Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Mature humor, great cast in warm-hearted dramedy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Rooster
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
ROOSTER picks up just as Greg Russo (Steve Carell) visits the small New England college where his daughter Katie (Charly Clive) works as an art history professor. Greg has accepted a guest-speaker spot, but he has a hidden motive: Katie has just been left by her husband Archie (Phil Dunston), who also teaches at the school, for Sunny (Lauren Tsai), a graduate student. Greg intends to talk some sense into Katie, or Archie, or both, but circumstances conspire to complicate his mission, and he soon finds himself employed at the school as a writer-in-residence, and embroiled in all the drama that being in a family at a small workplace entails. Co-created by Matt Tarses and Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso, Scrubs).
Is It Any Good?
Steve Carell is such a beloved comedy icon that it's a pleasure just to see him, so it's a good thing that this dramedy has him front and center in nearly every scene. Named after the series of beach-read books that has made Greg Russo a household name, Rooster revolves around Carell's twinkly charms, and every other character is in his orbit: his unlucky-in-love professor daughter Katie; Dylan (Danielle Deadwyler), the prickly poetry professor who functions as Greg's love interest; and Walter, the president of the small college that offers Greg a job, played by John C. McGinley with an unhinged-egomaniac-with-a-heart vibe that Scrubs fans may recognize from his long-running role on that show. It's enjoyable just to watch Carell's chemistry with each of them.
That's a good thing, too, because Rooster is in no hurry to move its plot along. Characters get dinner together, sit and have beers, walk around the bucolic campus where Katie, and now Greg, both teach. The show's twin plotlines focus on the romantic headaches Katie and her dad endure, but the plot's a bit of a slow burn, with lots of scenes with characters just sitting around talking. It would be torture without Carell and the gently witty writing, but with these two elements in play, Rooster feels undemanding and warm instead of tedious. Most of all, this comedy feels lived-in and easy to love, like hanging out with friends you enjoy who don't expect too much of you.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why so many comedies revolve around dysfunctional families and workplaces. Why is it more interesting or funny when things go wrong? Can a family or a workplace that's calm and predictable also be funny?
Rooster was co-created by Bill Lawrence, who's known for his warm comedies such as Ted Lasso and Scrubs. How does Rooster compare with these shows? Is the tone similar or different? How about the characters: Do any of them seem recognizable from or similar to characters on other shows?
Most shows give their main character a "love interest," with whom romance, or at least flirtation, is possible. Who is the love interest in Rooster? Why is a love interest an integral part of most movies and TV shows?
TV Details
- Premiere date : March 8, 2026
- Cast : Steve Carell , Annie Mumolo , Connie Britton
- Network : HBO Max
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Family Stories , School ( College & Graduate School )
- Character Strengths : Integrity , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : March 9, 2026
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