TV Review: 'Cougar Town'

Cougar Town, starring Courteney Cox, debuts Wednesday night at 9:30 on ABC. The following reviews were culled from TV critics around the Web and compiled by B&C.

“Cougar Town…is still finding itself, but it’s already much better than the title would suggest.”
-Alan Sepinwall, The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.)

“This ABC show, about a mid-40s mom eyeing younger men, does few groups any favors. The occasional joke will stick, and Courteney Cox makes her character as likable as possible. But: ick.”
-Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times

“Cox better hope her fans are loyal. This is a concept that might not wear well with others.”
-Tom Jicha, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“The 30-minute pilot sets up enough promise to make you want to give it a try. It won’t be appreciated by those easily offended by references to sex and sexual activities. But thanks to Cox, it has charm to spare.”
-Jay Handelman, The Herald Tribune (Sarasota, Fla.)

“Cougar Town…is downright unwatchable, an agonizingly unfunny gutter-ball that will almost certainly be the first of the new season’s shows to be canceled.”
-Glenn Garvin, Miami Herald

“Whether the writing and situations can catch up to [Cox’s] charisma is the question, but I plan to hang out with this anxious cougar a little longer to find out.”
-Vince Horiuchi, Salt Lake Tribune

“Cougar Town, its creators assure us, is about way more than Courteney Cox’s divorced 40ish character snagging a studly boy toy. Apparently, the creators haven’t seen Wednesday night’s premiere episode because if there’s anything else here, it must be encoded and invisible to the naked eye.”
-David Hinckley, New York Daily News

“Cox is not only convincing but touching - and unfailingly funny.”
-Robert Bianco, USA Today

“Cox is a funny TV presence with self-deprecating charm, but she’s not an everywoman, and she’s certainly not a stand-in for a population of women that is experiencing the aging process in real time.”|
-Joanna Weiss, The Boston Globe

“It’s difficult to see where Cougar Town goes from here. Much is made of the fact that it’s Ok for middle-aged men to date younger women, but is the idea of hot 40-year-olds dating men a decade younger so radical that there needs to be a whole show about one woman’s attempts to make that happen?”
-Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune