Club Benefits
- Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
- Verdict: “Rooster” finds co-creator Bill Lawrence putting together another cast of flawed but likable misfits, this time on the campus of a small liberal arts college. Steve Carell brings self-effacing warmth to his starring role as a novelist turned professor, and the show follows his lead over the course of its 10-episode first season.
- Premiere date/time: March 8 at 10 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: Stream episodes weekly on HBO Max
Even without looking at the credits, it’s pretty easy to tell that the new HBO series “Rooster” was co-created by Bill Lawrence. The creator or co-creator of shows like “Scrubs,” “Cougar Town,” “Ted Lasso” and “Shrinking” has a particular sensibility that shines through right away in “Rooster,” which is another Lawrence comedy about lovable misfits thrown together in a manufactured setting (hospital, cul-de-sac, soccer team, therapy practice) and forming a makeshift family.
That’s not a bad thing, though, and Lawrence and co-creator Matt Tarses come up with distinctive and appealing characters who aren’t just variations on past Lawrence creations. There’s a bit more tension and conflict in the central relationships, at least in the six episodes (out of 10 total) provided for review, along with some gentle skewering of academic culture. “Rooster” isn’t nearly as dark as this week’s other new dramedy series set on a small college campus, Netflix’s “Vladimir,” but it’s more pointed in its social commentary than might be expected from Lawrence.
Still, the main draw of “Rooster” is spending time with these pleasant, funny, mostly relatable characters, led by Steve Carell as bestselling novelist Greg Russo, who reluctantly accepts a job as writer-in-residence at the school where his daughter Katie (Charly Clive) teaches art history. The show is as cozy as the perpetually autumnal campus where it’s set, and a perfect addition to Lawrence’s portfolio of warm, heartfelt comedies.
‘Rooster’ presents an endearingly idealized vision of college life
One of the weakest running jokes on “Rooster” involves Greg repeatedly being called into disciplinary hearings over some obviously accidental utterance or gesture that violates the school’s rigid code of conduct. He’s always let off with an empty warning, because his actions are clearly innocuous, but the gag threatens to cheapen the threat of actual campus harassment as well as the possibility of devastating consequences for simple misunderstandings. It’s a way for Lawrence and Tarses to acknowledge the fraught environment on modern campuses without having to meaningfully engage with it.
For the most part, though, the show’s rosy view of college life is welcome, a reminder of the value of four years spent in an educational and social idyll, where students pursue learning and partying with equal vigor and enthusiasm. Although Greg is a highly successful author, he never went to college, so this new job is a chance for him to soak up some of those experiences he missed out on. It’s also a chance for him to support Katie, who’s reeling after discovering that her fellow-professor husband Archie (Phil Dunster) has been cheating on her with graduate student Sunny (Lauren Tsai).
‘Rooster’ is full of memorable characters
As is always the case on Lawrence shows, these characters seriously lack boundaries, so Greg and Katie are constantly in each other’s business, albeit in a loving way. Carell and Chive have great father-daughter chemistry, and their relationship is at the core of “Rooster,” more so than the various romantic entanglements. Greg has a will-they-won’t-they dynamic with English professor Dylan (Danielle Deadwyler), and Katie isn’t exactly through with Archie, even though she knows she should be.
It’s all fairly low-stakes, but that’s part of what makes it entertaining, and that gives the characters plenty of time to just enjoy each other’s company. At times, that takes “Rooster” dangerously close to “Cougar Town Goes to College” territory, but Lawrence and Tarses introduce enough small obstacles and chaotic side characters to keep the show from descending into a formless hangout sitcom.
Verdict: ‘Rooster’ is a comfortingly familiar dramedy
Even though he’s wealthy and successful, Greg remains grounded and easygoing, and Carell sets the vibe for the show around him. Deadwyler, who’s known for more intense dramatic roles, proves light on her feet as the neurotic but ambitious Dylan, and Connie Britton makes a welcome appearance late in the season as Greg’s ex-wife.
“Ted Lasso” star Dunster isn’t the only returning Lawrence player. John C. McGinley brings some of his “Scrubs” pompousness to the role of the bombastic college president, who ropes everyone around him into his absurd rituals. Wacky traditions are another Lawrence hallmark (“Rooster” even has its own version of the Penny Can game from “Cougar Town”), but they’re also a way of indicating that viewers are in good hands.
There’s a reason that Lawrence has been such a consistently successful TV presence for decades, smoothly making the transition from broadcast to cable to streaming. He knows how to populate his shows with characters that people want to spend time with, week after week, and with “Rooster,” he invites the audience into another comfortable space full of friendly faces.
“Rooster” season 1 final rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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