‘Rooster’ Review: Steve Carell Anchors HBO’s Smart Campus Comedy

The Office star leads a talented ensemble in a funny and heartfelt series about reinvention, family, and unexpected second acts.

When asked what it was about his new character, Rooster, that pushed him into new territory as an actor, Steve Carell gave a deadpan answer: “I don’t know.”

The press room erupted in laughter — because of course he had a real answer.

“He’s not a cartoon. He’s someone who has a sense of humor and self-awareness,” Carell explained. “He’s got some rough edges, so that to me was the interesting way in. It’s all the different shades of who this person is, maybe wants to become, and ultimately doesn’t want exactly what he thinks he wants.”

Audiences will get their first look this Sunday, March 8. The new HBO Original comedy Rooster, starring Carell, centers on Greg Russo — called Rooster, the character in his books, by his students — a bestselling beach-read author who finds himself at a crossroads after his divorce.

After appearing as a guest speaker at the college where his daughter Katie (Charly Clive) teaches, Russo unexpectedly accepts a job leading a creative writing seminar. The position keeps him close to his daughter at a difficult time: her husband, fellow professor Archie Bates (Phil Dunster), has recently cheated on her with a graduate student (Lauren Tsai).

This new chapter in the characters’ lives may not be what they expected, but that conflict gives the cast a lot to play with . Much of the season — the first six episodes were provided for review — dives into the characters’ interpersonal relationships: familial, collegial, friendly, and occasionally adversarial - think light scuffle to some accidental arson. In the first episode, we see Russo finding the balance of not being an overbearing presence in his daughter’s life while also being her support system.

Photograph by Katrina Marcinowski/HBO

Viewers meet Katie mid-storm. The adultery has already occurred and she has to watch that relationship play out in front of her eyes as all the involved parties live on campus. When asked what drew her to the part, her first leading role in a US series, Clive shared, “I wanted to do the role because the script is so funny. When I first got the audition, I had two scenes in it, both in the pilot. One is Katie’s first interaction with Greg, where she’s annoyed that he’s there, but secretly quite happy. The second one is a big fight with Phil. I was like what is this show? This woman is all over the place! It’s so exciting!”  

The clever writing and physical comedy are handled perfectly by the talented ensemble. Co-showrunners Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses lean into the strengths of their cast, many of whom they’ve worked with before. Both previously collaborated with John C. McGinley on NBC’s Scrubs.

McGinley’s character, Walter Mann, makes a memorable first appearance in Rooster — shirtless and soaking wet as he walks across campus after completing his intense fitness routine, which includes a hot house and a cold plunge.

According to Lawrence and Tarses, that detail came straight from McGinley’s real-life routine; both real and prop ice were used on set. Carell jokingly shared that he loved the cold plunge.

Photograph by Katrina Marcinowski/HBO

Lawrence also produced AppleTV’s hit series Ted Lasso where he and Dunster brought Jamie Tartt to life. Dunster shared that his character Archie in Rooster is being called an asshole a lot, but ultimately we can feel for him - we see shades of Tartt there. “There’s so much complexity to all the characters that it would be very boring if he were straightforward, if you just hated him.” Lawrence shared that the reason they cast Dunster in the role is that they needed someone that could portray a character that you disliked, but ultimately could root for. 

Photograph by Katrina Marcinowski/HBO

The cast is rounded out by the talented Danielle Dyler who plays Dylan, another professor at the college who is forced into a role she isn’t crazy about. Dyler shared that she was excited to give her comedy chops a workout, “I needed to shock my nervous system after doing a particular thing [more drama focused projects].” Tsai plays Sunny, the aforementioned grad student. Tsai shared that she never had a real college experience (she took a gap year at 18 and moved to Tokyo) so this was a way for her to experience a pseudo-collegiate life. Tsai also shared that, “Everything about this was hyper collaborative.” You can tell that the cast has a lot of fun together. Carell shared, “It reminds me of my experience on The Office. We were an ensemble. We just wanted it to be good.”

In fact, it’s more than good. The ensemble brings depth and humanity to characters navigating unexpected turns in their lives. Rooster explores how people adapt when life refuses to follow the script — and how relationships help steady us when things fall apart.

It also answers a few smaller questions along the way: why nuts make the perfect snack and why hot cocoa through a peppermint straw might be the ultimate afternoon pick-me-up.

Rooster premieres Sunday, March 8 on HBO.