According to legend, Cassandra, the high priestess of Troy, was given the gift of prophecy but because she ticked off the gods, was cursed that no one would believe her dire predictions. Thus, Troy fell because the Trojans didn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
In modern times, writer Bill Lawrence has the gift of being one of the funniest writers on TV, but is cursed by TV network executives who somehow don't seem to fully appreciate that talent, thus forcing his brilliant series like "Scrubs" and "Cougar Town" to spend most of their lives as midseason replacements as networks tried out new shows to see if they could cast aside Lawrence once and for all.
As usual, the network -- in this case, ABC -- failed to produce anything better than "Cougar Town" (ABC, 8:30 p.m.), which FINALLY returns tonight after the crap like "Work It" that ABC produced in its stead failed to draw an audience.
One of TV's cleverest, if badly titled, comedies, "Cougar Town" can be described as a mix of the absurdist humor of "Scrubs;" the "nothing" element of "Seinfeld;" and an older generation of "Friends." While the network executives may not appreciate it, "Cougar Town's" loyal fans certainly do, and were rewarded with a guerrilla marketing campaign by Lawrence and the cast that helped the show maintain some sort of awareness and not fall completely off the radar.
When we last left the gang, Jules (Courtney Cox) and Grayson (Josh Hopkins) continue their relationship; Ellie (Christa Miller) and Andy (Ian Gomez) realize that their baby Stan may be a demon child; Travis (Dan Byrd) is a sophomore in college; Laurie (Busy Philipps) now has an ankle monitor; and Bobby (Brian Van Holt) is still looking for love.
Not to give too much away, but I've seen two episodes and the show hasn't missed a beat during its long layoff. A later episode, which introduces Sarah Chalke as a love interest for Bobby, also contains a clever tribute to "Scrubs."
Eventually at NBC, the executives recognized what they had in "Scrubs" and kept the show around for a long run. Let's hope ABC executives finally do the same.
TUESDAY'S BEST BETS: "Cougar Town" follows a new "Last Man Standing," and is followed by "The River" and "Body of Proof."
CBS' lineup of "NCIS," "NCIS: LA" and "Unforgettable" is new, as is the CW's "90210" and "Ringer." Fox has a new "Glee," followed by "New Girl" and "Raising Hope." NBC has two hours of "The Biggest Loser" and "Parenthood."
