After a season worth of disappointments and delays, COUGAR TOWN fans finally got some much deserved good news over the weekend. Deadline Hollywood is reporting that TBS is in talks with ABC Studios to pick-up the low rated fan favorite for two 15 episode seasons should ABC [the Network] opt to kick it to the curb. A move which in a nutshell, is a match made in Comedy heaven. See for yourself, after the jump.
Outside of Tyler Perry, can you name a single big name star associated with a TBS sitcom? Didn’t think so. Which is precisely why, among the plethora of positives to come from the Cul-De-Sac Crew’s possible move from ABC to TBS, Courteney Cox is first and foremost among them. Not only does the former Friend give TBS some good old-fashioned — not to mention much needed — star power, it sends a loud and clear message to Hollywood’s creative community that TBS is open for business and should not be a last resort when it comes to pitching half-hour pilots.
What’s the only good news to come out of a hatchet job that saw the ABC trim COUGAR TOWN’s episode number and budget in an effort to make its third season as economically efficient as possible? The show’s shoe-string budget makes it the ideal fit for the slightly more cost conscious Cable world. What’s more, co-creator Bill Lawrence’s track-record for fiscal responsibility and tireless grassroots promotion should have all parties involved laughing all the way to the bank.
According to a recent report, THE BIG BANG THEORY is now the most-watched comedy on cable, drawing north of 3 million viewers per episode. Unfortunately, at a record 1.5 million per episode, it’s also one of the most expensive. Which means, the only way TBS is really going to get full value for paying through the nose for exclusive cable syndications rights is by leveraging the popularity of their purchase to grow their long-suffering original production business. Just ask USA Network or TNT, whose current crop of unique and original dramas were built off the backs of NCIS and LAW & ORDER repeats respectively.
If nine seasons of SCRUBS and almost three seasons of COUGAR TOWN have illustrated anything, it’s that where Bill Lawrence goes, his legions of loyal viewers follow. And while we don’t pretend to know what percentage of them precisely will find the show on TBS, attracting even half of the shows on average 5 million viewers per week would still see COUGAR TOWN rank amongst TBS’ most popular.
In case you missed it: Last week TNT (TBS’ sister station) announced that they had just renewed SOUTHLAND for a fifth season, which as you may-or-may-not recall, got unceremoniously handed its pink slip after one low-rated albeit critically acclaimed season on NBC. 
COUGAR TOWN airs Tuesdays at 8:30PM on ABC (CityTV in Canada)