I am by no means a fan of Jennifer Aniston as a celebrity or a movie star, but I do have some goodwill left for Jennifer Aniston The Television Star. I’m one of those people who always hopes that Aniston will stop with the boring, repetitive and tragic romantic comedies and find a really great, well-written television show. The quality of television in general is constantly debated, but personally, I think we’re living in a pretty great television moment. The networks are still finding their footing, but they’ve managed to put out some really solid sitcoms and one-hour dramas over the past few years. And don’t even get me started on all of the great shows on cable television and specialty cable, like HBO and Showtime. There are so many talented and creative people working in television these days, and it’s become the breeding ground for actresses of a certain age (above 40) to shine.
So, anyway, Aniston was on last night’s Cougar Town season debut episode. I watched Modern Family before Cougar Town, and then I switched over to watch the last half of L&O: SVU, and then switched between that and a rerun of NCIS on USA. Because I’m awesome. Anyway, it looks like there were millions of people who did exactly what I did – waited for Modern Family, enjoyed it, then switched over to something that didn’t involve middle-aged cat faces desperate to make us laugh at their dumb foibles. According to the just-released ratings, 12.6 million tuned in for Modern Family, and then more than 4 million left ABC for the premiere of Cougar Town. Cougar Town finished third in its timeslot. Yikes.
So, is this a case of “Aniston fails again”? Her last four films have underperformed or out-right bombed at the box office, and now she’s even sinking television shows? Well, she maybe deserves some of the blame, because ABC did feature Aniston very prominently in the commercials, and the show leaked a lot of “behind the scenes” details about her appearance to the tabloids. They manufactured a lot of buzz for her appearance, and it’s not like people didn’t tune in because they didn’t know she was going to be on. However, I think Cougar Town lost viewers because the show sucks. I know some of you like it, and that’s your prerogative, but when I catch a few minutes here and there, I’m always left wincing. Wincing at the crappy acting, wincing at the sh-tty writing, wincing at the frozen, puffy, waxy faces. The show is a train wreck, and even stunt-casting isn’t going to save it.
Us Weekly put up this clip of Aniston’s appearance. YIKES. The cat-faces must stop.
Yes they’re all over botoxed and plast-ICKY on there.
Can’t watch any more duck lips, squirrel cheeks, and super shiny smooth botox foreheads.
I watched and thought she was really funny!
OMG, that looks like Jay Leno in the last photo!!
I saw it last night and not by choice. My man and I we at his parents last night to update their comps and i sat in the living room to watch it with them. I was horrified. I haven’t owned a TV set in almost nine years so when I do get to watch tv, its always interesting to see whats coming on. They watched modern Family and Cougar Town and I think if this is the standard for comedy TV, then everyones fucked.
I saw MF first and thought the lines weren’t funny. A stupid father suffering from some sort of ADHD with a twat of a wife. And two man raising a precious baby with little or no common sense using dangerous tools.The whole thing just struck my as stupid. I was a little excited to see Sofia V., aftering having read about her here and finally getting to see some of her ‘work’; she is now on my shit list.
Cougar Town was no better. Why were all these supposed smart successful women running around on as if they’re on coke and acting alike a bunch of 15 year olds? Adn they were all too skinny and had horrible faces. They are prolly on meth.
That show is SO BAD. I could not believe it was nominated for an Emmy.
You are awesome, Kaiser! I watched a baseball game! This looked like a disaster from the get go.
O/T BUT…did you see the NCIS premire? Did you see Probie?? he lost a lot of weight! he looks so different now! It scared me a little…but after a while it grew on me. Yay or nay Kaiser/ fellow NCIS watchers?
I haven’t watched it yet, have it on DVR. As a whole I like the show, I didn’t expect to but it & the characters grew on me. Now we’ll see what happens this sophmore year.
Not a fan of stunt casting though & when Lisa K guested I hated that show, hope this isn’t as bad.
The last picture is very, VERY unflatering to jennifer while Courtney looks really pretty.
Oops. Somehow I got on here twice – Sorry!
Oi – I did watch the NCIS premiere, and I thought it sucked. I hated the Mexican story line anyway, so whatever. I’m glad Franks is still around (but that finger thing is horrible!), and yes, Sean Murray looks like a heroin addict now. Tony is still adorable though.
I do want to know what’s going on with Director David though. I love Ziva’s father. I mean, he’s horrible and stuff, but it’s a great character.
I am embarrassed for her.. that was so bad, there aren’t words to describe it. I think Jen needs to find something else to do.
I knew this stunt casting wouldn’t work they tried it with Courtney’s show DIRT before it was cancelled.
I think if they are acted natural and just be what they are. They are grown, rich successful women, some are mothers but you would never tell. It’s all about wine binging, men, sex, clinging to men. You don’t see anyone doing any kind of work, you never see Jules actually be a mother to her son. It’s a shame really. Why can’t these woman who have the money and pull come up with smart shows about real issues, instead they make fun of adoption! I think the layers are coming off of Aniston and all her friends, we are really seeing what they are really about.
I like Cougar Town. It has grown on me over time. However, I thought Anniston’s guest spot was just okay. It wasn’t that she did a bad job, it just felt like it was written to give just to give her a guest role. The interactions with the regular cast were more entertaining.
Yes! Ziva’s dad! That could get very interesting. Glad the Mexican thing is over too. It started out ok, and just got bad. By the looks of it, the writers knew it too. Its over and done with in one episode.
And we’ll have to send Sean Murray some cupcakes or something.
Probie lost even more from last season? I missed it this week.
I love tony, I mean, what’s not to? but mark harmon.
I have nothing to say about JA,CC, or botox.
@hatsumomo: your post made me howl. Although I do have to say I think Modern Family is AMAZING and I even watch Cougar Town because I’m pathetic and have no life and am fascinated by watching actors try to act when their faces are incapable of expression.
Silly, stupid, sad, show, saw the promos watched and bailed after 15 mins. so bad….. these are grown women acting like teenagers ( actually that is an insult to teenage girls everywhere! )
I didnt watch the show but I thought she was good in this clip. The last picture was unflattering but I still think she’s gorgeous.
How old is that last picture? It looks to be pre-rhinoplasty.
How thin could Probie get? I haven’t watched in so long… but Mark Harmon still gives me the vapors.
I watched Hell’s Kitchen; which was probably funnier last night than most sitcoms. Jen’s in the same boat as Hoff– people have had their fill of both.
I liked last season of Cougar Town and I thought last night’s episode was awful.
@hatsumomo -LOL!!
There was alot to watch last night, alot of premieres. 3rd place isn’t bad considering that the show was never that popular to begin with, last night was probably the highest ratings the show ever had. Aniston should most certainly return to TV, she just sucks on the big screen.
@hatsumomo LOL your post made me laugh. I couldn’t imagine not watching TV for 9 years. I haven’t watched ABC in that long, not since I was little and I used to watch Family Matters and Step by Step and Boy Meets World…TGIF. I miss those days. I miss the 90s, fun era from what I remember.
She had two things going for her career: marriage to Brad Pitt, and her hair. The marriage is gone, and people grow tired of even fabulous hair cuts. I don’t understand why she doesn’t just retire. She has tons of money, it’s not like she needs to work. I don’t know why people who don’t need to work insist on inflicting their mediocre (at best) talents on the public. Do their egos need the validation? Do they just like seeing themselves on the screen? It’s not just Anniston, I could go on for hours naming people who should just retire already.
I actually enjoyed Jennifer Aniston but was really disappointed with the show in general. Cox’s character was so whiny and pathetic. The way she behaved with the boyfriend was like a neurotic teenager not a middle aged woman. I think Jennifer looks good, and not too botoxed, she actually had expressions in her face but Courtney, geesh, her face was completely frozen. Her eyelids are droopy from the botox and it seemed like her mouth was in a perpetual smile. This show was not good.
She has played the same role for tooooo many years. She is 41+ and acts as if she is a 20something cutie. She puts people to sleep and they are tuning her out. She needs to take a break. She is not a movie star and not a tv star anymore either., no matter what she seems to believe.
Why cant she get into a TV drama where she is a lawyer or investigator or surgeon in the trauma ER or anything like that. Something serious and totally out of character and way outside the america’s darling date night crap. Cant imagine why she wouldnt be able to walk right into something like that with her clout. Oh well.
I watch Cougar Town, mainly because I love the set of her house. The show is a little over the top and rediculous at times but its mindless fun. But JA was horrendous on it. And I am a huge Friends fan. She was good in the Good Girl but other than that she seems to play the same characters with all the same annoying facial expressions and mannerisms. And her voice gets on my nerves. I don’t understand why tabloids are so interested in her. She is still riding the on the coattails of Rachel.
JenA really needs to re evaluate her career at this stage of her life. She stayed too long on Friends and she has now stayed too long in rom coms. She is too typecast. Now even tv viewers are rejecting her.
Jezi – wait, that was Botox? I thought it was just terrible acting. Or maybe overacting, since she can’t emote using any of her facial muscles anymore.
@kaiser and oi- I didn’t think the season premere was that great either especially after last year with the Zeva rescue. How stupid was the brother, like Tony would actually talk to the director about a case in front of him. You should put Micheal and Mark on HGF, I actually like David too, old pics, from the Man from UNCLE days 🙂
I think it would be cool and very refreshing if Jennifer tries to have a small part as a bad guy on a popular TV show.
She should try to be the criminal in a show like CSI, adding more versatility and expanding her craft by investing in guest starring roles like that.
It could be a good exercise that can only improve the perception that she can expand her palet of emotions and even venture small dramatic roles on the big screen afterwards.
SRM – I agree her voice is really irritating – maybe its too nasal. JAs problem is that she’s dull – brings no energy or life to her roles – she always seems understated and boring. She was only really good on friends in the first few years when she was very lively and energetic. I feel after she married Brad Pitt is when her energy level went down – she never played the role with the same enthusiasm that she had before. To the point that when I watch friends, and it’s an episode I don’t know, I can judge when it was from by JAs acting. Strange but true.
Watched them both for the first time. MF cracked me up. However, WTF did Courtney Cox do to her FACE?????????
OOMMMMMMGGGGGGG!!! Hideous! Her face scares me.
I agree it’s sad when beautiful women feel they must plasticize their faces. It’s distracting, and such a disservice to the rest of us, who receive the message, one way or another, that facial lines equate to ugly. Jennifer looks pretty natural to me, though,and I think she’s a wonderful comedian. I don’t get all the anger towards her.
I think everyone is really hostile and angry towards a person they’ve never met. She probably keeps acting because she likes to act. Doesn’t mean she’s good. Doesn’t mean she doesn’t know she’s not good. Judging her acting on Cougar Town is sort of like finding the smartest person on the short bus. Just let her do her thing. If she bothers you that much, stop watching her. I don’t really care for her one way or another but it seems a lot of hatred is going her way for no real reason other than she likes to act and keeps doing it regardless of her level of talent. I don’t see how that’s grounds for hatred. Also, I don’t get the botox accusal. I didn’t see it. I think Jen looks fine.
I watched the clip- not very engaging television. Friends was such a hit- there’s nowhere to go but down. : (
This chick is so inoffensive, I don’t get the haters. And it’s not as if stunt casting always causes higher ratings. Look at all the famous guests who’ve been on 30 Rock and the ratings stayed the same for the most part.
OMG enough with the Jennifer Aniston hate! I am not a fan but it is getting so old……..
I like Aniston. And Cougar Town is a goofy little show. So I don’t expect much from it. But crap they need to stop with all the insane clingy behavior of Cox.
Okay, since someone else mention it… Probie/McGee on NCIS has done some extreme dieting. He was slimmed down last year. Now he has enter Rachel Zoe area… where someone needs to feed him a sandwich. Or two.
The best part of Cougar Town is Busy Philips and Cox’s son and that’s not saying much. Last night was particularly awful. Can’t remember why I watch. Jennifer Aniston was bad, Cox was bad… all round it was just bad.
It wasn’t just CT’s premiere that was bad. Modern Family was down on it’s brilliance from last season, I hope it’s just a glitch. NCIS was okay, surely just a glitch… agree that Probie has lost more weight over the summer and desperately needs to up his calories! Tony and Gibbs and Duckie were as good as usual 🙂
Since this is the premier episode it’s hard to say if Jennifer was the reason people turned the channel. If ratings for the show goes up than she can be blamed. I like the show but if it was cancelled tomorrow I wouldn’t care. That’s probably why the ratings were low. Nobody cares enough to watch. I think the stunt casting of Jennifer may have backfired. There was so much publicity about it that people probably got annoyed and refused to watch. The funny thing is when she guessed on Dirt and 30 Rock, it didn’t increase ratings. That’s why I don’t get the hype and why Cougartown begged her to appear.
@Benny – I agree with you. I always wonder why celebs who don’t need the money continue to submit themselves to constant humiliation of failed movies and shows. I think you are right it is the validation they crave.
“Cougar Town” is embarassing for older women…The show is lousy , the acting is even worse, I wonder what sort of people can enjoy those lines…Certainly not women, because they don´t want to be portraited as desperate objects trying to seduce youngsters for a “one night stand”…
I like the show. Waxy faces aside it can be funny in that stupid, funny way but last night’s episode was a trainwreck. It wasn’t funny at all and Anniston was only half the problem. I found Courteney Cox’s character distractingly annoying. And embarrassing. Cox needs to be careful that she doesn’t let her ego sink this show. The show teeters but it’s strength lies with the whole cast, as in ensemble. If it becomes the Jules/Courteney show it will die quickly. And that horrible, horrible show between the Middle and Modern Family MUST DIE NOW. Painfully bad. Thank god I have premium cable. Weeds, Dexter, Boardwalk Empire, Rescue Me – too many great shows to name.
I LOVE Modern Family, but don’t watch Cougartown, no interest in it.
Out of curiosity I did look up the ratings though – last year, after premiering with over 11 million, it averaged in the 6-7 million viewer range for the season (6.1 mil for the finale in May) and this premiere got 8.34 mil, so that’s actually pretty good improvement, gaining over 2 million more than the previous season’s finale.
Agree that there’s a lot of good TV out there right now, especially with cable too.
Also, Modern Family averaged just under 10 million last year, so a jump to 12 is great for them. ABC’s probably happy with both.
sorry, jenn is not good in anything, and I’m not afraid to say it, maybe not retired but work behind the camera, unless she enjoys watching herself sink, and needs the attention, we are tired of her, not just her, i took someones advice and gave up watching her years ago, and from what i keep hearing i haven’t missed a thing. retired already.
I actually like both Cox and Jen and was a devoted Friends watcher/fan.
I saw MF and CT for the first time last night.
I was horrified at Cox’s face. She looks plastic! And she’s not funny on that show at all.
Jen was so-so. Not good, not awful.
I don’t get all the Jen hate.
The truth is that JA was ALWAYS a mediocre actress that got a lot of mileage out of being on the right show at the right time with the right hair. It’s just that people are beginning to notice it.
Not to be harsh, but as an actress I’ve always disliked her from her early Friends days and thought that she was mostly hype with her contrived “Rachelness’. Hopefully, she’s grateful that she’s even made it this far. She’s actually done exceptionally well. Most don’t on more talent. I would say “Good Luck”, but she’s had plenty. No need for the lament.
The first season of CT was really funny, much funnier than I expected it to be. Monica 2.0 is definitely an improvement, but she’s basically the same character.
The premiere, however, sucked.
Oh yeah, and what the hell did Cox do to her face?!? I couldn’t stop staring at her upper lip. So gross!
This is the only site treating Aniston’s Cougar Town guest spot as a failure. Maybe the ratings weren’t as expected, but I just finished reading five different critics’ takes on last night’s episode, and they agree with me: it was one of her best performances in years. She does the kooky character-actress thing so very well, and it makes me sad that she’s wasted her talents on so many rom-com Rachel Green clone roles.
I saw clips of JA’s appearance on this show on various entertainment shows, and both her and CC looked terrible! Too much filler and botox etc. Just awful.
And the acting was also fucking terrible! CC and JA appeared to just be reading their lines off paper or something and not even acting. Incredibly unfunny, and they seemed to have no chemistry together at all.
I won’t be watching this show.
(Oh and for the record, I am not a CC hater, I quite like her in fact, but I find it so sad what she has done to her face, she is/was such a pretty woman and a capable actress.
Aniston however, I couldn’t care less about her if I tried).
Am I so used to seeing botoxed women in Hollywood that I couldn’t even tell? The only thing I noticed was Cox’s weird upper lip. Aniston didn’t look plastic, neither did the other one. Cox just looks like her face is drawn and skeletal because she has no fat on her body.
Memo to Hollywood–the faces of women of a certain age actually look better when you eat a little something once in a while.
I watched the first ten minutes of the show and it was awful. The acting was stiff and the faces were frightening. I enjoyed Aniston on Friends but her acting has gotten so stilted and fake, that it’s distracting. Her acting coach should encourage her to use more than three facial expressions.
I’m getting a feeling that she is really afraid of ageing, and is trying to dress and act as if she were still in her early 30’s and looking ridiculous as a result.
I think at this point her biggest problem is over-exposure, and if she’s smart she will disappear for six months to a year and then come back in some role that is totally different from what she’s been doing for the past fifteen years. It’s just old and tired now.
I thought she was funny! I am a die hard Friends fan, and will always love Monica and Rachel together!
PS I love NCIS too
I watched the show and I love the show. I think it’s funny and Courtney Cox’s character is hilarious. I also love Ellie though!! I don’t know what everyone is complaining about, it’s just a light comedy. It is what it is!
The show has a stupid, sexist title that has nothing to do with the plot, but it is hilarious. I’m cougar age (41), and I love the show. I’m no Aniston fan, but she was surprisingly funny. I liked it.
Also, let’s stop calling this woman a failure. She a successful, wealthy woman. If she’s a failure, what does that make the rest of us who AREN’T famous millionaires?
The attacks on BOTH Aniston AND Jolie are getting sexist, ugly, stupid, and dull.
I’m also sick of these vicious attacks on ALL media featuring middle-aged women. People want them to fail. Think about the implications of that, and stop being the type of women that make it harder for other women to succeed or that try to suggest that young women, playing girlfriends, are the only people who deserve to be on television or in movies. Aren’t we better than this?
This show has always been awful and people have, since it’s premiere, been only mildly interested.
Its not like Jennifer Aniston came in and dragged the ratings down. Please. You’re overstating-the show was never going to do particularly well. And as someone pointed out, this show did better than the season finale.
I do think Jen belongs on TV I was hoping that her guest stint would be wonderful and she’d be offered a regular role or a series of her own because if they offered her enough money she might stop making movies. As for why people “hate on” her mostly its because it is offensive that someone so uninteresting and untalented has garnered so much attention, and sympathy and hard earned money for being uninteresting and untalented.
I think it’s offensive that people are saying that a 42 year old woman should retire from ANYTHING, much less a successful career. I agree that she’s only moderately talented, but I don’t think Brad Pitt is particularly interesting and talented – the most interesting about him is his babymama – but I don’t see him being attacked like this. When Brad and Jen were a couple, I thought they were well-matched because they were both kind of average in talent and character. Brad and Jen are both famous for being pretty and charismatic, but there’s no rage directed towards him or towards other mediocre men.
Again, I’m not a fan, but I see no reason for people to hate her like this.
Am I the only one who prefers Cougar Town to Modern Family? (based on past seasons as haven’t watched the new episodes) Cougar Town is silly, but “fun-silly”, if you can ignore the botox.
To those who complain about the storyline as having immature, clingy women, now who wants to watch a comedy about responsible divorced middle aged women instead?
@21 (sorry, couldn’t make out your name):
“I watched Hell’s Kitchen; which was probably funnier last night than most sitcoms.”
YES!!! Me too! People, ditch that crap TV and watch Hell’s Kitchen! Love him or hate him, Gordon Ramsay is entertaining.
(for the record, I love him) 😮
I have no interest in Cougar Town lately. I get it, it’s Courtney but honestly.. you will be Monica forever and no other show will write something as good as Friends! Deal with it, do some drama not involving celebrities.
What really upsets me, is the fact that Cougar Town got its second season but CBS canceled Accidentally on Purpose. It was a great show, definitely better than Cougar Town – go ahead.. watch it, you’ll see how good comedies get the axe and this kind of thing stays on air just because a skinny 40+ year old who was in a hit show is trying to revisit her youth and fame.. rip comedy in tv!
Wow. Some of these comments are so high school and down right mean. It shows how ugly some people really are.
Maybe all this sucking will work out and stop any chance of a Friends movie!
JA looks really different now. I wonder what she did to soften her chin and jawline. It was really sharp before and now, somehow, she’s softened up her whole silhouette. What kind of cosmetic surgery can do all of that??
Cougar Town is to be replaced by the new Matthew Perry show in that time slot after Modern Family because CT is not retaining the audience.I love MOdern Family but the premiere wasn’t very good
brad Pitt stands on his own, all of his movies have positive reviews and large fan following, even if it’s not a good movie, because most people like him, he has presence, can be funny, entertaining, serious roles, he is not bombarding us every second, with silly, made up stories to stay relevant, brad left her because, she is shallow, no substance at all. we are not jealous, she has money now go away already,
what happened to my comment?
Cougar Town is very good. It’s by the guy who did Scrubs, and the scripts are the same kind of witty.
I need someone to explain who the H is watching Two and a Half Men, because that show is a steaming unfunny PILE.
My favourites are 30 Rock and The Big Bang Theory. And Always Sunny!
LOL they both look so baked in those pics. 🙂
the supporting cast in cougar town is so talented. specially the people who play eli and her husband. but they have very little material to work with. jules is super annoying. courtney n jen look like twins now. they should have gone to different surgeons.