Crowd gathers to watch 'Cougar Town' outdoors

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October 14th, 2009 10:50pm

Crowd gathers to watch Cougar Town outdoors

The new ABC comedy Cougar Town may not generate the kind of cheering section of American Idol but Mattison s City Grille is hoping to build a weekly support group for the show.

The series, which was co-created by Riverview High School graduate Kevin Biegel and is set in a town just south of Sarasota, has become something of a hit and has been renewed for a full season.

Last spring, Mattison s hosted weekly viewing parties for American Idol performance nights to bring crowds together to cheer on Syesha Mercado, a graduate of Sarasota s Booker High School.

We keep trying to find ways to bring people together, owner Paul Mattison said after Wednesday night s broadcast of Cougar Town. The open-air bar and restaurant in downtown Sarasota was full, busier than a typical Wednesday, Mattison said, though only a small group was actually paying attention to the show.

Sandy Potter, a fan of Mattison s, invited a group of friends to join her watching the show which she had yet to see. It was kind of fun, she said. But I like the idea of getting together with friends and coming down here and watching it, and I like that Paul keeps trying to do things to support the community and people from the community.

Jennifer Ahearn-Koch, a publicist for Mattison s, said that the American Idol nights started out with 50 or 60 people and grew to an overflow crowd the longer Mercado stayed on the show. It was just crazy, but it was great to have all those people together.

Cougar Town viewing nights may not become as popular but we ll see how things go as more people discover it, she said.

Big T and the Tornadoes played music before and after the show Wednesday, and Mattison said in coming weeks there will be quizzes and give-aways during the commercial breaks.