When Greg Russo (Steve Carell) arrived at Ludlow College in Rooster ’s pilot, he’d spent the five years since his divorce pining over his ex, had a distant relationship with his daughter, longed for community, and had essentially accepted loneliness as his norm. When it came time to say goodbye in Rooster ’s finale, however, he realized he had students, faculty members, and family who’d have an awful hole in their hearts if he wasn’t around. In other words, “ It’s A Wonderful Life , bitch!” At some point in crafting Rooster ’s freshman season, co-creators Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses noticed that Greg’s journey and the themes explored in their hit HBO comedy were reminiscent of Frank Capra’s beloved Christmas movie. So they canonically tied the two together in Season 1’s final episode.…