Comedy veteran Ric Swartzlander (Garry Unmarried) has been tapped as executive producer/showrunner of Cougar Town as the comedy is moving from ABC to TBS with a 15-episode fourth-season order. He succeeds Cougar Town co-creator/executive producer Bill Lawrence who is stepping down to focus on development under his Warner Bros.
TV overall deal but will remain involved and is keeping his executive producer title. (Lawrence has extra connection to the show as his wife, Christa Miller, co-stars on it.) Lawrence co-created Cougar Town with Kevin Biegel, who will become a consulting producer. Swartzlander has ties to both TBS and Cougar Town producer ABC Studios. He did a pilot, In Security, for TBS and recently worked on the ABC/ABC Studios comedy Man Up! His single-camera credits also include the ABC Studios-produced Samantha Who?