Knowing Bill Lawrence’s capability as a shrewd and informed TV creator, and witnessing the immense success of his previous ventures, Ted Lasso, Shrinking, and Scrubs, it was never going to be a tough bet that Rooster will be yet another homerun. Well, what HBO’s new show tries to achieve is kind of Lawrence’s forte, so there was no chance he was going to miss. An innovative dramedy in a workspace comedy set-up packaged as a sitcom - a tricky amalgamation of genres that could have gone wrong if not written properly.

But that is not the case with Rooster; it is what it promises to be - a fun joyride with the right amount of balance between humor and emotions. The first episode, titled Release the Brown Fat sets things up like a rollercoaster when it slowly takes you to the top, and then boom, the climax suddenly pushes you down, and at that moment, you know you are in for a thrilling ride. And how can one forget Steve Carell and his way with the scenes that require him to be funny while providing emotional depth at the same time? 

The first episode welcomes viewers into their cozy, slightly offbeat world, and the 33-minute runtime gives them enough time to settle down and familiarize themselves with the characters, while establishing the premise slowly.

Well, when Steve Carell’s Greg Russo first arrived at the Ludlow College of Liberal Arts, it gave an impression of a workplace comedy. Steve Carell in a workspace comedy automatically reminded one of The Office, but Greg Russo is no Michael Scott. Greg is not clueless like Michael; instead, he is a successful writer, mostly known for his descriptively vivid novels, and the main character of these books is often a man named Rooster. However, he is a socially awkward person who gets nervous around other people. 

The very first scene puts Russo at the center, and his interactions with other characters show you his anxiety and his discomfort driving a conversation with them. And this gives Carell the perfect opportunity to work his magic. Extracting humor from awkward moments is his specialty, and he does not disappoint at any given moment. Being at the college for a book reading, he is faced with a lot of questions regarding his portrayal of women in his stories, particularly by a woke student, and his responses account for some genuinely funny moments.

But the best character of the show, arguably, has to be the college president, Walter Mann, played exceptionally well by John C. McGinley. He brings conviction to Walt’s direct, deadpan certainty on things that do not even exist. He is one of those old guys who are stuck in time and reluctant to move on.

His pleasure in seeing a woke student put in her place makes you chuckle. His interaction with Carell and his colleague, Professor Dylan Shepard (Danielle Deadwyler), makes you think that this is going to be a clever, endearing, and hilarious workplace comedy.

However, it is never so simple with Bill Lawrence’s shows, as they never cling to one simple note; rather, they diverge into different horizons while staying intact with their roots. The same is the case with Rooster, which swiftly changes lanes just when the audience gets comfortable with the setup.

While the setup was heading toward the obvious office humor direction, with Greg even getting a job offer for the Writer in Residence position, the plot shifts, and it is revealed that the whole reason for his accepting Professor Dylan’s request was to visit his daughter, Katie (Charley Clive), who is the art history professor there. He is actually there to comfort her, as she is in the midst of dealing with her broken marriage and getting over her cheating husband, about whom the whole college knows. 

The show shifts gears from here to become a father-daughter dramedy, exploring their dysfunctional relationship. But the show never gets too heavy, as even in the middle of heartfelt conversations, Steve Carell’s socially awkward character somehow manages to say something way off-topic and make you laugh. This lack of proper communication can also be attributed to the reason behind their complicated relationship. Like, there is a genuine effort from both sides to reach out and get close, but the space between them at times feels insurmountable.

Clive is very effective in the emotional moments, but equally good with her comic timing, and the scenes shared with Steve Carell are just what people look for in a dysfunctional father-daughter relationship. The banter, the refusal to understand one another’s point of view, and the gradual realization that the other person has your best interests at heart. There is no denying the fact that their relationship needs some work, but there is a solid foundation of care and affection deep within their dynamic.

Living in the home of a deceased hockey coach, Katie's struggle to make sense of her life after the humiliation of her husband leaving her for a grad student is the kind of chaos that warrants a guiding figure to get her out of this misery. Greg tries to be that person, not essentially succeeding exactly, but he tries anyway.

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Besides trying to find a way to help his daughter, he also gets himself into some sticky situations where his social skills only throw more gasoline on the fire.

The dramedy eventually shifts into situational comedy when Greg is not focusing on his daughter’s problems. One of the funniest moments of the entire episode is when a bumbling police officer catches Greg buying alcohol for an underage student. The interaction accounts for some of the most ingenious laugh-out-loud moments, as Greg’s socially awkward self takes over and says things that are wildly inappropriate.

This interaction with the police officer somehow gives the impression that it is going to be a recurring theme in the show, and future episodes will bring more such altercations between them.

His scenes with Danielle Deadwyler are pretty intriguing because the tone constantly shifts between profound and stupidly hilarious - their equation goes back and forth between these extremes, and it creates curiosity as to what their relationship might be in the future. At a particular moment, they would be talking about Greg’s failed marriage and his diminishing self-confidence after that, at another, they would be flirting for Greg to only pull out at the last second (and how he handles the situation is simply hysterical). 

Supposedly, the most awkward and difficult moment of the show should have been the scene where Greg confronts the cheating husband, Archie, played by Phil Dunster. But the writing and the way it is approached are so good that it becomes one of the other funny moments. Greg was messing up what he had prepared to say, and then being called out on that just lightens the mood, but never really digresses from the subject. On top of that, Dunster’s heartfelt confession and Carell’s ultimate closing line really are a masterclass in how to keep the emotions intact while having comedic relief now and then. 

Still, the talk did not really yield the fruit he was hoping for, and things unfolded quite differently than expected.

Greg manages to convince Katie to talk to Archie and try to reconcile things with him, as he realizes his mistake. Katie, after some resistance, agrees to the thought, and some might think that this is going to be the happy ending to the first episode. Well, Bill Lawrence does not play it like that; he drives a sledgehammer through the wall when the audience least expects it.

In the climax of the episode, we see Katie trying to work things out with Archie, but not without letting him know about the emotional damage his betrayal has caused. Despite all of that, she said she still loved him and was willing to take him back. Archie stood there frozen, fighting hard to get words out of his mouth. When he finally does, he drops a bomb that torpedoes his chances of getting back with her. It was revealed that his fling is now pregnant.

This revelation seemed like the final nail in the coffin and pushed Katie to the edge. She threw Archie out of his own house and went on to torch his beloved book, which he loved more than anything, out of spite. But in the process, she burns down his entire house. What started as a noble effort from Greg turned out to be disastrous in the end - the ultimate foot in the mouth moment. 

The episode ends, and the climax sets Greg’s path to possibly stick around a little longer to salvage what is left of their relationship after this incident. The show has now established itself enough for us to know where it is actually headed. The plot and cast of Rooster works so well together, and the credit goes to Bill Lawrence for putting everything together. The coming episode will only surprise us more, as is expected of the creator.   

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Did you watch the first episode of Rooster? If yes, then what did you like about the show? Let us know in the comments.