Steve Carell stars alongside John C. McGinley in HBO’s new comedy Rooster. Photo: HBO Max.
Steve Carell has already cemented himself as TV royalty as the world’s dumbest boss, Michael Scott, in the US version of The Office.
The role made him a comedy icon with his deadpan delivery and expert timing and his quotable gags are still being referenced today.
Now, he’s returned to the medium that made him famous 20 years ago, this time teaming up with the creators of Ted Lasso and Scrubs, with the new HBO comedy series Rooster.
Rooster follows popular author, Greg Russo (Steve Carell), who is asked to teach literature at Ludlow College to cover for his daughter and fellow professor, Katie (Charly Clive), who accidentally burnt down staff accommodation following a fight with her husband, Archie (Phil Dunster), who had an affair with one of his students, Sunny (Lauren Tsai), who is now pregnant.
I am aware that the previous sentence was a long one, but every detail of it was important to show just how great the plot and characters of the show are.
I didn’t even mention Walt (John C. McGinley), the university’s president, who has an affinity for having gatherings in his sauna or Dylan Shepard (Danielle Deadwyler), the interim dean who is covering for a bigoted professor who is recovering from a heart attack.
All of these subplots and characters are woven together expertly to deliver one of the best-written shows of the year.
While HBO is known for its high budget shows such as Game of Thrones and The Last of Us, Rooster has stood out as one of its best products in the past two years.
It’s a simple situation comedy premise, but it demonstrates how expert writing and brilliant performances can elevate material.
Greg is reluctant to take up the role, but when given the opportunity to bond with his daughter, he begins to love his job and his students. Meanwhile, Katie and her on-again, off again fling with Archie, despite his involvement with Sunny, is the emotional throughline of the entire show.
Everything from there on is just an interaction that circles back to those two core plot points.
The dialogue is extremely sharp. Most of the gags within the show are verbal instead of physical, and the fact they all work so well is a testament to Bill Lawrence and the writing team.
Two particular gags involving HR meetings and run-ins with a local cop are so laugh-out-loud funny that they are the highlights of each episode.
Humour aside, the show’s drama is also fantastic.
It can be so easy for shows to jump the shark by creating tension for the sake of it, but due to the groundwork laid in the first episode and the situations of each character being so clearly defined, all the big character moments feel authentic.
While Steve Carell will forever be known for his turn as Michael Scott, I can see a world where, in a few seasons’ time, he will be known just as much for his role as Greg Russo.
Rooster is a superb comedy driven by its characters and their interactions with one another.
There isn’t a single episode in its first season that isn’t hilarious, and it will no doubt be a contender for Emmys come award season later this year.
Rooster is streaming on HBO Max.
Original Article published by Jarryd Rowley on Region Canberra.
