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For 'Cougar Town,'
a fight for survival

The show's producer and stars fought to get it back on ABC's schedule

By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Feb 13, 2012

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"Cougar Town" co-creator Bill Lawrence made such a fuss about his third-year sitcom being left off the fall schedule that it's hard to tell if "Cougar" is back because ABC believes it will be a good fit for its new timeslot or because the network just wants to shut Lawrence up.

Either way, he accomplished his goal. After months of refusing to commit to a timeslot for "Cougar," ABC will air the sitcom's third-season premiere tonight at 8:30 p.m., where it takes the place of failed midseason comedy "Work It."

ABC gave "Cougar" an early renewal last year after the show earned okay ratings behind hit sitcom "Modern Family." But then ABC decided to bench "Cougar" last fall in favor of the buzzier, younger-skewing comedy "Happy Endings."

That left "Cougar" with no timeslot and, its producers and stars feared, no momentum for when it might return. And so they conducted a guerilla campaign designed to remind viewers that "Cougar" was not gone for good.

The stars of the show made unbilled cameos on programs like "Grey's Anatomy," "Body of Proof" and "The Middle," and during last month's winter Television Critics Association press tour, Lawrence invited reporters to his own self-declared tour stop that was not sanctioned by the network.

Lawrence also sponsored screenings of the "Cougar" third-season premiere across the country in advance of tonight's debut, paying for the party supplies himself.

Whether all that hard work will pay off with strong ratings is uncertain. "Cougar" averaged a solid 2.6 adults 18-49 rating last season, according to Nielsen, behind a strong 3.8 lead-in from "Modern Family."

But this year's lead-in is weaker. The new Tim Allen comedy "Last Man Standing" is averaging a 2.7, and its manly-man theme seems an odd fit for "Cougar," which follows a group of wine-swilling fortysomethings.

On tonight's Valentine's Day episode, Grayson finally proposes to Jules.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	NBC	"The Voice" (R)	Blind auditions continue. Will the show be able to maintain viewership?
8 p.m.	TV Guide Network	"Grammy Awards Fashion Wrap" (A)	A rundown of what everyone was wearing at last night's ceremony.
8 p.m.	USA	"Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show" (A)	Live coverage of the first night of the 136th annual event.
9 p.m.	BET	"BET Honors 2012" (A)	The fifth annual event, hosted by Gabrielle Union.
9 p.m.	Discovery Channel	"American Chopper; Senior vs. Junior" (R)	Season premiere. Senior looks for an opportunity to be on "Celebrity Apprentice."
10 p.m.	NBC	"Smash" (D)	Karen and Ivy endure a tough audition process.
10 p.m.	E!	"Fashion Police" (T)	Still more coverage of last night's fashions.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	CBS	"NCIS" (D)	DiNozzo has to work alongside his ex-fiancée.
8 p.m.	VH1	"Sports Illustrated: The Making of Swimsuit 2012" (A)	Single guys now have TV plans for Valentine's Day.
8:30 p.m.	ABC	"Cougar Town" (C)	Season premiere. Grayson calls Jules predictable, then she tries to prove she's not. So predictable.
9 p.m.	Fox	"New Girl" (C)	Schmidt tries to help Jess have a one-night stand on Valentine's Day.
9 p.m.	TLC	"19 Kids and Counting" (R)	Season premiere. Michelle goes for a checkup in her latest pregnancy.
10 p.m.	MTV	"Teen Mom" (R)	Season finale. Chelsea takes a GED test and Leah moves out of Corey's house.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	CBS	"Survivor" (R)	Season premiere. Eighteen new castaways are divided into male and female tribes.
8 p.m.	Fox	"American Idol" (R)	The Hollywood round continues.
9 p.m.	ABC	"Modern Family" (C)	Phil and Claire have a bit too much to drink while celebrating the sale of a house.
9 p.m.	OWN	"Oprah's Oscar Special" (A)	Winfrey interviews Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer from "The Help" and Jonah Hill from "Moneyball."
10 p.m.	MTV	"The Challenge: Battle of the Exes" (R)	Robin has an emotional breakdown.
10 p.m.	TV Land	"Hot in Cleveland" (C)	In the winter finale the women look for lost loves on Valentine's Day.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	Fox	"American Idol" (R)	The contestants take part in a performance challenge.
8 p.m.	CBS	"The Big Bang Theory" (C)	Sheldon and Kripke compete for a corner office at work.
8:30 p.m.	NBC	"Parks and Recreation" (C)	Leslie and Ben run into Leslie's old boyfriend Dave.
9 p.m.	Bravo	"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" (A)	After three reunion episodes, a "lost footage" edition.
10 p.m.	FX	"Archer" (C)	Malory needs help with a situation involving the Italian prime minister.
10 p.m.	MTV	"Jersey Shore" (R)	Roger visits but then gets mad at J-Woww for wearing a revealing outfit. What was she wearing when they met?
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	CBS	"Undercover Boss" (R)	The CEO of Checkers and Rally's works at his burger joints.
8 p.m.	NBC	"NAACP Image Awards" (A)	Live coverage of the 43rd annual event.
8 p.m.	ESPN	"NBA Basketball" (S)	The defending champion Mavericks take on a hot 76ers team in Philadelphia.
9 p.m.	Fox	"Fringe" (D)	A mental patient is somehow connected to a chain of murders.
10 p.m.	VH1	"The Greatest Women in Music" (A)	The fifth of five parts.
11:35 p.m.	CBS	"Late Show with David Letterman" (T)	"Saturday Night Live" star Kristen Wiig guests.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	Fox	"NASCAR Racing" (S)	The Budweiser Shootout, a preseason non-points race from Daytona.
8 p.m.	Animal Planet	"My Cat from Hell" (R)	A couple with a 2-year-old has a cat that vomits and attacks when it's angry.
8 p.m.	Showtime	"The Ride" (N)	"Amazing Race" host Phil Keoghan rides 3,500 miles across the U.S. on a bike.
8:30 p.m.	The Hub	"Transformers: Prime" (K)	The animated series premieres its second season.
9 p.m.	ESPN	"College Basketball" (S)	The best game of the day features Big Ten rivals Michigan and Ohio State.
11:30 p.m.	NBC	"Saturday Night Live" (C)	Former cast member Maya Rudolph hosts.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19
Time	Network	Program	Description
1 p.m.	ESPN	"College Basketball" (S)	Rutgers hosts Big East conference rival Syracuse.
3:30 p.m.	ABC	"NBA Basketball" (S)	All-Florida matchup between the Magic and Heat in Miami.
8 p.m.	CBS	"The Amazing Race" (R)	Season premiere. The reality competition begins its 20th season. Yes, you read that right.
8 p.m.	Fox	"The Simpsons" (C)	In the show's 500th episode the family is banished from Springfield after Homer gets too drunk.
9 p.m.	NBC	"Celebrity Apprentice" (R)	Season premiere. The Donald returns for a 12th season.
10 p.m.	HBO	"Eastbound & Down" (C)	Season premiere. Kenny works as a closer for a minor league team in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.