'Cougar Town' exec on TBS move: 'Show won't suffer'
Cougar Town co-creator Bill Lawrence has insisted that the show will not suffer following a move to TBS.
The comedy - which previously aired on ABC - will shift to cable network TBS for its fourth season.
"There are no pay cuts," Lawrence told E! Online. "TBS is paying the same licensing fee as ABC paid. The cast, they are all over the moon!
"Not only do they like their job, but the best they could have gotten was 13 episodes on ABC. They are getting a high-profile launch, which goes 15 episodes. We are getting a taste of being a network's priority."
Cougar Town star Busy Phillips previously criticised ABC for not supporting the show, but Lawrence insisted that he is "not at all" resentful of the broadcaster.
"ABC is also the studio and ABC and Disney did all the legwork on this [move]," he explained. "The fact that they not only kept the show going... but also set us up at a network that is competing on the same playing field as the major networks, is great."
Meanwhile, Lawrence told TVLine that TBS also has the option to pick up Cougar Town for a fifth season under the new deal.
"We did the deals for a two-season pickup," he confirmed. "If the show is a disaster for them - which I doubt - that means they can get out of it.
"And I would wager that as long as we continue to produce the same quality show, it'll become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Because if the show syndicates, TBS benefits as well."
Cougar Town currently airs on Tuesdays at 8.30 / 7.30c on ABC. In the UK, the series airs on Sky Living.