courteney cox

David Arquette, who recently split with wife Courteney Cox, appeared on 'Live With Regis and Kelly' (weekdays, syndicated) and said that rumors he cheated are untrue and were sparked by relationships he had after separating from Cox.

Last night's 'Cougar Town' was a fun one, with stories that only a second-year show could tell, mainly because they involved character's histories. Oh, and it also gave us the phrase "eat the sword," which seems to be a much more elegant version of "crap or get off the pot."

The main story involved how Jules reacts when Grayson and Laurie tell her that they slept together last year. Her reaction was oddly mature, since it was before she and Grayson got together. She even held a reality-show-like elimination to see who she'd direct her anger at (it ended up being Ellie for keeping the secret from her). That was, of course, until Laurie admitted that she knew about Jules' feelings for Grayson at the time.

But Jules is a forgiving soul, and she knows it. And in the scene in which she admits that to Ellie and Grayson had some odd parallels to what's currently going on in Courteney Cox's personal life.

TV gods, save us from high-concept comedies.

Apparently the ABC executives who bought 'Awkward Family Photos' haven't learned anything from the non-success of '$#*! My Dad Says,' a strained show based on a Twitter feed. Why should we think a show based on a book about dorky pictures will fare any better?

The highly enjoyable 'Cougar Town' (9:30PM ET Wednesday, ABC), on the other hand, is an object lesson in how much more satisfying a comedy can be when it rejects its high-concept roots and focuses on creating a home for an amusing collection of individuals.

This year, we've decided to do 'Cougar Town' moments rather than full-fledged reviews; the show lends itself towards such a take because even Bill Lawrence has admitted that the adventures of the "Cul-de-sac Crew" are less plot-based and more moment-based.

And, normally, I may have isolated an instance of the Movie Mash-Up game or shown the tender moment between Laurie and Travis, or Andy and Bobby doing a topless hugging contest to see who got the last French fry. But I feel more or less compelled to pick a moment between Courteney Cox and this week's Big Huge Guest Star, Jennifer Aniston, for a number of reasons.

How do you get your people to see a show with a lousy title? Casting Jennifer Aniston in your second season premiere helps. Bill Lawrence, co-creator of 'Cougar Town' (returning Wednesday, September 22 at 9:30PM ET on ABC) knows Aniston's drawing power, which is why the placement of her much-anticipated reunion with her former 'Friends' co-star Courteney Cox is not just a coincidence.

"If I just did a normal episode, ABC's priorities would be launching 'Modern Family' and launching their new shows," he told me earlier this month. "And if I got Jennifer Aniston to be in the first one, I knew they would have, and it without a doubt happened, that they would respond with financial backing for the launch."

In the usual wide-ranging interview with the gregarious Lawrence, I asked him about Aniston, who plays the new therapist of Cox's character Jules Cobb, and what he thinks her next career move might be. We also talked about some upcoming plots and storylines for 'Cougar Town''s second season. And we conclude by having a discussion about character names, especially where the last name of Busy Philipps' character came from.

Fans of 'Cougar Town' haven't seen much of the family of Courteney Cox's character of Jules Cobb, outside of her son Travis and always-there ex-husband Bobby. But that will change during the show's second season, according to creator Bill Lawrence... and fans of 'Scrubs' will see a familiar face in the role.

"I hired Ken Jenkins this morning to play Courteney's father," Lawrence told me earlier today. "Because I only work with the same 20 actors, Joel, you know that."

Jenkins played crusty hospital administrator Dr. Bob Kelso on 'Scrubs' for nine seasons, the last two of which showed Kelso having to deal with a forced retirement. Lawrence hopes that Jenkins will stick around the ensemble for a while.

"To me what was fun was casting somebody that hopefully will be in the world too and poke his head around. He's such a great actor... the guy's funny as sin."

A 'Friends' reunion is definitely happening this year -- on ABC's 'Cougar Town,' at least.

The network announced today that Jennifer Aniston will join fellow Friend Courteney Cox in the season 2 premiere of Cox's 'Cougar Town,' set to air on Sept. 22 at 9:30PM ET. This marks the first small screen reunion for the longtime pals since Cox's last TV venture, the FX series 'Dirt.'

Show creator Bill Lawrence told EW.com that Aniston will play Jules' psychiatrist, Bonnie.

"[She's] kind of a get-too-involved-in-her-life-type of therapist," Lawrence said. "Those guys are so close in real life they kind of do that for each other anyway. Bonnie has the life Jules wishes she has."

In January, we ran an item ranking the career paths of the 'Friends' cast members since the show ended in 2004. Back then, the only solid news we had was the early renewal of Courtney Cox's 'Cougar Town.' Meanwhile, there was some speculation on new TV projects coming up from Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, and Matt LeBlanc.

Turns out five months makes a lot of difference! Since that time Perry, Kudrow, and LeBlanc have all been given greenlights for their shows. Over the next year, four out of the six 'Friends' cast members could have programs on either the major networks or pay cable.

Here's an updated status of who's involved where, plus some additional information on the supporting characters that were connected with the show during its decade on the air.

What do you do once you've slept with someone -- and you're not ready to take things to the next level? Jules (Courteney Cox) and Grayson (Josh Hopkins) have finally had sex on 'Cougar Town' (Wed., 9:30PM ET on ABC). But now, they don't know what to do. So Grayson gently suggests that they take things in a more "FWB" direction. What does that mean?

Jules says that maybe the whole having sex thing should just be "a one time deal." Grayson offers a mild rebuttal to this. "Or," he says, "we could just be friends... with benefits."

"You snuck that in at the end, didn't you?" Jules replies. "Friends... with benefits." Yes. Well played, Grayson.

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(S01E21) Jules Cobb is TV's creepiest mom, but in a good way.

We've known from the beginning of this series how close she is to her son Travis; it's a twisted 'Gilmore Girls' situation, where a young mom is relating to her kid more as a buddy than as a mom. But thrown into the buddy mix is Jules' paralyzing fear that Travis is going to grow up and leave her all alone. So when you see Jules make a sport out of watching her son sleep -- she calls it the "sleepy show" to Laurie and Ellie when they join in -- you're not nearly as creeped out as you should be.

And that, my friends, is why this show has managed to transcend its original premise and succeed.

Though both divorcees, Jules and her neighbor Grayson have been living their newly single lives on 'Cougar Town' (Wed., 9:30PM ET on ABC) in very different ways. But we figured these two hooking up was bound to happen eventually.

Watch the video after the jump.

(S01E20) Because of the loose nature of the latest episodes of 'Cougar Town,' it's a show that's become very difficult to review.

I can scramble around, trying to write down every funny line that was uttered, which won't give me a chance to really take the show in like I should. But if I take the show in and just absorb it for the plots and characters, I'm finding that I sit in front of my computer to write and can't recall any particularly strong plotlines to talk about. They feel more like plot threads, which are hard to grab and hold onto.

This week those plot threads were a little stronger; they were more like plot ropes. Which, in light of the funny but head-scratching episodes we've seen in the last few months, gives me hope that a balance is being struck.

On 'Cougar Town' (Wed., 9:30PM ET on ABC), two parents attempt to talk to their son about cheating. The initial message is that cheating is a bad thing. But then, well, the message gets a little confused.

Watch the video after the jump.

(S01E19) Usually, when I review a show, I try to incorporate some of the key quotes into my reviews. This method works well for shows like 'How I Met Your Mother' and 'The Office,' and it worked well for Bill Lawrence's other show, 'Scrubs.' But 'Cougar Town' just doesn't lend itself to heavy quoting.

Not that the episodes aren't full of funny lines -- who wouldn't laugh at the term "pursey-whipped?" But when I watch the show, I'm more interested in how the characters are relating to each other and how the ensemble comes together from week to week. I'm just fascinated by the transformation this show has undergone in its first season, from a show centering on Courteney Cox and her character's issues with dating younger men to more of a show about a loving -- albeit a bit odd -- extended family. And this episode was one of the best illustrations of that transformation.

(S01E18) Is it weird of me to think that the less I see of Courteney Cox in an episode, the more I like it?

Don't get me wrong; since this show has settled into being an ensemble show instead of being just about Jules Cobb, Cox's performance has become more nuanced and realistic. But what's also been happening is that the surrounding characters' stories have become more interesting, while Jules stays the same wine drinkin' fool she's been since day one.

So tonight, when Jules vows to not drink wine for a month, we saw what happens when Jules Cobb turns into Monica Gellar. It wasn't pleasant, but it also wasn't as annoying as it seemed to be portrayed. More on this later.