Rooster on HBO Max: Trailer, Cast, Release Date & Why Steve Carell’s Campus Comedy Is a Must-Watch

Steve Carell heads back to campus in a comedy about ego, legacy, and a father-daughter collision course.

The official trailer for Rooster opens with a simple introduction: “Welcome to college, Mr. Russo.” From that moment, the HBO comedy makes its premise clear — this isn’t just a campus sitcom. It’s a story about generational tension, professional identity, and the complicated relationship between ambition and family.

Starring Steve Carell, the 10-episode HBO Original series premieres Sunday, March 8, 2026, airing at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and streaming simultaneously on HBO Max.

What the Trailer Shows — Reputation Meets Reality

The teaser positions Carell’s character, an established author navigating campus life, as someone accustomed to control. Lecture halls, faculty lounges, and student debates form the backdrop, but the real tension isn’t academic.

At the heart of the trailer is his strained relationship with his daughter, played by Charly Clive. Conversations feel loaded. Authority shifts subtly. The humor doesn’t come from slapstick, but from discomfort — moments when personal history interrupts public persona.

Rather than framing the campus as chaotic, the trailer suggests a quieter tension: what happens when your identity outside

the classroom no longer holds inside it?

A Comedy Built Around Complication

Created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, Rooster centers on an author whose professional success clashes with unresolved family dynamics.

The series logline hints at more than situational comedy. It’s about a father-daughter relationship shaped by pride, distance, and unfinished conversations. The campus setting provides context, but the emotional core appears grounded in generational friction rather than academic satire.

If the trailer is any indication, the humor will lean observational — built on awkward truths rather than punchlines alone.

The Cast Expands the Campus World

Alongside Carell and Clive, the ensemble includes Danielle Deadwyler, Phil Dunster, John C. McGinley, and Lauren Tsai. Recurring appearances from Annie Mumolo, Connie Britton, Robby Hoffman, and Scott MacArthur suggest a layered campus environment populated by faculty, students, and outsiders with their own agendas.

The presence of Bill Lawrence as co-showrunner signals an approach that blends sharp dialogue with emotional undercurrents — comedy that allows vulnerability to surface gradually.

How Rooster Stands Apart From Typical Campus Comedies

College comedies often lean on chaos or satire. Rooster appears more focused on identity — specifically, what happens when someone who once defined a room is forced to renegotiate their place in it.

The trailer avoids exaggerated gags, instead highlighting tension in small exchanges: a look held too long, a comment that lands awkwardly, a dynamic that shifts without anyone acknowledging it.

This is a comedy of recognition rather than exaggeration.

Release Schedule and Where to Watch

Rooster premieres Sunday, March 8, 2026, at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO. Episodes will stream simultaneously on HBO Max, with new installments airing weekly through May 10.

The 10-episode season positions the series as a character-driven weekly watch rather than a binge release.

Why Rooster Could Be One of HBO’s Most Personal Comedies

Steve Carell has built a career on portraying men navigating insecurity behind confidence. Rooster appears to lean into that tension again, but in a more reflective setting.

Rather than asking whether Mr. Russo can win over a campus, the series seems more interested in whether he can understand the people closest to him — particularly his daughter.

In a genre often built on fast laughs, Rooster may find its strength in something quieter: recognition, pride, and the

uncomfortable work of repair.