I’ve tried to watch ABC’s Cougar Town starring Courteney Cox and have found it over the top and annoying. Some people like it, and that’s cool, it’s just not funny to me. It seems like they’re trying too hard and the dialogue almost always seems contrived. (I’ve only seen two episodes, but I just tried to watch some clips on ABC’s website and came to the same conclusion.) The show is popular with viewers and has already been picked up for a second season. Anyway the creator of Cougar Town says that they’re considering renaming the show, which will air its finale for the first season next week. He says the title isn’t really accurate as the show isn’t primarily about older women macking on young guys, and that people are turned off by it. It’s always a great idea to rename a popular show based on what a few focus groups say they’d like to see, without actually having seen it.
Fans of Cougar Town may have to re-set their DVRs soon.
The show’s co-creator Bill Lawrence is hoping to change the ABC comedy’s title for the next season since it has evolved into an ensemble show rather than one that only focuses on Courteney Cox‘s character, Jules Cobb.
“You would be hard-pressed to watch the last three episodes of the show and asked anyone for titles I doubt anyone would say ‘Cougar Town,’ ” Lawrence tells HitFix.com.
But there’s another reason why he’s hoping for the name makeover: Attracting people who normally wouldn’t watch a show with the existing title. “Partly as a result of common sense and partly from [the studio’s] research, they find too many instances of testing of people saying they would never watch a show called Cougar Town — ‘I don’t want to see some show about a 40-year-old woman nailing younger guys,’ ” says Lawrence. “And then they screen an episode, and people go, ‘Oh, I would watch this show.’ “
So what title does he have in mind? Lawrence says he constantly jokes the show should be called Friends and Neighbors with the ‘Friends‘ written in the same font as Cox’s old show. But he doesn’t “want to put [ideas] out there yet.
[From People]
I shouldn’t care if they rename Cougar Town and lose whatever momentum they have going, but it’s asinine to rename a hit show after its first season. This could spell doom for the show, which already has a well established brand and fan base. They could lose viewers who don’t know about the new name. Still, “Cougar” does have negative connotations that producers no longer want to be associated with. What could they change the title to? It seems cheap to try and capitalize on Courtney’s popular 90s show Friends with a name change to Friends and Neighbors this late in the game. The Family Jules, one of the titles suggested in a poll on People.com, is just as bawdy as Cougar Town. Overall it seems like a bad idea to switch titles at this point. They have a known title and a hit show and shouldn’t mess with it.
Photos are from Cougar Town courtesy of ABC
Hmm. Didn’t even know this show was still on the air.
I love this show. I am hoping that a new name won’t kill it.
Have never watched it. Would I watch it retitled? Probably not.
Cox and Gwinnie Paltrow has one thing in common(unless):their plastic surgeon doctor!(Paltrow has the same lip and nasal lines in “IM 2” than Cox)
Love the whole wednesday night line-up on ABC. But I only watch The Middle live. Yes, it is over the top and silly, but I really enjoy that once in a while.
I watch it occasionally and sometimes there are a few funny things. Or maybe I laugh because I’m in a good mood after watching Modern Family…
… in any case, while Cougar Town was a piss poor name, that’s the name they chose, that’s the name people know and they still tune in. It wouldn’t be good to change it. If they did that to every show that slightly evolved, well, there’d be chaos in tv land.
I like the show, just had a giggle attack at the one where Travis graduated from high school. Love the writing and Ian Gomez is hilarious.
I only watched one episode and didn’t like it, but think renaming it is a stupid idea. Not that Cougar Town is a great title, but changing the name just seems pointless. Plus isn’t the high school mascot in their town the Cougars or am I not remember the episode I saw correctly?
Totally agree that using “Friends” in the title would be really cheap.
Courteney is so pretty, but oh the surgery. Between her and Christa Miller (Bill’s wife btw) it was like watching Nip Tuck. Oddly enough, I just saw Busy Phillips on a talk show – never thought she was pretty but wow she looks great now! And I think without surgery.
I love this show! I hope they don’t change the name, I think it is rather cheeky =)
Hubby thinks that this is “the stoopidest show on earth” but I quickly told him this is no worse than some of those shows he watches LOL.
Granted this show is chick lit for TV, but it never fails to make me laugh, and Wednesday night TV is just pure fun!
ooh.. BTW, who else got a kick when they showed Cortney with Bruce Springstein! And she even did the little dance too!
This show is boring. Snoozefest.
For the record, I am in the target demo for this show, but they missed the mark with me.
Why is NBC in 3rd place if this is what they’re competing with?
They should change the name of the show to “I’d Rather Watch Paint Dry”
Remember when Valerie Harper left her own show called “Valerie”? They changed it to “Valerie’s Family” and then later to “The Hogan Family.” (This was long before the OTHER Hogan family came to prominence.)
At any rate, it ran for years.
Mr. Nonymous and I didn’t watch this show at first, largely because of the title. Then we watched a couple of episodes after Modern Family and realized that it actually is quite funny, Courtney Cox is less annoying than we expected, and the title is totally not representative of the show as a whole.
Certainly other shows have changed their names: Valerie became Valerie’s Family became The Hogans (or The Hogan Family–can’t remember); These Friends of Mine became Ellen; Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place became Two Guys and a Girl. What I don’t know for sure is how successful each of those were before changing their names, and what other changes were behind it. For example, Valerie Harper left Valerie and they killed off her character, and These Friends of Mine was reworked significantly to become Ellen.
I do think “Friends and Neighbors” is a boring title that could apply to just about any sitcom. Seinfeld could have had that title, for example. If they’re going to change the name, they ought to come up with something that reflects the show, so that viewers actually remember what it refers to.
@just a poster-loved that photo of Courtney and the Boss.
My hubby likes the guys in the show when they trash talk each other. *popping the red balloon*
the show’s ok…the title is better…they should leave it alone imo.
I tired to watch it early on- I like Courtney, but found that it was just trying way too hard and the dialogue was not as sharp and witty as I had hoped. Could be better now. If not I would think they should spend time finding better writers than a different and decidedly derivative name.
The best show ever? No, but given the dearth of comedies on TV, it’s enjoyable.
I do, however, wish Courtney Cox had kept her old face. She was much prettier before the eye lift and fillers.
I think a new name will kill the show!
this show is really funny! yeah i’ll admit, the first few episodes were a little “meh”, but they really start to find their sense of humor after the first few episodes and that’s when you really appreciate it! it IS over the top, but that’s what makes it funny. the characters are all hilarious
I love the show, I hope people give it a chance.
if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
I watched a couple of episodes and it was just okay. I think ABC’s thinking is the ratings are solid but could be much higher with a new name. I do think the name “Cougar Town” is a big misrepresentation of what the show really is about. They should have changed the name after a few episodes not after a whole season.
I love Cougar Town. If they change the name Ill stop watching it. Thats the stupidest thing ive ever heard. Keep the fans happy who watch it now & have supported it since the beginning dont change name in attempt to get new viewers. Since when did titles of tv shows determine majority of who watches it? I get some people might be turned off by the name but only a miniscule percentage and if they are offended by the name they will be offended by the show.
If it’s doing well enough to be renewed, why mess with the name? Seems stupid.
This show has slowly grown on me, and now I love it. I do think the title is misleading so I think they might be right to change the name and basically relaunch it.
So funny because after I watched this show last night, I was thinking about what a terrible name “Cougar Town” is for the show. I think it makes a lot of my guy friends hesitant to watch the show as they think it’ll be SATC-style.
I personally love the show. I understand the “trying too hard” impression that people have but honestly, this show has gotten consistently funny imo..
How about “Skank City”?
isn’t the town they live in called cougar?
so why change the name?
They should never have called it that stupid name to begin with and then they wouldn’t be having this problem now.
Courtney is the problem – she’s just not funny. She has absolutely no sense of timing or anything that makes a good comedian. She just reads her lines. The show would be just as funny or funnier even if she wasn’t on it. Her cougar part doesn’t even fit in with the storyline most episodes. Courtney wasn’t even funny on friends so why ruin what could be a good show by trying to fit her in? The rest of the cast is great.
Courtney is just bad, bad, bad. I stopped watching Friends because of her, and a little bit of Rachael. When Friends first began, Courtney especially was no nonsense, talked in a deep adult voice…and then she became a high pitched teenaged voice idiot in her late 30’s…”I know!!!” ugh…I cannot stand her…therefore, I have nothing to say about Cougar Town, because I have not watched it…I just wanted to bash the horrible Courtney Cox
Also…what’s up with her stretched out face, and Meg Ryan lips?
“More Than Neighbors” sounds like a better title..
I’ve been watching the show since the beginning and I’m going to delete it from my DVR shows. Maybe they should rename it to ‘Bitchy Friends’ or ‘Mean People’. I don’t find it funny anymore and I don’t like how mean they are to each other and other people. If it is any indication of what Courtney is like in person, then that is one person I would not want to be around!
Courtney beauty never gets old….god I wish I was 18 again so a cougar like her could get her eyes on me 🙂
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