If you’re a funny guy (or girl) who watches too much TV and got a B on your most recent RTVF assignment, you, like alumnus Gregg Mettler (Communication ’94), could one day find yourself working as a writer for a hit sitcom on a major network.
“The grade I got was a B, and the notes were ‘Good Luck,'” he said of a script he wrote as a junior for an RTVF class.
Despite this less-than-stellar beginning to his attempts at scriptwriting, watching television was always one of Mettler’s favorite pastimes.
“I’m a huge fan of TV sitcoms,” said Mettler, writer and co-executive producer of ABC’s “Cougar Town.” The TV was never off at my house. I watch way too much TV.”
Not always interested in television as a career, though, Mettler started his college experience with an avid interest in radio.
“I wanted to be the next Howard Stern,” he said, so he took the 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. shift with WNUR, Northwestern’s student radio station, and spent many a sleepless night with its then-ancient equipment.
“I thought, ‘This is killing me,'” Mettler said. “I wasn’t sure if I saw myself doing this in the future.”
It wasn’t until Mettler’s junior year, when he took a creative writing for the media class, that he saw the potential to make writing into a career. He was asked to write a couple of sketches for “Waa-Mu,” and its performance marked the first time his writing provoked big laughs.
“It was that charge of comedy crack that made me want more,” Mettler said.
And he hasn’t quit yet. Since graduating, Mettler has written for a number of sitcoms including “3rd Rock from the Sun” and “That ’70s Show.” He has worked for two years at “Cougar Town,” which began its third season Tuesday.
Contrary to what its name might imply, the show is no longer about older women preying on younger men. “Cougar Town” follows a recently divorced middle-aged woman, Jules (Courteney Cox), as she navigates single life with her snarky friends and college-aged son. In addition to its layered storyline, the show features a diverse cast of characters, including Jules’ young, party-hopping assistant and level-headed yet lovingly sarcastic best friend. Mettler personally finds himself very attracted to the characters he writes.
“This is a group [of characters] who loves each other and they can be as mean as they want to each other,” he said. “Anybody can leave at any time, but they don’t… It’s satisfying emotionally as well; there’s some warmth.”
Behind the scenes, the group responsible for this warmth fills the writers’ room with humor, creativity and snacks. Kate Purdy, writer and executive story editor for the show, says the writer’s room is fun to be in and has a playful energy.
“It’s like a nice family,” she said. “Gregg’s our dad. He’s great at looking out for us; he tries to point us in the right direction.”
Since Mettler’s sleepless beginnings at WNUR and his first foray into scriptwriting, he’s found a place for his talents and love of television. Although his eventual goal is to get his own pilot picked up, for now, he enjoys working for “Cougar Town.”
“It’s very rewarding when that perfect joke flies into your head and out of your mouth,” he said.
New episodes of “Cougar Town” air Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
-Simone Alicea
