ABC renews 'Cougar Town' for third season

“Cougar Town,” the Sarasota-area based ABC sitcom starring Courteney Cox will continue into a third season.

The series, co-created by Riverview High School graduate Kevin Biegel, is among six series that got early pickups from the network for the 2011-12 season.

ABC also is renewing “Castle,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Middle,” “Modern Family” and “Private Practice.”

“Cougar Town,” which Biegel developed with “Scrubs” creator Bill Lawrence, has gone through a major shift of focus since its premiere in the fall of 2009.

Josh Hopkins and Courteney Cox star in the ABC comedy "Cougar Town." COURTESY PHOTO PROVIDED BY ABC

At the time, Cox’s character, real estate agent Jules Cobb, was getting back into the dating pool for the first time since her divorce and finding herself dating much younger men.

But the show has developed into more of an ensemble series, built around Jules, her boyfriend/bar owner Grayson; her neighbors and best friends; her ex-husband; her work colleague; and her son.

The creators had toyed with the idea of changing the show’s title, which some considered a turn-off, and each week’s episode now features a little joke about about the name on the show’s title card.

Ratings for “Cougar Town” are not as strong as its lead-in, “Modern Family,” and have dropped since a highly rated premiere. But recent ratings suggest the show is building a strong core audience and it has been winning praise from critics this season for its new focus.