| "Pilot" | |
|---|---|
| Cougar Town episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Bill Lawrence |
| Written by | Bill Lawrence & Kevin Biegel |
| Original air date | September 23, 2009 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the American television sitcom Cougar Town, which premiered on ABC on September 23, 2009. The episode was directed by series creator Bill Lawrence, and written by Lawrence and Kevin Biegel. The pilot introduces seven main cast members: Jules Cobb (Courteney Cox) as a 40-year-old mother who's newly single; Ellie Torres (Christa Miller), Jules' next door neighbor and best friend; Laurie Keller (Busy Philipps), Jules' younger employee; Bobby Cobb (Brian Van Holt), Jules' unemployed ex-husband; Travis Cobb (Dan Byrd), Jules' 17-year-old son; Andy Torres (Ian Gomez), Ellie's husband; and Grayson Ellis (Josh Hopkins), Jules' newly divorced neighbor.
The episode aired between the other two pilots, Modern Family and Eastwick. It achieved 11.4 million viewers, coming first in its timeslot.[1] Critical response was mixed, with Los Angeles Times' Mary McNamara stating that the show "is fun and exciting for women over 40" and that the "maddening thing about 'Cougar Town' is that it isn't completely unfunny or uncharming."[2]