A large reason that this show has a chance to succeed is because of Courtney Cox Arquette. She plays Jules Cobb, a middle-aged single mother who is trying to hold down a job as a real estate agent, manage her teenage son, deal with her idiotic ex-husband and find some new companionship. Yes this premise is not new, but Arquette’s acting really freshens up the formula.

Despite the fact that she is a beautiful woman, the show quickly establishes that Jules is not a super confident Desperate Housewives type. The opening sequence of the show has Jules lifting and pinching skin and flab on her body after she gets out of the shower. She is critical on herself and feels as though she wasted her prime on a husband who can only be described as a “bro”.

She is back on the market partially because she is really horny. All the women on this show are—whether married, single, young or old. This includes Jules friends and colleagues. Two people particularly stand out: Ellie (Christa Miller from Scrubs), a horny married neighbor and Laurie,(Busy Phillips), her assistant who tries to get Jules to have more fun. Both are played well and offer some interesting plot opportunities.

As Jules is a middle-aged divorce she also has a son named Travis (Dan Byrd). He is pretty clichéd teenager who is embarrassed by his parents. It doesn’t help that his mom’s real estate billboards are used as “whack-off material” for the other boys at his high school. Despite the abrasive elements of the relationship Travis is able to cope with his mother’s sexual antics. That being said, he is still scarred when he walks in on Jules giving a much younger man a blowjob. Needless to say, they have some awkward conversations after that.

Some may be turned off by the sexual content in the show. Yet I am willing to overlook the occasional overly sexual scene to watch Courtney Cox Arquette as Jules Cobb. Since Friends went off the air it seems as though she hasn’t really fit into any roles as well. Quite frankly, she is a delight to watch in the Cougar Town. The pilot was entertaining enough to warrant watching future episodes and there is a good chance it will develop into a successful series.