Winter TCA 2013: Cougar Town

Good Morning! We’re coming to you live from Pasadena, California, where the Winter 2013 session of the Television Critics Association Press Tour is underway. Things kicked off last night with an 80s party thrown by NatGeo, in honor of their upcoming documentary miniseries, but more on that later.

First up (after a breakfast sponsored by United States of Bacon, of course!) is Cougar Town, a comedy that started off over on ABC but after three seasons moved to TBS. The fourth season premiere is right around the corner on January 8^th, but if you need to catch up, check out the three-hour marathon this Sunday! 

facebook.com/CougarTown

Panelists this morning include Executive Producers Bill Lawrence and Ric Swartzlander, and actors Courteney Cox, Josh Hopkins, Busy Philipps, Dan Byrd, Christa Miller, Brian Van Holt, and Ian Gomez. 

After offering mimosas to journalists at 9:01am, we jump right into questions. Here are some highlights:  

When the transition occurred, was a new title discussed? For about five seconds, because why change something that is part of the show’s humor? So much marketing has been done already with that name.

Any concern about Jules getting married? Lawrence talks about not believing in TV curses and how it’s as big a burden to do “will they / won’t they,” so having Jules marry felt organic to write. 

We will not be seeing as much of “Penny Can” this year. Also, Philipps is not a fan, though she says that Miller is quite good at it. 

Regarding plots to look forward to, be excited about “Naked Day,” where Jules can only find one spot in the house where light comes in from every direction and she doesn’t look hideous. 

ABC/Disney are still the owners/producers of the show, so while many fans hope for them to take shots at the network, it’s a rare thing. 

Cox calls it the year of her cleavage and says that there are hardly scenes that don’t focus on her boobs.

When asked about last season’s tour of different cities, Gomez talks about being sent to bars and drinking with fans. Philipps considered it more of a reward to fans for sticking around.

Stay tuned throughout the next few days for more updates as quickly as possible from TCA. Also, follow along on Twitter.