Cougar Town Beer: What's Their Favorite Brew?

Cougar Town is a TV show about a group of friends who drink a lot of wine. The main character Jules, played by Courteney Cox, drinks wine from an enormous goblet called Big Carl, which holds a bottle and a half of wine. In one episode, Jules attempts to quit drinking for a month, but her friends stage an intervention because they think she's become uptight and boring without alcohol. The show has been described as the most pro-alcohol show on TV, and while drinking on the show is generally light-hearted and without consequences, one critic has argued that the show's portrayal of indifferent, cavalier drinking is sullying the reputations of wine enthusiasts.

Cougar Town is about drinking with friends, not middle-aged dating

Cougar Town is a TV show about a group of friends who drink wine—a lot of wine. The show's central character, Jules, played by Courteney Cox, drinks wine from an enormous goblet she calls Big Carl, which holds a bottle and a half of wine. And she drinks a lot of them.

The show has been described as "the most pro-alcohol show on TV", and while that alcohol is usually wine, the show is not about drinking per se. Rather, it's about "a whole bunch of people who, were it not for each other, would all be incredibly lonely". Wine, like friends, is a good loneliness killer.

The show's creator, Bill Lawrence, said: "It's basically from real life. As soon as I get off the phone with you, I’m going to go home, I’m going to make sure my kids see me, and then I’m going to have a hefty glass of red wine. No product placement, but it seems like something we could finagle."

Cox, who is also an executive producer on the show, said: "We started drinking first and then kind of incorporated it into the show."

While the show has been criticised for its portrayal of indifferent, cavalier drinking, it has also been praised for depicting wine as an accessible commodity to be enjoyed by all, rather than something that is the sole purview of the elitist, antagonistic wine snob.

So, while Cougar Town may be about drinking, it is not about middle-aged dating. It is about friends drinking wine together and enjoying each other's company.

Wine is the lifeblood of Cougar Town

The show has been described as "the most pro-alcohol show on TV", with one review noting that drinking is not without its complications on other series. Cougar Town, however, portrays drinking as "all sweetness and light". There are no negative consequences to the characters' drinking, and it's even positioned as one of life's pleasures. This light-hearted portrayal of alcohol consumption has drawn some criticism, with some arguing that it promotes a cavalier attitude towards drinking.

The show's creator, Bill Lawrence, has acknowledged that the amount of wine consumed by the characters is exaggerated but maintains that it's not far from the reality of adult drinking habits in America. In fact, Lawrence draws inspiration from his own life, stating that he often enjoys a glass of wine after work. The show's move to the TBS network also embraced wine as central to the show's image, with real wine often used on set.

Wine is so integral to Cougar Town that, when the show was in danger of being cancelled, the producers relied on fan screenings well-stocked with wine to keep interest high. The show's title card even advised viewers: "If you're not watching with a glass of wine in your hand, you're sort of missing the point." Cougar Town's portrayal of wine as an accessible, fun beverage to be enjoyed with friends has clearly resonated with its audience, creating a unique drinking culture that sets it apart from other series.

Cougar Town is the most pro-alcohol show on TV

Cougar Town is an American television sitcom that ran for 102 episodes over six seasons, from 2009 to 2015. The show is considered the most pro-alcohol series on TV, with its characters consuming wine all the time, often in the morning, with great joy and little embarrassment.

The series' central character, Jules, played by Courteney Cox, drinks wine from an enormous goblet she affectionately names Big Carl, among other names. Big Carl holds a bottle and a half of wine, and Jules is known to drink about five or six of these in a single episode. In one episode, Jules holds a memorial service for her favourite (but now broken) oversized wine glass, Joe, which, as she puts it, "was always here when I needed him".

Wine is unquestionably the lifeblood of the show. Cougar Town began its journey to something special when it realised it was about drinking with friends instead of middle-aged dating, and found ways to integrate human plots alongside the endless cocktail hours. When the show was in danger of being cancelled on ABC, it relied on fan screenings well-stocked with wine to keep interest high. When it moved to TBS, the new network embraced wine as central to the show's image.

The show's creator, Bill Lawrence, observed that Cougar Town "is now about a whole bunch of people who, were it not for each other, would all be incredibly lonely". Wine, like friends, is a good loneliness killer. However, he also noted that the amount of wine drinking on the show was based on his real life: "As soon as I get off the phone with you, I’m going to go home, I’m going to make sure my kids see me, and then I’m going to have a hefty glass of red wine".

While the show acknowledges that Jules' alcohol consumption might be a little much, with her even attempting to quit drinking for a month, the overall message is that drinking is one of life's pleasures, and even if one overindulges, that's basically fine.

Cougar Town's drinking games

Cougar Town is a TV show that centres on a group of friends who drink wine—a lot of wine. The show has been described as "the most pro-alcohol show on TV", and for good reason. In almost every episode, the gang can be seen drinking wine, often in the morning, with great joy and little embarrassment.

The show's central character, Jules, played by Courteney Cox, drinks wine from an enormous goblet she calls Big Carl, which holds a bottle and a half of wine. In one episode, Jules attempts to prove she can quit drinking for a month, but her friends stage an intervention to get her to start drinking again. Her son tells her, "Mom, you need to start drinking again", and her best friend says, "Nothing could ever make me stop loving you, except you not drinking".

The show's creator, Bill Lawrence, has said that the drinking habits of the characters are based on real life. He said:

> "It’s basically from real life. As soon as I get off the phone with you, I’m going to go home, I’m going to make sure my kids see me, and then I’m going to have a hefty glass of red wine. No product placement, but it seems like something we could finagle."

With that in mind, here are some drinking games inspired by Cougar Town:

Penny Can

> "Boys, the Penny Can Game is the best thing I have ever created in my entire life" – Bobby Cobb

Penny Can is a simple game where players throw a penny into a paint can. If you get the penny in the can, you get a point. If you miss, you don't. To make it more interesting, players can take a step towards the can for each question they answer correctly about a specific person. The penny can be thrown from any distance, and the loser must do an undesirable task.

To make it a drinking game, players can be instructed to take a drink of wine every time they miss.

Moving Shot Penny Can

This variation increases the level of difficulty by making the can a moving target. Players can still be instructed to take a drink of wine every time they miss.

Balcony Penny Can

In this variation, players stand on a balcony and throw pennies into small cups and bowls instead of a paint can. Again, players can be instructed to take a drink of wine every time they miss.

Guzzle Buddy

In one episode of Cougar Town, Jules tries to sell a product called the Guzzle Buddy, which is designed to maximise wine delivery by combining a wine glass and a bottle. Players can drink every time Jules mentions the Guzzle Buddy.

Real-Life Drinking Game

Players can drink every time they see a character on Cougar Town drinking wine. As Jules drinks around five or six bottles of wine per episode, this game is not for the faint-hearted.

Real wine is consumed on the set of Cougar Town

The cast of Cougar Town has confirmed that real wine was consumed on set. In an interview, Courteney Cox, who plays Jules and is also a producer of the show, said:

> I'll say, 'Isn't it time we open up a real bottle of something? We've been drinking grape juice all day,'

Co-star Christa Miller, who plays Ellie Torres, explained the rules of this particular drinking scheme:

> As soon as someone finishes their last scene and after drinking their grape juice, they can have a glass of wine.

Creator Bill Lawrence also confirmed that real wine was consumed on set, saying:

> More often than you think. [...] The cut-off time is like 2 PM.

According to Lawrence, the drinking culture of the show was inspired by his own life:

> It’s basically from real life. As soon as I get off the phone with you, I’m going to go home, I’m going to make sure my kids see me, and then I’m going to have a hefty glass of red wine.

In addition to drinking real wine on set, Cougar Town also featured real wine bottles with real labels. Lawrence noted that the wine bottles used on the show had labels that matched those in his own home, which he received in "big giant free crates".

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