Steve Carell and Charly Clive talk new show Rooster’s generational divide and dreams coming true

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The new comedy series, Rooster, created by Bill Lawrence (known for Ted Lasso and Shrinking) and Matt Tarses, stars Steve Carell as Greg Russo, a successful author. He takes a job teaching at the New England college where his daughter, Katie (Charly Clive), is a professor.

Katie recently discovered her husband, Archie (played by Phil Dunster from Ted Lasso), had an affair with a student, and her friend Greg is checking in on her. The series also features Danielle Deadwyler (known for The Piano Lesson), John C. McGinley (from Scrubs), and Lauren Tsai (Legion).

This HBO comedy is the network’s biggest comedy launch in over a decade. It centers on the relationship between a father, Greg, and his daughter, Katie. The show features a lot of humor stemming from Greg, a professor from Generation X, struggling to connect with his Gen Z students, who often question his approach – leading to awkward and sometimes disciplinary situations. At the same time, he’s learning how to connect with Katie now that she’s grown up.

According to Steve Carell, their relationship isn’t flawless – they both mess up sometimes and don’t always see eye-to-eye. However, despite these challenges, their love for each other remains constant.

We also asked Steve Carell about how he’s navigated the changing relationship with his grown children, Elisabeth Anne (Annie) and John, whom he shares with his wife, actress Nancy. He explained, “Once your kids go from being little to adults, everything shifts, and what they need from you changes too.”

You still have a duty to support them, but it changes as they grow. The hardest part is allowing them to learn from their own errors, instead of constantly trying to fix things for them – because that’s how they truly learn and develop.

I’m currently navigating that stage with my own children, and it’s amazing to watch them grow into such wonderful people – they’re interesting, fun, smart, and kind. I’ve talked with other parents, and we all seem to agree that this current phase is the most rewarding.

It’s funny how quickly time flies with kids. When they’re little, like five years old, you think those are the best days. Then, as they get older, around eight or eleven, you feel like this is the perfect age. Now that my kids are 21 and 24, I’m realizing it’s the same feeling all over again – it’s a really good time in our lives.

It’s amazing to watch them grow into such incredible people, and I’m enjoying our new, more mature connection. I really love it.

How does Clive get along with her parents? She feels that as she’s grown older, she’s started to see them as individuals with their own lives, instead of just people who are there to fulfill her needs.

It’s wonderful to truly connect with my parents, beyond just relying on them for basic needs. I feel lucky to have such great parents, but sometimes I realize they don’t quite understand things from my life, like something related to the internet. It’s a privilege to be able to share my life with them, even when there’s a bit of a generational gap.

She admits her mother won’t be pleased to hear it, but her mum really struggles with technology – she simply refuses to try. It’s a generational thing: if I’m stuck with something, I ask my mum, and if it’s tech-related, she asks me. We often disagree, and I don’t think we’ll ever fully understand each other’s perspective, but that’s what makes our relationship interesting.

Clive, the English actor known for his roles in Channel 4’s Pure and Sky’s The Lazarus Project, recently expressed his gratitude to Doozer Productions (the creators of Rooster) and HBO on Instagram, saying they “changed my life” with his most recent part.

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Clive says the experience completely changed his life. He’s now discussing being part of a show filmed in America, where he acted alongside Steve Carell as an American character. He describes the past year, and the one before it, as incredibly busy and demanding.

Clive has admired Carell for years, explaining that she grew up watching shows like The Office – which she calls a comforting show to have on in the background – as well as Anchorman, where she loved Steve Carell’s hilarious character, Brick, and Little Miss Sunshine.

It’s surprising to see the actor famous for saying ‘I love lamp’ play such a complex and heartbreaking character – a suicidal uncle on a strange road trip.

You can now watch Rooster on HBO Max. New episodes are released every Monday. In the UK, you can find HBO Max through Sky and Amazon Prime Video.

Don’t miss out! Add Rooster to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download it today for daily TV recommendations, exclusive features, and more.

Authors

Laura RutkowskiCommissioning Editor

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2026-04-02 19:39