'Cougar Town' has nothing to do with BYU

The "Cougar Town" that premieres Wednesday on ABC (8:30 p.m., Ch. 4) has no link to the one in Provo.

Yes, the home of BYU is sometimes referred to as Cougar Town, particularly during football season.

But, no, it's not the same as the TV show "Cougar Town," which is about a 40ish, newly divorced woman (Courteney Cox) who has re-entered the dating pool. And whose, um, morals would not be acceptable at BYU.

"They would not," agreed creator/executive producer Bill Lawrence ("Scrubs").

Before anyone starts spinning conspiracy theories, Lawrence was clearly unfamiliar with BYU's Cougar Town.

"I was not aware of it. Nothing. Not a million years," he told the Deseret News. "If I had known that, by the way, I would have been a little more careful about the title. I didn't know anyplace would be called Cougar Town."

The TV "Cougar Town" is a funny show, but it's intentionally adult in nature. It's not exactly ground-breaking — it's arguably less adult than "Two and a Half Men" — but Lawrence readily admits, "it's an edgy, out-there show."

— Scott D. Pierce