'Cougar Town' Creator Will Blame Stupid Title Of Show If It Gets Canceled

[Brian Damage]

"We can't escape this stupid title," laments Cougar Town's Lawrence. "I know it sounds like an excuse, but if this show goes away, it will be, without a doubt, one of the things that brought it down."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...-298110?page=3

[EmoJoe]

He should just blame ABC. Their handling of the show was terrible this year. They held it until mid-season and then dropped it off in the middle of February with little notice and little promotion paired with a show it shares nothing on common with. It's not surprising its doing horribly.

[comedyfreak]

It does have an odd title it has nothing to do with an older woman bedding a way younger guy. I hope the show gets renewed.

[Mr. Television]

I gave it half a year. It wasn't the title that made me stop watching. I just didn't enjoy it like I did Modern Family and The Middle.

[TMC]

http://whatculture.com/tv/10-tv-show...g-sense.php/11

Cougar Town is by far the most infamous example of the title gone wrong in modern television. Star Courteney Cox admitted that it was chosen for shock value, which at least makes some sense, because after the first few episodes it became clear that the show would be about a forty-something women and her non-cougar friends. Even the high school football team called the Cougars didn’t make repeat appearances after the pilot, making the title utterly baffling and possibly even detrimental to ratings.

Both the creators and original network ABC hated the name so much that they debated changing it after the first season, but it was eventually agreed that more fans would be lost than gained. Co-creators Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel have even gone on record multiple times to slam the title, but both eventually just decided to roll with it, because what else could they do?

Now Cougar Town mocks itself before anyone else can with title cards which actually highlight the ridiculous name, most obviously in the season three premiere: “It’s still called Cougar Town. Yeah, we’re not happy about it either.” A character later spots a statue of a cougar and wonders aloud in bewilderment, “Nothing here has anything to do with cougars!”

Rather than ignore the issue, the writers of Cougar Town have embraced and actively celebrated it, and in the process have turned their terrible title into a badge of honour. Hats off to them.

Read more at http://whatculture.com/tv/10-tv-show...WAVl6jg6szl.99

[mets82]

I do agree that the title doesnt make sense now that Jules is married but I like the show. Even if the show gets cancelled, it was on for 5 yrs., right? Thats not bad to have a show on the air.

[TMC]

http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2...64205910900358

Cougar Town Stops Being About Cougars

Broadcast television is a notoriously tough place to work. One of the most difficult parts about going network is that getting a show on the air and creating a sustainable premise that can lead you to the syndication promised land are two very different things. Cougar Town had no trouble getting on the air. An ex-Friend plus a zeitgeist-y title equals a no-brainer executive green light. The problem is that watching a woman chase after younger men quickly becomes repetitive, tacky, and even a little sad.

Before the end of season one, Cougar Town was evolving into a show that could sustain itself over the long haul. It wasn't going to be about cougars on the prowl, but rather about that point in life when some nights you'd rather just stay in your den and drink a box of wine. As time went on, Cougar Town eased its way into something comfortable and durable—almost a middle-aged version of Friends. Though the show in its later form probably would never have been picked up by a network as a pilot, it was something that people not only wanted to watch, but deeply connected with.

[James28]

About this Cougar Town title dilemma, can every sitcom have a "stupid" (or at least stupid-looking) title?

[TMC]

http://observer.com/2015/03/cougar-t...and-free-wine/

Bill Lawrence used to complain about the title, arguing that it should be changed because it turned off potential viewers. Not anymore. Now that the show is over, Lawrence says, "If someone had come up to me at the beginning of all of this and said, 'hey you just sold the show and it will never be a huge gigantic hit but it will have a loyal following and it'll be on for six years and everyone will be close friends,' I'll take that every time. So no, in my mind, no regrets at all." PLUS: Josh Hopkins says: "We had the perfect amount of episodes. We ran our course pretty well."

[TMC]

Originally Posted by TMC

http://whatculture.com/tv/10-tv-show...g-sense.php/11




Read more at http://whatculture.com/tv/10-tv-show...WAVl6jg6szl.99

http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/tv/245585...ws-its-premise

Comedies airing on ABC, for example, are notorious for their one-word monikers tying them down to a particular, slightly ridiculous, idea – Trophy Wife, Selfie etc. Like it or not, a title is often the only thing a large portion of the desired audience have to go on, and by episode two or three the series themselves have often developed way beyond the boundaries of that initial box.

Selfie was a very sweet, admirably sincere romantic comedy that didn't really stick to the initial "My Fair Lady in the internet age" premise beyond the first 10 minutes of its pilot. By this point, though, swathes of potential viewers had vowed to steer clear, and it became the latest quirky sitcom to disappear from the network before a single season was even finished airing.

Some are slightly luckier. New Girl has a title and a premise that was pretty much built for a single season, but the show is still going, now barely recognizable from its first few episodes. It's an ensemble show rather than the Zooey Deschanel vehicle it was in the beginning, and the 'New' of the title could only ever apply for a short time. Cougar Town also suffered from the same problem, leading to it being cancelled by ABC (before being picked up for TBS, then cancelled again).

[mets82]

He had 6 seasons of a very good show. He should be very proud.