If you want to catch the best comedy show of March 2026, then you’re going to need an HBO Max subscription.
Since leaving The Office in 2011, Steve Carell has made a few returns to television in The Morning Show, Space Force, The Patient and The Four Seasons.
But it wasn’t until HBO’s Rooster that it felt like Carell was finally back where he belongs, doing what he does best.
Rooster is Watch With Us‘ pick for the one comedy show you need to watch in March 2026, and we’ll tell you why.
Steve Carell Is Back in Top Form
Carell has become so synonymous with his Office character, Michael Scott, that almost all of his subsequent roles have been compared to that one. His newest role, Greg Russo, is nowhere near as clueless as Michael was. But it also feels like Greg was written with Carell’s strengths in mind. Greg is a little out of touch with the modern generation, but he’s still easy to root for when he’s embarrassing himself or when he’s out of his element.
Greg has to live with the idea that he’ll never live up to Rooster, a fictional character he created for his wildly successful novels. His real life is a lot less exciting than Rooster’s, even though people have taken to calling him by his character’s name. Heading back to college as a lecturer gives Greg a new lease on life, and it seems to have done wonders for Carell as well. He looks very comfortable in this role, almost as if he’s been playing it for years.
‘Rooster’ Has a Great Father/Daughter Dynamic
While Greg is on a bit of a journey of self-exploration, the real reason he came to Ludlow College is that his daughter, Katie Russo (Charly Clive), is having a hard time in her life. She was married to Archie (Ted Lasso‘s Phil Dunster), one of her fellow instructors at Ludlow, but their relationship has tanked since he left her for a graduate student named Sunny (Lauren Tsai). That sends Katie into a tailspin, and only her father can save her from throwing her career away as well.
Because of this turmoil, Clive plays Katie as a much more serious character than her on-screen father. There are only so many battles he can fight for Katie before she has to take care of them herself. And yet there’s something very sweet about how devoted he is to making his daughter’s life happier. In turn, Katie offers her father some sympathy about her mother divorcing him. They are the ones who truly love each other in this show, and it’s heartwarming to see that on-screen.
The Supporting Cast Is Terrific
Carell and Clive could have held down this show on their own, but Rooster has an impressive roster of comedic talent working alongside them. Danielle Deadwyler has a very strong supporting turn as Dylan Shepard, a professor at Ludlow who is very into Greg. There doesn’t appear to be any romantic sparks between the two from the initial episodes, in part because he has already gently turned down her advances. But they do have the beginnings of what could be a very fun and interesting friendship.
John C. McGinley is also very funny as Walter Mann, Greg’s new boss and the president of Ludlow. Walter is a little detached from the day-to-day life at Ludlow, but his scenes with Greg are comedy gold. Even Dunster and Tsaj add a lot to the show, despite their characters being at odds with Greg and Katie. Rooster has a solid foundation for a multi-year run on HBO if it can keep its comedic momentum throughout the rest of the first season.
Rooster is streaming on HBO Max.
