HBO’s Latest Comedy Becomes Its Most-Watched First Season in Over 15 Years

HBO’s new comedy Rooster has become a major breakout hit, setting a new record for the network’s most-watched debut season of a comedy in more than 15 years.

According to Warner Bros. Discovery, the series is currently averaging around 6.5 million viewers. That number makes it the strongest comedy debut HBO has seen in over a decade and a half, outperforming recent well-known titles like Enlightened, Girls, Veep, Silicon Valley, and Insecure.

The report also notes that Rooster now sits just behind a small group of historic HBO comedies in terms of long-term performance. Only Hung from 2009 and Sex and the City from 1998 have recorded higher 90-day average viewership in the network’s comedy history.

The timing of the show’s success is also important. Rooster premiered on March 8 and finished its first season run on May 10. With two weeks still left in its 90-day viewing window, its total average could still rise even further.

The series is set on a college campus and follows an author, played by Steve Carell, who has a complicated and emotional relationship with his daughter, played by Charly Clive. The show was created with Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses serving as showrunners.

The production team includes executive producers Bill Lawrence, Jeff Ingold, Liza Katzer, Jonathan Krisel, Barbie Adler, Annie Mebane, David Stassen, Anthony King, and Steve Carell. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television, with Doozer and Matt Tarses’ production companies also involved through overall deals at the studio.