‘Rooster’ Starring Steve Carell Renewed For Season 2 By HBO

Halfway through its first-season run, HBO‘s comedy Rooster, starring Steve Carell, has been renewed for a second. Following the fall-set first installment, Season 2 will pick up the story in the spring semester at the fictional Ludlow College.

The renewal for the show, from the Scrubs duo of Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses and Warner Bros. Television, extends Lawrence’s streak of every half-hour comedy series created or co-created by him running for multiple seasons.

The pickup is not a surprise. It comes after Rooster recently landed a $21M California tax credit for Season 2 and after the series premiere delivered 2.4 million U.S. cross-platform viewers in its first three days of availability, the largest audience for an HBO comedy debut in the U.S. in almost 11 years.

Almost a month later, Rooster continues to do well, regularly placing in HBO Max’s Daily Top 3. Its first four episodes are averaging 5.8M U.S. viewers, pacing as the most watched freshman HBO comedy in over a decade, the network said.

“It’s been heartening to feel the audience embrace Rooster, as we did when we first saw Steve, Bill and Matt bring this character to life,” said Amy Gravitt, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO & HBO Max Comedy Series. “Along with our partners at WBTV and Doozer, we’re looking forward to seeing what Ludlow’s Spring Semester has in store for this incredible comedy ensemble.”

Created by Lawrence and Tarses who serve as co-showrunners, Rooster is broader and softer than most of HBO’s edgier, writer/performer-driven comedy fare. Speaking with Deadline last month, Gravitt indicated that the current tense geopolitical situation may have contributed to the show’s popularity much like the pandemic launch fueled the global success of another warm, upbeat comedy co-created by Lawrence, Apple TV’s Ted Lasso.

“I love that it’s landing at a moment where people are looking for the comfort of old shows — not even old shows, but those real TV show formats,” she said.

Clancy Collins White, President, Creative Affairs, Warner Bros. Television, also touched upon the series’ tone.

“Rooster is a heartfelt, endearing series, and its second-season renewal is richly deserved,” she said. “Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses are masters of their craft, bringing their signature heart and humor to life through an incredible cast led by Steve Carell. We’re thrilled to continue this creative journey with HBO and Doozer.”

With its May 2024 straight-to-series order, Rooster became WBTV’s first series for HBO proper since Westworld. The studio is a main supplier to HBO Max, with a number of shows it had at the streamer, including Harry Potter and IT: Welcome To Derry, migrating to HBO.

Rooster is a comedy set on a college campus centering on an author’s (Carell) complicated relationship with his daughter (Charly Clive).

The Season 1 main cast includes also includes Danielle Deadwyler, Phil Dunster, John C. McGinley, and Lauren Tsai.

“We are so grateful to Warner Bros. Television and HBO for being such great partners and to Casey, Amy and Channing for giving us the opportunity to keep making this show with Steve and our amazing cast,” Lawrence said. “It’s been a career highlight for both of us, but more for Matt than me.”

Lawrence, Jeff Ingold, and Liza Katzer executive produce for Lawrence’s Doozer banner alongside Tarses, Jonathan Krisel, Barbie Adler, Annie Mebane, David Stassen, Anthony King, David Hyman, and Carell. Lawrence and Tarses are showrunners. Warner Bros. Television, where both Doozer and Tarses are under overall deals, is the studio.

New episodes of the 10-episode season debut Sundays and are available to stream on HBO Max.