"Cougar Town" Review: Is It Worth the Trip?

I think you all know that “Friends” is my favorite show of all time. So I really wanted to like “Cougar Town” with Courteney Cox.

But when it started, I got worried. It just seemed more annoying than anything else. A desperate divorcee looking for some action had been done SO many times before…

However, by the halfway point, the show had started to click, and by the end I was actually laughing and smiling. I wouldn’t say it’s the funniest show on TV, but it’s definitely appealing…

And most of the credit for that goes to Cox, who never lets her character become as sleazy as she could…

Cox is Jules, a forty-something woman who after being divorced for six months, finally accepts the advice of her co-worker Laurie (Busy Phillips) to get back onto the dating scene. But Jules quickly realizes that men her age seem to only be looking for younger women, so she decides to try younger men for herself…

Which leads to total embarrassment for her son, Travis (Dan Byrd), and a little alienation of her married best friend, Ellie (Christa Miller). Plus, there’s her slacker ex, Bobby (Brian Van Holt), to worry about. And the newly divorced neighbor across the street, Grayson (Josh Hopkins), who dates an endless string of younger women, much to Jules’ chagrin…

Actually, now that I think about it, it was probably about the time Hopkins first appeared on the screen that the show really started to turn around for me. I have adored him since “Pepper Dennis,” and he is completely adorable here—even though he’s supposed to be sleazy…

And I have been a fan of Byrd’s since “A Cinderella Story.” He’s so cute you can’t help but feel sorry for him when he finds his mom in a compromising position with a younger man…

But this is Cox’s show and she makes the most of it showing us all sides of her character. Plus, she’s not afraid to put herself out there and show us her flaws—which makes her that much more endearing…

And by the way, in case you’re wondering, “Cougar Town” actually refers to the high school’s mascot, but you get the double meaning there…

The supporting characters need some serious development, but right now Cox is enough to give this one a passing grade. I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt because of her and because I watched it right after “Modern Family,” and anything was going to pale in comparison…

Which may not bode well for its chances since “Family” is its weekly lead-in…

“Cougar Town” premieres tonight (September 23rd) at 9:30 p.m. on ABC…'

Photo Credit: Bob D'Amico/ABC