Jules seems more friend than mother to her 17-year-old son, Travis (Dan Byrd), and the two share a really funny and touching relationship and although she and her ex, Bobby Cobb (Brian Van Holt), are divorced, she can't seem to get rid of him! Worst of all is the handsome and also newly divorced neighbor, Grayson Ellis (Josh Hopkins), who seems to flaunt his new marital status by having a seemingly revolving door on his bedroom from which pours a constant stream of pretty young co-eds. Grayson and Jules have an odd relationship at first, one that is both flirtatious and teasing, with a bit of a razor edge. However, as the season progresses, it's very clear that the pair are actually quite attracted to each other and are simply fighting the ever-present sexual tension.
Cougar Town begins as Jules getting back into dating and finding that younger men are easy pickins', but turns into more of a comedic sitcom about friends, lovers and relationships, instead of merely focusing on the age differences of men and women in the dating scene.
What I really enjoyed was the way Courtney Cox, who is obviously an absolutely beautiful woman, makes fun of herself and the very act of aging. She's funny, but at times in an almost Lucille Ball, physical comedy sort of way. She's not afraid to trip, or be silly and make a fool of herself and she's all the more adorable because of it. What's more is the entire cast works together with flawless comedic timing. Whether it's the catty banter between Ellie and Laurie, or the hillybilly "wisdom" of Bobby, or even the constant callbacks of comedic references made in earlier shows that keep popping up, Cougar Town is just straight up hilarious.
For a new series on the scene, there were a surprising number of special features and they were all fun and worth watching. You'll get bloopers, deleted scenes, a making-of which describes the show's concept and how it all came together, a really disturbing short from Jimmy Kimmel Live called Saber-Tooth Tiger Town (think geriatric Cougar Town), a handful of comedic vignettes with Bobby Cobb and his sidekick, Andy, a music video from a weird song on the show written and sung by Grayson, and finally, Ask Barb - a series of Q&A's with Cougar Town's resident and unapologetic cougar, Barb (Carolyn Hennesy). It's all good stuff.
If you've maybe seen an episode or two of Cougar Town and didn't think it was all that, give it a chance and watch the entire season from start to finish. It starts off really strong, but changes focus somewhere in the middle, although it works for the show. I didn't think the season ended as strongly as it began, simply because of the changing dynamic between some of the characters (a spoiler that I won't reveal), it's still riotously funny and worth your time. Check out the links below for a taste of Cougar Town: The Complete First Season.
Clips
Never an Excuse for ViolencePrep Routine
Messing with Grayson
Finger Guns
Question Bombs
Admissions Game
Why Florida
Story Changes
"My Sexualitay" Music Video
Bobby's Bag of Tricks
