The successful sitcom curse is probably the very best thing an actor can hope for these days. Originally coined ‘the Seinfeld curse’ for the uber successful early 90’s sitcom that both made and ended the careers of three of the four lead cast members, the curse refers to actors who become so popular and so successful as one character that they can never again be seen as anyone other than that person. After several failed attempts at new shows, only Julia Louis-Dreyfus was able to successfully break the curse in 2006 with The New Adventures of Old Christine; everyone else is still living large off the residuals.

When Courteney Cox decided to have another go at the half hour television world with a show that she both starred in and executive produced with her real life husband David Arquette expectations were low. How could she possibly return to network television as anyone other than super clean neurotic Monica Gellar from Friends? People said it was impossible and could never be done.

Well, they were all wrong! (for the most part)

Cougar Town is absolutely hysterical! This show is genius. Something about it makes me think of it as a younger version of The Golden Girls. Maybe it’s the Florida setting, the constant references to aging and trying to stay young, or maybe it’s the fact that I know gay men and middle aged women everywhere will relate to it and live by it. In any case, it’s the highest compliment I can pay this show. It knows exactly what it is and what is has to say. (well, at least it does at first)

Courtney Cox plays a recently divorced woman in her 40’s who’s realizing how difficult it is for mature women to reenter the dating scene after 20 years of marriage. For her neighbor, Grayson Ellis played by Josh Hopkins, on the other hand it seems all too easy for him to find and sleep with countless young beautiful girls and no one seems to notice. She’s at first skeptical of embracing her inner ‘cougar’ for fear of what people would think or say, but in true sitcom fashion she eventually lets loose and ends up dating and sleeping with some gorgeous… gorgeous boys.

The problem that the show encounters is ironically exactly the same dilemma that the main character faces; which is people judging it for what it was doing. So, unlike our strong independent lead character Jules, after about 10 episodes or so the show caves in to public opinion and the real crux of the show disappears. Jules is no longer a ‘cougar’ on the prowl for the first time in her life having all sorts of hysterical misadventures with gorgeous young men, instead now she’s tame and trying to date men her own age. YET… wait for it…. wait for it… Grayson

is STILL able to sleep with and slip away from young girls. Double standard incarnate much? Yes, he too eventually realizes he wants a more mature relationship but he gets to sow his oats for way longer than she does.

It’s really a shame because if the show had stuck to its guns and remained stead fast in the face of the narrow minded Midwestern criticism, it could have been something fantastic. I laughed my ass off for the first 10 episodes or so. Somewhere into the start of the second disc I realized that I was watching another boring stereotypical sitcom that had lost all of its edge. There were still a few moments in each show that were amusing but nothing like those first few classic episodes that started it all.

If there were a way to buy only the first disc of this three disc set I would encourage everyone to do it because you just can’t miss with those first 10 episodes. Sadly, the two other discs soaked in mediocrity come along with it.

There are a surprising amount of special features on the third disc for a sitcom. In Taming Cougar Town the creators and cast try to justify the obvious an awful switch that happens in the show without ever once mentioning the public backlash and outcry that caused it to happen. They try to convince you that it was totally their choice. So not true. There a bunch of deleted scenes that aren’t worth watching so you can skip right over those. The bloopers are mildly amusing but far too short. A Jimmy Kimmel Live spoof that’s totally skippable, a music video (enough said) Ask Barb is a Q&A with the only character on the show that stayed true to the original vision of it, but it’s still barely watchable because it’s basically the same joke over and over again. Finally there is Stroking it with Bobby Cobb which unfortunately isn’t what is sounds like.

Again, the show had amazing potential but unfortunately failed when challenged to defend its originality and natural hysterical edge. The cast all do a great job of bringing their characters to life which leads me to think that if the show had begun with the simple hackneyed premise of alternative family in Florida that it ultimately became, I might have been able to forgive it because it’s still occasionally funny and well performed (Busy Philips as Jules’ friend Laurie in particular is a riot). But sadly the bar was set so high in the beginning that it will never re-achieve that level of greatness. Unless of course the writers suddenly rediscover their balls that are no doubt sitting on an ABC shelf somewhere and are able to reattach them and get back to what made this show great for about 10 seconds.