Stockton’s University of the Pacific serves as ‘Rooster’ backdrop

A stunning college campus situated in one of California’s most dangerous cities is taking center stage in Steve Carell’s HBO series “Rooster,” serving as as the backdrop to some of the most memorable scenes.

University of the Pacific is located in Stockton, a city that consistently has one of the highest murder rates in the state. 

Data from the Real-Time Crime Index, which compiles crime numbers from different states and cities, showed Stockton had an annual murder rate of 13.3 per 100,000 residents as of September 2025, and according to the San Francisco Chronicle, that represents the second-highest murder rate in cities among California. 

However, Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden told ABC10 in February that the city is making progress and turning things around in the crime-ridden area. 

“We’re at 15-year year lows when it comes to those that are victimized by violent crime,” McFadden told the outlet, adding that homicides are the lowest they’ve been in six years. “When it comes to those who fall victim to property crime, again 15-year lows. We’re at 13-year lows for those that are injured in a shooting.”

Carell told SFGate that the university, situated on 175 acres in the Stockton area, was chosen based on its elite East Coast liberal arts school vibe. It is the only West Coast university to implement the collegiate Gothic architecture, featuring a nearly 200-foot-tall white tower with spires and stained glass, that is frequently featured in the show. 

“It really has that New England vibe. It’s very lush with all sorts of foliage. Beautiful, gigantic trees. There’s Knowles Lawn, and then the buildings,” Christopher Callahan, the university’s president, told the outlet. 

“Rooster,” follows author Greg Russo, played by Carell, who gets a job at Ludlow College as the school’s writer in residence. His daughter Katie, played by Charly Clive, is also a professor at the university, and is navigating a divorce from her husband Archie, played by Phil Dunster, after discovering he was involved with a graduate student, according to USA Today. 

The idea of “Rooster” was sparked after the show’s creator Bill Lawrence and collaborator Matt Tarse had a meeting with Carell where they realized that they all had adult-aged daughters who no longer needed them like they used to, according to the paper. 

“One thing the three of us had in common was we all had daughters in their early 20s who were kind of burgeoning into adulthood and didn’t need their fathers anymore, especially for three men that didn’t mind being fairly intrusive in their lives and wanting to overprotect them,” Lawrence told SFGate.

Carell said the show reminded him of working on The Office, when he played Michael Scott. 

“It just felt like a true ensemble,” Carell said during a press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 3 in New York City, according to People Magazine. “You don’t know what the energy’s going to be like, you don’t know what each of them are going to be like as people. But there was just such a pervasive kindness and generosity. And, honestly, it reminds me of my experience on The Office in terms of that.”

This isn’t the first time the campus has been featured on the big screen. 

It has a rich cinema story dating back to 1949 with the Oscar-winning film “All the King’s Men” and even serving as the campus where Robin William’s professor worked in “Flubber,” SFGate reported. 

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