Dan Byrd

CHICAGO – When ABC canceled “Cougar Town” after three seasons of mediocre ratings offset by some critics who were surprisingly loyal to the show, TBS swooped in and grabbed it up for a potential two seasons, the first of which premieres tonight, January 8, 2013.

CHICAGO – With almost every episode they’ve produced, ABC’s “Cougar Town” has turned into a better program. It’s been remarkable to watch creator Bill Lawrence and his team refine what works about this show.

CHICAGO – After months of wondering if it will come back at all, it turns out that the total failure of the abysmal “Work It” was the best thing that could have happened to fans of “Cougar Town.” ABC announced today that the Courteney Cox hit will return on Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 at 7:30pm CST. I’m still not sold that this is a good fit with “Last Man Standing,” but it’s better than nothing. Hopefully next year they can move “The Middle” to this slot and put “CT” back on Wednesdays where it belongs.

CHICAGO – His eyes are at once weary and sardonic, brooding and vulnerable. He doesn’t know how to cry for help, apart from crying wolf. He resists the spotlight when it’s placed upon him and yet still craves attention from his peers. He’s deeply cynical about life in general, yet is prone to falling for the sweetness of a pure-hearted soul. And he’d probably be well adjusted if it weren’t for the enormous weight on his shoulders.

CHICAGO – Courteney Cox returns tonight to try and overcome the perception that her very-clever and consistently-improving “Cougar Town” is not a success. What better way to make instant waves than to bring former co-star on “Friends” Jennifer Aniston to the party? The result is yet-another funny half-hour of television for a program that seems to get better by the week.

CHICAGO – If you’re like most people, you probably wrote off “Cougar Town” after hearing the overly simplified concept or watching the incredibly sporadic first few months of the ABC series. You should take another look. The Courteney Cox vehicle, now on DVD, changed gears so radically that there’s a special feature about the mid-season shift in tone on the DVD and I have a feeling this series could improve even more in season two, finding a rhythm that it could maintain for years to come.

CHICAGO – There are major chunks of ABC’s very disappointing “Cougar Town” with Courteney Cox that resemble a stand-up comedian so eager to please that you can see the desperate flop sweat forming on their brow as joke after joke hit the floor with a thud. More pathetically manic than honestly funny, it’s the writing on the weakest part of the network’s entirely new Wednesday night line-up that lets down its talented star.