'Cougar Town' Creators Launch Their Own Promotional Campaign

7:11 PM PST 12/19/2011 by Lacey Rose

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Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Bill Lawrence

"These are not ABC events. They're 'Bill and Kevin are idiots' events," Bill Lawrence tweets of the nationwide viewing party circuit he and Kevin Biegel are planning to keep fans interested in the show, which was left off ABC's midseason schedule.

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With the series left off ABC's midseason schedule, co-creators Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel have launched what they hope is a grass roots campaign to keep fans -- and for that matter, its host network -- interested in the third-season comedy.

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The campaign includes viewing parties with prizes (think penny cans) and members of the cast and writing crew at various locations around the country. Among the Dec. 27 events already unveiled on Lawrence's active Twitter feed: Altanta, Louisville and Sarasota.

Lawrence listed Conneticut, Philadelphia and Los Angeles as other likely locales, but has not yet booked dates. More January viewing party locations will be announced Friday.

Like past Cougar Town promotional efforts, these events are not being done through the network's publicity or marketing departments. "No, these are not ABC events," Lawrence tweeted Monday. "They're 'Bill and Kevin are idiots' events."

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Lawrence crafted bobblehead theater productions on the show's Facebook page to remind viewers to tune in after the show's spring hiatus last season. In a revealing interview with The Hollywood Reporter in April, he stressed the importance of keeping loyal fans interested by "giving them as much access, content and interaction as possible."

He added, "That’s what I like as a TV viewer. For me, every show that I’ve felt like, 'Wow, they actually care what the fans think' or 'they’re actually writing for somebody,' I’m more loyal to."

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As Lawrence sees it, it's a strategy that yielded positive results on his last effort, Scrubs.

"We gave our fans extra content and access to the cast and writers," he recalled. "And in return, we could count on them to find the show on a network that moved the show about 20 times."

Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com
Twitter: @LaceyVRose