked like Dom DeLuise dressed as Burt Reynolds.  Jules thought Grayson was going to be a prince, so she dressed as a princess.  Grayson was actually the singer Prince, again, I saw it coming from a mile away, but still couldn't stop laughing.  Oddly enough, despite all of those great costumes, my favorite was Bobby's Windy Guy, mostly because Ellie and Andy had to have a serious conversation with a guy whose hair was gelled back and had pieces of trash stuck to him.

     If you're not watching Cougar Town, please give it another chance.  It's on right after Modern Family, and I know plenty of you watch that.  Check out Cougar Town Wednesdays at 9:30 on ABC.  In Lexington, ABC is found on channel 10 (antenna), 386 (satellite), or 908 (high definition cable).

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

Scrubs ends abruptly

 
     Scrubs, after a mistaken decision to be kept on air this year with a new format, was canceled after a mere thirteen episodes.  Ok, it's not quite canceled yet, but would you believe that a portion of this article was written nearly two months ago and saved, because it was so obvious that the end was coming?  Technically, the episode that aired this week was a season finale, and was certainly not written to cap a long-running series.  However, that's most likely what it was.

     It's biggest mistake was a lack or originality. It was a mere goofier version of the original. The security guards, while funny, were just an extension of the Janitor (Neil Flynn, The Middle) character. Drew (Michael Mosley) was a mini-Dr. Cox, Cole (Dave Franco) was like The Todd (Robet Maschio), both of whom were still on the show. Lucy (Kerry Bishe) was a cross between J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke), and Denise (Eliza Coupe) became very similar to Elliot as well as Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), but with less emotion than the former. The problem was, all of these new characters resembled the old ones, instead of bringing something new to the show.

      The one positive was that it gave Dr. Cox and Dr. Turk (Donald Faison) a chance to really grow their friendship. We finally got to see them on equal footing, rather than Turk being seen as the much younger student.  And in the end, both Cole and Drew got some serious growth that would have made them much more interesting were they allowed to continue.  Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins), who seemed to have the most fun in this continuation of the show, was nowhere to be seen this week.  Anyway, it's likely too little, too late.

Scrubs's new class

     Bill Lawrence's Scrubs returned for it's second season on ABC last night.  (It originally ran for seven years on NBC).  It felt like a whole new show, and it was a little shaky, but since this was only the first hour, that can be forgiven.  That is, IF it improves quickly.  Here's what was good, and what was bad.

     The new characters are fun and interesting.  Not sure Lucy (Kerry Bishe) can fill Zach Braff's shoes, though.  Yeah, she is quirky, sweet, and naive.  Kind of like a slightly less female version of J.D.  However, she didn't have quite the level of likability that he always had.  She may, in time, grow to be a fitting main character, but she is clearly still finding her legs.  Cole and Drew had an easier time, perhaps because they were allowed to be their own people, instead of serving as a replacement for a beloved character. Cole (Dave Franco) brought a level of jerkiness not seen on the show regularly before, and Drew (Michael Mosely) seems to be the type to try to hide everything, but also has layers.  The romance blossoming between Drew and last season newbie Denise could turn out quite exciting.  The only issues with the new guys is that the show is focusing on them too quickly.  Last season a slew of new interns was brought on, presumably to prepare for this new direction, however it appears that only Denise (Eliza Coupe) made the cut to continue, and that is disappointing.  It would be easier to accept them if they had been eased in, but given a few more episodes, I think they will all pass muster.  None of the three faces insurmountable odds.  I also enjoyed the security guards and the Australian chick, and hope that they will become staples.  I even liked the slightly new theme song.

     The issue with the new Scrubs is the how the old characters are being treated.  Only one of the supporting cast turned up, though The Todd (Robert Maschio) was arguably the most prominent, save Ted (Sam Lloyd), so it is fitting that he will continue.  But what about the rest?  Kelso (Ken Jenkins) made the transition the easiest.  He seems fine where he is.  Janitor (Neil Flynn), too, who won't be part of the new show, had a nice little goodbye scene.  The others, not so much.  Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) and Dr. Turk (Donald Faison) are the only two returning full time.  Why would Dr. Cox stop being chief of medicine and take a teaching job?  What exactly happened to the old hospital, and who is in charge now?  Sure, I understand it was torn down and rebuilt on a campus, but why, and what happened to most of the staff?  For instance, I saw nurses.  Where is Carla (Judy Reyes)?  Apparently she is no longer in the cast at all, though her bio is still on the official website, because she wanted to remain a full time character, and she was told that wasn't feasible.  Why not?  And Dr. Turk, who did transition almost as well as Kelso, is still married to her, so how will he get full, rich stories if she won't be popping up from time to time?  Also, what is Elliot (Sarah Chalke) up to?  We saw her only briefly in the pilot.  She is signed to do a number of episodes, but in what capacity?

     The character of John Dorian suffers the most, though.  He is still the same guy he was, which is fine, but what has he been up to this past year?  He apparently wasn't working with is friends, but where is he?  Why exactly did he return?  He is still treated like one of the stars, despite splitting narration with Lucy, but he is only signed for a limited number of episodes.  I would assume his contract stipulated he remain in the theme song with top billing for now, but why?  Just because he's an executive producer?  It doesn't make sense, and it makes him seem watered down.  My biggest beef is that he had such a perfect, fitting series finale last spring, that anything more than an occasional guest spot for him seems to cheapen the new show.  Hopefully his transition out will come soon and with class.

     This new version of Scrubs is funny, I'll give it that.  It kept enough of the old elements to make the viewer feel comfortable continuing.  But it needs to up the ante and let the newbies prove themselves quickly, or this could be another failed After M*A*S*H*.