Watercooler: Does ABC Hate Cougar Town?

OK, cough it up, ABC: What is your problem with Cougar Town?

After making us wait longer than was appropriate for its return (seriously, mid-midseason is poor form), the Alphabet net went and yanked the critically beloved, if ratings-challenged, sitcom from the schedule once again last night. For a Dancing With the Stars catch-up special. Because the three episodes which have aired so far this season have been so complex? Come on. Courteney Cox and company bought half the country a beer with their viewing parties, trying to help out your marketing department. The least you could do is air their damn show.

Now, we know the Watercooler has bemoaned the rise of reality shows that eat our nights with overblown recaps and result episodes in the past. But when you only give us a handful of new — and mind you, fantastic — Cougar episodes, then bump it for 60 minutes of Tom Bergeron talking about Chelsea Kane's snazzy quickstep, we're not just gonna whine. We're gonna watch something else. 90210? Sure. It was Raj's funeral, so we popped in to see the cheese. No shame here. New Girl was original and awesome. And Raising Hope had Vivica A. Fox as Burt's rival for church chairperson and a perfect live-action Charlie Brown moment. Hell, if Dance Moms had been on an hour earlier, we would have checked in on Get Glue just out of spite. Because enough is enough. Give us back Cougar Town and quit yanking our chains.

And hey, if you wanted to really do something really smart, maybe you could even run CT and the also-displaced Last Man Standing after the DWTS results show so they benefit from the lead-in. It's a novel idea, we know. But it seems to be working for Castle. And most things that have ever followed Idol. So think about it.

Now what about you guys? Did you watch the DWTS clip thing? Or were there shows keeping you company last night?

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