You'd think that with my eye so firmly fixed on the world of streaming, and with all of the best streaming services falling into my area of expertise, I wouldn't miss trailers – but the sheer quantity of new uploads means things do slip through the cracks pretty often. Case in point – I only just caught HBO's latest comedy series, Rooster, had a trailer.
The show wasn't one I'd heard much about, but it continues a little streak building up between Steve Carell and HBO, who worked together on last year's film Mountainhead, too, about social media bosses. This time around, he's in for a series, starring as a beleaguered author trying to help turn his college professor daughter's life around.
The trailer makes it immediately clear what's gone wrong in her situation, too – her husband (also a professor) has left her for a graduate student, which is pretty close to the most scandalous thing you can do in academia. That'll set them up for some extremely awkward conversations and possibly some recriminations, too.
Meanwhile, Carell's character is trying to ensure that she doesn't lose her job as part of the process, since her own reaction to the affair may have involved some pretty serious acts of revenge. He's roped in by the college leadership to take some seminars, cashing in on his literary fame, but might encounter more pushback than expected there, too.
It's pretty clear that the show will have plenty to say about parental relationships, and especially how a parent's protectiveness can change over time and as their children progress through adult lives and careers. Is Carell's character the saviour he's hoping to be, or is he just looking for some absolution of his own?
The YouTube comments on the trailer are instructive – people are vibing with the tone that the trailer seems to be offering. One person wrote: "I want to see more relaxing, funny, and entertaining movies and TV shows." They even got a like from HBO's account in response, suggesting their hopes might be on the money.
Rooster starts on 8 March, so we'll presumably know more at that point.
