HBO’s 'Rooster' brings Carell back to comedy with a familiar cast dynamic

Steve Carell is returning to television with a new comedy that evokes fond memories of his The Office ensemble days.

The 63-year-old actor stars in HBO’s Rooster as Greg Russo, an author and devoted father who becomes overly involved in his professor daughter’s life amid her rocky marriage. 

The series, created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, also features Danielle Deadwyler, Phil Dunster, Charly Clive, John C. McGinley, and Lauren Tsai.

“It just felt like a true ensemble,” Carell said during a March 3 press conference in New York City. “You don’t know what the energy’s going to be like, you don’t know what each of them are going to be like as people. But there was just such a pervasive kindness and generosity. And, honestly, it reminds me of my experience on The Office in terms of that.”

Reflecting on his NBC sitcom days, Carell noted, “We were an ensemble and we shared, and that includes cast, crew, writers, producers, everybody. It was like, we just wanted it to be good.” He singled out Charly Clive, who plays his on-screen daughter, saying he knew instantly from their first table read — and even on Zoom before that — that she was perfect for the role.

“Each of the actors turned out to be the same way,” he added.

Carell’s Russo is a “fairly confident guy” with some “rough edges,” but the actor emphasizes he doesn’t choose roles based on novelty. 

“It’s mostly a matter of people that I would like to work with and creators that I’d like to work with,” he said. “And I was a huge fan of Bill and Matt, and when they called me, I thought, ‘Well, this could be something really special.’”

The actor praised the creative freedom in the series. “Bill told all the actors at the first table read, ‘Within a couple of weeks, I want you all to have an exponentially greater percentage of ownership of your character.’ It’s about making the characters feel lived in and real. Each week the relationships get deeper, richer, and funnier.”