Rooster
Genre Comedy
Created by Bill Lawrence
Matt Tarses
Starring
  • Steve Carell
  • Danielle Deadwyler
  • Phil Dunster
  • Charly Clive
  • Lauren Tsai
  • John C. McGinley
Music by Andrew Watt
Opening theme "I Played the Fool" by Michael Stipe and Andrew Watt
Country of origin United States
Original language English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 8
Production
Executive producers
  • Bill Lawrence
  • Matt Tarses
  • Jeff Ingold
  • Liza Katzer
  • Steve Carell
  • Jonathan Krisel
  • Barbie Adler
  • Annie Mebane
  • David Stassen
  • Anthony King
  • David Hyman
Cinematography Blake McClure
Editors
  • Ali Greer
  • Matthew Freund
Running time 30–34 minutes
Production companies
  • Two Soups Productions
  • Doozer Productions
  • Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network HBO
Release March 8, 2026 (2026-03-08) –
present

Rooster is an American comedy series created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, and starring Steve Carell. It premiered on March 8, 2026, on HBO. In April 2026, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise

The series is set on a college campus, centering on an author Greg Russo's complicated relationship with his daughter Katie.[1]

Cast and characters

Main

  • Steve Carell as Greg Russo
  • Danielle Deadwyler as Dylan Shepard
  • Phil Dunster as Archie, Katie's estranged husband who left her for a graduate student
  • Charly Clive as Katie Russo, Greg's daughter
  • Lauren Tsai as Sunny, the graduate student for whom Archie left Katie
  • John C. McGinley as Walter Mann, Ludlow College's president

Recurring

  • Annie Mumolo as Cristle, Walter's executive assistant
  • Rory Scovel as Officer Donnie Mullins, a campus police officer
  • Alan Ruck as Dean Vincent Riggs
  • Robby Hoffman as Mo, Sunny's friend and roommate

In addition, Maximo Salas co-stars as Tommy Newton, a student who befriends Greg.

Episodes

No. Title [2] Directed by Written by Original release date [2] Prod.
code
1 "Release the Brown Fat" Jonathan Krisel Bill Lawrence & Matt Tarses March 8, 2026 (2026-03-08) T12.20101
Greg Russo is a middle-aged author of a series of commercially popular beach read novels about a private investigator named Rooster. He arrives at Ludlow College, a liberal arts college in New England, to present a talk on his books, organized by English professor Dylan Shepard. His real reason for coming to Ludlow is to check on his daughter Katie, an art professor at the college, whose husband and fellow professor Archie has recently left her for a graduate student named Sunny. Katie assures her father that everything is fine, but he encourages her to talk to Archie. On his first night at Ludlow, Greg and Dylan share a drink at the local inn and reminisce about their lives. He offers to walk her home, but gently rebuffs her advances. The next day, Katie goes to Archie's home and learns that Sunny is pregnant; after forcing Archie out, Katie burns his most prized possession—a first-edition copy of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace—in the fireplace, only for the fire to go out of control and burn Archie's house down. When Greg arrives at the scene, Katie refuses to deny her involvement in causing the fire.
2 "Trousers" Jonathan Krisel Annie Mebane March 15, 2026 (2026-03-15) T12.20102
After Katie admits to having caused the fire and deliberately burning Archie's copy of War and Peace, her job gets placed in jeopardy. Katie decides to resign from her teaching position at Ludlow, but Greg tries to convince her otherwise. He is able to persuade Walter Mann, the college's eccentric president, to get Katie her job back on the condition that she writes a letter explaining her reasoning for the fire and that he accept a position as a writer-in-residence for the rest of the semester; Greg reluctantly agrees. Dylan attempts to get The Ludlow Review, the college's student writing publication, two issues a year but finds out that the Review is discontinuing its print edition due to budgetary cuts. She runs into Greg at a local diner, who apologizes for the previous night and buys her breakfast. Katie accidentally slips to Greg about Sunny's pregnancy; furious, Greg confronts Archie in his hotel room while he is conducting a televised interview for the BBC. The confrontation quickly turns physical, and a disgraced Archie moves into Sunny's apartment. Greg bids farewell to Katie and tells her that he will see her again that upcoming Monday.
3 "White Whale" Zach Braff David Stassen March 22, 2026 (2026-03-22) T12.20103
Greg starts his first full day as a writer-in-residence at Ludlow. Since he never went to college and is nervous about teaching at a prestigious institution, he meticulously plans each class out in advance, which Katie tries to discourage. At his first class, Greg fails to endear himself to his students and lands in hot water with the school's disciplinary board when he calls a female student a "white whale". After complaining about the college's dean, Vincent Riggs, to Walt and learning that Riggs has retaliated against her, Dylan visits Riggs in his office only for him to suffer a near-fatal heart attack. Due to Riggs' injury, Dylan is named interim dean of faculty in his absence. Greg shows up to his second class late and decides to forgo the lesson plans, instead going for a spontaneous show of vulnerability that wins his students over. That night, he attends a hockey game he intended to go with Katie, but learns that she has decided to spend time with her TA and her friends instead. Dylan shows up at the game and tells Greg to go home if he hates being there so much; Greg is then shown at his new home, alone and tossing coins into a jar.
4 "Angry, Like An Angry Person" Zach Braff Barbie Adler March 29, 2026 (2026-03-29) T12.20104
Greg assigns a paper for his class in which they write a short story in the style of their favorite author; Tommy, one of his students, chooses him as his basis for the assignment. Greg is secretly pleased, but learns that Tommy used artificial intelligence to write his paper. In the name of fairness, Dylan decides that Tommy can write a new paper in his own words due at midnight that night. Katie returns to teaching and is encouraged by some of her female students to stand up to herself as news about Sunny's pregnancy becomes public. Walt invites Ludlow's faculty to a get-together at his home. Greg reluctantly attends, but quickly bails in favor of playing beer pong and hanging out with Tommy and his friends, which then moves to a much more raucous college party. Greg drunkenly admits to Tommy that he never accomplished much in his life, to which Tommy encourages him to reinvent himself now that he is in college. As Tommy finishes his paper, Greg goes back to Walt's cocktail party with the intent of asking Dylan out on a date, but finds out that she is dating another man. He is instead propositioned by Walt's assistant Cristle and has sex with her in Walt's office. Katie goes out to a bar that night and unsuccessfully tries to flirt with the bartender; after drunkenly insulting Archie at the party, she has a one-night stand with him.
5 "Mr. Razzles" Oz Rodriguez Genevieve Aniello April 5, 2026 (2026-04-05) T12.20105
6 "Cop Hawk" Oz Rodriguez Alain Bala & Tom McDonald April 12, 2026 (2026-04-12) T12.20106
7 "All the Dogs' Names" Anu Valia Anthony King April 19, 2026 (2026-04-19) T12.20107
8 "Nobody Spook It" Anu Valia Annie Mebane April 26, 2026 (2026-04-26) T12.20108
9 "Ludlow's Fourth Hottest Professor" TBA TBA May 3, 2026 (2026-05-03) TBA

Production

The ten-part series is written and created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses and received a straight-to-series order from HBO in 2024. The cast is led by Steve Carell who is also an executive producer alongside Lawrence, Tarses, Jeff Ingold, Liza Katzer, Jonathan Krisel, Barbie Adler, Annie Mebane, David Stassen and Anthony King.[1] It is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Doozer Productions.[1][3]

Phil Dunster joined the cast in November 2024,[4] with Charly Clive joining the cast as Carell's daughter the following month.[5] In February 2025, Danielle Deadwyler,[6] Lauren Tsai[7] and John C. McGinley joined the cast.[8] In June 2025, Annie Mumolo[9] and Connie Britton[10] joined the cast in recurring roles. In July 2025, Robby Hoffman[11] and Scott MacArthur[12] joined the cast in recurring roles.

On April 9, 2026, HBO renewed the series for a second season.[13]

Filming

Principal photography for Rooster began in June 2025 at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California which served as Ludlow College.[14][15] Exteriors were filmed at the University of the Pacific over the course of two weeks.[16] Looking to emulate an elite East Coast liberal arts school, co-creator Matt Tarses originally envisioned shooting Rooster at his alma mater Williams College in Massachusetts. However, the studio had approved shooting interiors in Los Angeles so they needed to find a college within driving distance of Los Angeles.[17] Extras during the university shoot had to wear autumnal clothing in 100°F / 37°C heat.[18] Additional footage for Ludlow College was shot at Occidental College and the University of Southern California.[19] Studio filming for interiors took place at Warner Bros. Studios Burbank. Principal photography wrapped in August 2025.[20]

Release

The series premiered on HBO on March 8, 2026.[3][21]

Reception

Critical response

The series holds an 88% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 50 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Rooster nestles in with humor and heart thanks to Steve Carell's soothing performance and Danielle Deadwyler's exuberant support, leading Bill Lawrence's kind-spirited, good-time new series to lovely heights."[22] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 67 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable".[23]

Audience viewership

The series became the most watched comedy premiere on HBO in the U.S. in over a decade. Rooster drew 2.4 million viewers in the U.S. across platforms in its first three days of availability.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b c Otterson, Joe (May 20, 2024). "Steve Carell to Star in HBO Comedy Series From Bill Lawrence, Matt Tarses". TV. Variety. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Shows A–Z – Rooster on HBO". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  3. ^ a b Gomez, Dessi (December 8, 2025). "Bill Lawrence's HBO Comedy Series Starring Steve Carell Has Its Title And Premiere Window". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  4. ^ Porter, Rick (November 8, 2024). "'Ted Lasso' Star Phil Dunster Boards HBO's Steve Carell Comedy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  5. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 12, 2024). "HBO's Steve Carell Comedy Series Casts Charly Clive As Co-Lead". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  6. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 19, 2025). "HBO's Steve Carell Comedy Series Adds Danielle Deadwyler To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 28, 2025). "HBO's Steve Carell Comedy Series Adds Lauren Tsai To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 25, 2025). "John C. McGinley Joins HBO's Steve Carell Comedy Series In 'Scrubs' Reunion With Creators Bill Lawrence & Matt Tarses". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 16, 2025). "HBO's Steve Carell Comedy Series Adds Annie Mumolo". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  10. ^ Cordero, Rosy (June 18, 2025). "Connie Britton Joins HBO's Steve Carell Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  11. ^ Riley, Jenelle (July 7, 2025). "'Hacks' Breakout Robby Hoffman Joins Steve Carell's New HBO Comedy (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  12. ^ Otterson, Joe (July 29, 2025). "'Running Point' Star Scott MacArthur Joins Steve Carell College Comedy at HBO (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  13. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 9, 2026). "Rooster Starring Steve Carell Renewed For Season 2 By HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  14. ^ Karcher, Carmela (June 10, 2025). "Filming for HBO series starring Steve Carell takes over Stockton's University of the Pacific". KOVR News. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  15. ^ Porras, Gabriel (June 12, 2025). "Stockton sees economic boost from new HBO series shoot". KXTV News. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  16. ^ Gallucci, Nicole (March 9, 2026). "Where Is 'Rooster' Filmed? And Is Ludlow College Real?". New York Post. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  17. ^ Gentile, Dan (March 9, 2026). "Overlooked Calif. university is the background for Steve Carell's new HBO show, 'Rooster'". SFGate. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  18. ^ "Pacific student says filming Steve Carell's new HBO show in Stockton was a summer highlight". KXTV News. March 6, 2026. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  19. ^ Shrestha, Naman (March 8, 2026). "Where is HBO's Rooster Filmed?". moviedelic.com. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  20. ^ Nathan (March 8, 2026). "All 8 Rooster (2026) Filming Locations Revealed". tonboriday.com. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  21. ^ Regan, Terese (February 5, 2026). "HBO Original Comedy Series ROOSTER, Starring Steve Carell, From Bill Lawrence And Matt Tarses, Debuts March 8" (Press release). Warner Bros. Discovery Pressroom. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  22. ^ "Rooster: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  23. ^ "Rooster: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  24. ^ Seitz, Loree (March 12, 2026). "'Rooster' Recruits 2.4 Million Viewers, HBO's Most-Watched US Comedy Debut in Over 10 Years". TheWrap. Retrieved March 12, 2026.