There’s a secret contender in the Emmy race, and it’s “Rooster.”

HBO Max already has an incredibly robust television slate for the Primetime Emmys, with dramas like “The Pitt” and “Task,” comedies like “Hacks” and “The Comeback,” and miniseries such as “Half Man” and “DTF St. Louis.” One legitimate question swirling is whether enough voters will get to it by the time Emmy ballots are cast.

In a crowded television landscape where visibility matters as much as quality, “Rooster” is building an audience and has become one of the best-kept secrets of the season. The new comedy, co-created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses — the famed “Scrubs” duo — and starring Steve Carell, trades the therapy couches of “Shrinking” for lecture halls and professor office hours, delivering a college-set ensemble piece that hums with the same sweet intelligence and humor. If “Shrinking” is about healing others, “Rooster” is about the passion rooted within an author’s relationship with his daughter.

And at the center of it all is Carell — an 11-time Emmy nominee who is overdue, undervalued, and once again, doing some of his career-best work. If the studio is looking for a winning, overdue narrative for a performer, they don’t have to look far.

Carell, who famously lost six consecutive Emmy bids in lead comedy actor for his iconic turn as Dunder Mifflin boss Michael Scott in NBC’s “The Office,” has long been one of TV’s most glaring omissions in the winner’s column. He stands alongside some of the Emmys’ most stinging shutouts: Angela Lansbury — whose 18 acting nominations without a single win remain the most ever in Emmy history — alongside others like Don Cheadle (11), Kristen Wiig (10) and “Better Call Saul” star Bob Odenkirk (7).

“Rooster” gives Carell the kind of role Emmy voters claim to reward. It’s funny yet bruised in unexpected ways. His portrayal of best-selling thriller writer Greg Russo — adrift in a New England college after a disastrous campus speaking engagement — lands in that sweet spot between comedy and drama that has increasingly defined the modern Emmy landscape.

If there’s a path, it starts with him.

But “Rooster” isn’t a one-man showcase. The ensemble is where the series makes its strongest case as a legitimate contender. Danielle Deadwyler delivers the sharp, grounded turn that reminds voters why she’s one of the most respected actors of her generation — despite missing out on worthy Oscar nominations for “Till” and “The Piano Lesson,” in which she earned BAFTA, SAG and Critics Choice love but was bypassed by the Academy in both campaigns. This year, she’ll be a triple threat with this, a guest drama turn in her network cousin “Euphoria” and guest comedy actress for her scene-stealing work in the fourth season of FX’s “The Bear” — in the episode appearance (“Worms”).

Annie Mumolo, the Oscar-nominated co-screenwriter of “Bridesmaids” (alongside the same Wiig in the snubbed-Emmy company above), leans into the show’s tonal balancing act, bringing absurdity that has her standing out as a potential love interest for Carell, with a hilarious twist. Charly Clive — best known for the British dark comedy “Pure” — anchors the father-daughter dynamic as Katie, the art history professor whose life Greg keeps clumsily inserting himself into. And Emmy nominee Phil Dunster, recognized in 2023 for supporting comedy actor on “Ted Lasso,” continues his post-Richmond ascent with a turn that uses his charm into an unlikable son-in-law role while still bringing vulnerability in equal measure. Veteran John C. McGinley — Lawrence’s “Scrubs” alum — and Connie Britton, herself a five-time Emmy nominee (guest contender?), round out the impressive bench.

HBO, a brand synonymous with Emmy dominance, doesn’t have a shortage of contenders this year on the comedy side. However, “Rooster” exists slightly off the radar, lacking the immediate cultural footprint, at the moment, of a bigger, louder title. That’s often how genuine threats are missed in the early stages of the awards race. Shows like “Barry” or “Silicon Valley” didn’t begin as juggernauts; they became viable awards contenders through discovery and word of mouth.

“Rooster” has that same slow-burn potential. The series drew 2.4 million U.S. viewers in its first three days, the most-watched HBO comedy debut in nearly 11 years, and was renewed for a second season. What works in its favor is the Lawrence-Tarses blueprint. Their shows age well with voters because they reveal themselves over time. The jokes hit harder with repetition, and they tend to be under the awards category of “delightful” shows, which industry voters get excited to vote for, because when you bring them up, it brings a smile to their faces. It’s the same formula that turned “Shrinking” into a player and could do the same here if HBO leans in.

But none of it matters without eyeballs. The Emmys have become increasingly reactionary to conversation and can only focus on one thing at a time. Voters watch what people are talking about or what the media is covering. “Rooster” is more whispered than shouted, but that can change quickly. Because if there’s one thing the Television Academy membership loves, it’s an underdog story. And Steve Carell winning his first Emmy after two decades of defining television comedy is a narrative they can get behind.

All it needs is for people to watch.