Jonathan Krisel gives comic performers room to be awkward and lets ordinary places look ordinary, however peculiar the behaviour. We rate his patience with actors, though Rooster shows how little it can do for an underwritten relationship.
Fi1m perspective
Steve Carell is appealingly awkward in Rooster (2026), even when the campus comedy around him settles for familiar jokes. We warmed to him because that awkwardness gives the scenes some charm when the writing does not. Jonathan Krisel, who directed multiple episodes, favours this kind of performer-led comedy: he makes room for actors rather than insisting on a rigid script. We value that patience, but Rooster also shows why it cannot be the whole job. Its father-daughter relationship needs more writing.
Krisel's early work with Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim involved animation, production and editing before he began directing their comedy. He went on to co-create and write Portlandia (2011–2018), directing most of it and establishing a character-based approach to satire. His preference for naturalistic images gives the absurd behaviour an everyday setting, rather than announcing that everything is about to become strange. Ordinary surroundings let the performers' peculiarities become the thing we notice.
Baskets (2016–2019), which he co-created and primarily directed, gave that approach a more melancholy use, with Zach Galifianakis at its centre. The mix of sadness and absurdity works, though the humour can be hard to enjoy if its oddness simply irritates. He also co-created and directed Moonbase 8 (2020) with Fred Armisen, Tim Heidecker and John C. Reilly. His own account of the job is plain: "My whole thing is: You listen to the actor and help them bring out their best thing."
That makes Rooster a useful caution rather than a reason to dismiss him. Carell has good company in the cast, yet appealing performances do not give the father-daughter story the development it needs. We would not put all of a series' writing problems at an episodic director's door, nor credit him alone for what the actors achieve. Still, the result is difficult to recommend beyond its leading man. Try Baskets for the mixture of melancholy and oddness; approach Rooster chiefly for Carell.
Biography
Jonathan Krisel is an American director, producer and writer. He began his career working with the comedy duo Tim & Eric on Tom Goes to the Mayor and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, later directing episodes of Saturday Night Live digital shorts.
Krisel co-created the sketch comedy series Portlandia (2011–2018), directing and co-writing the majority of episodes, and co-created the FX series Baskets (2016–2019), serving as its primary director and executive producer. He has also directed episodes of Kroll Show, Man Seeking Woman, Moonbase 8, English Teacher and Adults.
In 2026 he directed episodes of the HBO comedy-drama series Rooster, on which he is also an executive producer. He is the grandson of actress Virginia Weidler.
