Entertainment
In Between 7 ‘Scream’ Movies, Courteney Cox Starred in This 89% RT Cult Classic Comedy
While Friends will forever be how the world knows about Courteney Cox, the Scream franchise is surely a close second. Since 1996, the actress has starred in seven nail-biting slasher movies, including the latest, Scream 7, which is coming to theaters on February 27, 2026. But while those two projects from Cox have received worldwide attention, one of her past TV shows only reached a smaller, yet equally dedicated cult following instead.
From 2009 to 2015, Cox was the lead in Cougar Town, an ABC-turned-TBS series created by Shrinking‘s very own Bill Lawrence. The series, which holds an impressive 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, is a hidden gem in comedy, packed with hilarious stories, an endearing cast of characters, and Cox in one of her best roles to date.
What Is ‘Cougar Town’ About?
Cougar Town follows Cox as Jules Cobb, a divorced realtor who starts to dabble with the idea of dating younger men, hence the title. Soon after, however, the series quickly abandoned that plot, and became more about the wonderful, quirky friendships and family dynamics rather than actually an exploration of age-gap relationships. That was especially the case when the show focused on Jules’s will-they-won’t-they with Grayson Ellis (Josh Hopkins), who is roughly her age.
So, much like how Shrinking isn’t only about therapy or the loss of a loved one, and is more about the friendships the main characters have along the way, Cougar Town hits that same sweet spot. Among Jules’ inner circle is her sarcastic and razor-sharp best friend Ellie (Christa Miller), and the bubbly Laurie (Busy Phillipps). Together, the three of them are explosive onscreen. While Miller had a laid-back, sardonic approach to comedy that perfectly contrasted with Cox’s high-strung, anxiety-ridden Jules, Philipps brought an even more kinetic, spirited energy. Different in their own way, the friend group, which is complete with Jules’ son Travis (Dan Byrd) and Ellie’s husband Andy (Ian Gomez), is funny, believable and impressively grounded for a comedy series.
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The actress is now starring opposite Simu Liu in Peacock’s ‘The Copenhagen Test.’
‘Cougar Town’ Sees Courteney Cox at Her Best
While Cox was certainly a big part of making Friends and the Scream as successful as they are, her role in Cougar Town is her best to date. With the leading role all to herself this time around, the series showcased her range more than Friends ever did, and she’s the driving force of the series from beginning to end. With that comes incredible chemistry with each of the characters, like her steamy connection with Grayson, her maternal side with Travis, and the TV magic between her and Miller’s character. For her role, Cox got the award recognition she’s long deserved, including her first Golden Globe nomination in 2010 and her first Critics Choice Award in 2011.
So, while Cougar Town was never a ratings mega-hit, the six-season comedy series is a must-watch for Cox fans, either from Friends or Scream. The series, in addition to being heartwarming, wholesome and hilarious, allows Cox to shine, and puts her comedic chops in full display. It’s a series that never exploded like Friends, but has slowly but surely won over fans and cultivated a cult following ever since, and every new viewer of the series will surely understand why.
- Release Date
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2009 – 2015-00-00
- Directors
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Michael McDonald, John Putch, Bill Lawrence, Gail Mancuso, Bruce Leddy, Ken Whittingham, Michael Spiller, Chris Koch, Jamie Babbit, Josh Hopkins, Lee Shallat Chemel
- Writers
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Kevin Biegel, Mary Fitzgerald, Kate Purdy, Melody Derloshon, Sam Laybourne, Sanjay Shah, Blake McCormick, Mara Brock Akil, Linda Videtti Figueiredo, Chrissy Pietrosh, Jessica Goldstein, Peter Saji, Sean Lavery
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Beverly D’Angelo
Sheila Keller
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Christa Miller
Ellie Torres
