Cougar Town: A Disappointing Start
I had modest hopes for ABC’s premiere of Cougar Town (Sept. 23, 2009), the sitcom starring Courteney Cox—I hoped it would at least be a funny if not enlightened view of what real women over 40 go through if they’re suddenly single.
Unfortunately, Cougar Town is stuffed with silly stereotypes. I know hundreds of women over 40 who don’t act that way—even the ones with very active social and sex lives. Even the men on the show—the husband, the son, the teenage kids who ogle her ad, the neighbor—are cardboard cutouts. Ridiculous and lazy stereotypes.
Although I’m disappointed, I’m not feeling sorry for the character or Courteney Cox or myself or any other women I know over 40. I’m feeling sorry for the upper brass at ABC—I mean, what’s the use of portraying women this way? Who is this show for?
I hope Cougar Town evolves so that Cox’s real comic talents shine through and smart women have more cause to relate to the character.
