There have been instances in the past when a sketch's concept has been adapted into a movie or TV show before Glen Powell created Chad Powers for Hulu with Michael Waldron.
Based on Eli Manning's sketch from Eli's Places, which saw the two-time Super Bowl MVP go undercover to participate in Penn State's walk-on tryouts, Chad Powers takes the name of Manning's creation and takes the concept to the most absurd of levels.
Manning's original sketch was already absurd — he was out-throwing kids half his age despite being retired for several years at that point — but it also ushered in a variety of new memes (“Think fast, run fast!” the notoriously slow Manning tells himself as he runs a 40-yard dash).
Now, Powell and Waldron stretch the concept further. It was a risky move, as there is a Ladies Man for every Wayne's World or Blues Brothers.
They added heart to a concept originally designed for laughs. It helps that through the power of Mickey Mouse and Disney, Chad Powers licenses real college football programs like Ole Miss, Oregon, Georgia, and more. This makes the series feel real, with no East High Wildcats in sight besides the fictional South Georgia Catfish (a little on the nose) team that Powers walks on to.
Powell and Waldron took a risk, and it paid off. The first season of Chad Powers ends on a cliffhanger that has to be paid off. Underneath its comedy mask, Powell and Co. created a heartfelt show that is way better than it should have been. This could have been a lazy effort to capitalize on Manning's viral idea. Instead, it took the best parts of it and improved upon them.
Chad Powers review: What is it about?
Russ Holliday (Glen Powell) was a standout quarterback at Oregon. From the brief clips we see at the beginning of Chad Powers, he's like Tim Tebow at Florida.
However, his career is tanked when he loses the National Championship for Oregon against Georgia. As he ran into the end zone, he pulled a Jonathan Taylor from 2024 and dropped the ball.
Nearly a decade later, Holliday hasn't moved on. He is a disgrace to college football, now landing jobs out of his divisiveness, not his skill. That leads him to a place of irrelevancy with the likes of the Hawk Tuah Girl Haliey Welch and others.
When he hears about a struggling football program holding walk-on tryouts, Holliday steals his dad's makeup — who is a makeup artist for a Michael Bay project — to try and reclaim his glory as Chad Powers. Along the way, he is helped by South Georgia student Danny (Frankie A. Rodriguez).
Glen Powell disappears in the role
The premise does sound like the result of fictionalizing a backstory for Manning's original character. It'd be fair to question just how far someone like Powell could take it.
Well, he used his experience making Hit Man — which showed his full range of acting chops — to his advantage in Chad Powers. Russ is a narcissist, while Chad is affable, almost like Owen Wilson with Uncle Rico's talent.
Powell is good at playing an egotistical douchebag with layers beneath the narcissism. Russ' hard shell is explored, and becoming Chad Powers has more meaning than what meets the eye.
His complex relationship with his father, Mike (Toby Huss), is explored and directly leads to his journey in becoming Chad. Additionally, Russ and Danny have a roller-coaster ride of a relationship throughout the six episodes.
Chad Powers is surprisingly emotional. He builds relationships as Chad that blur the lines between his facade and the real Russ Holliday. That is what makes the facade of Chad Powers — a character that Russ hides under with tons of makeup and prosthetics — such a powerful metaphor.
Powell excels at the emotional beats. It sounds funny to say that Powell hasn't played such an emotional role before. Russ is a broken man, and Powell portrays that perfectly.
Keeping the facade up
Russ having to keep the facade up is like She's the Man meets 21 Jump Street. There was a window for the series to explore more of his college life, as Russ has to enroll as a student to play, something never explored beyond the field.
Even still, the moments where the facade begins to become Russ' real personality are when the series is at its best. The idea becomes a success, but what does that mean for Russ Holliday? Can the washed-up quarterback really revitalize his career as a new person?
Powell effortlessly switches between the personalities. Russ' hardened exterior uses a voice similar to Powell's. Chad, meanwhile, has a high-pitched Southern drawl.
It's a brilliant metaphor for actors, who constantly disguise themselves in different roles. Powell is a relative late-bloomer, gaining fame in his 30s for roles in Top Gun: Maverick and Anyone but You before becoming a leading man in 2024's Twisters.
Powell has had a similar rise to Matthew McConaughey. The similarities go beyond their Texas roots. Powell could have fallen into the same trap as McConaughey, but roles in Hit Man and now returning to the small screen for Chad Powers shows a willingness to do anything to not get pigeonholed.
Like quarterbacks, the best actors take risks. There's no guarantee Powell's series about an Eli Manning sketch from 2022 blows up. But he should be applauded for going back to TV (his last notable TV role was in Scream Queens).
The Disney effect
As noted, Chad Powers being part of the Disney umbrella benefits it. The South Georgia Catfish may be fake, but using real programs like some of the SEC's biggest is a big draw.
Plus, the football scenes are filmed well. A variety of directors made episodes, including Waldron, Tony Yacenda, and Payman Benz. One constant is how they film football games.
Football has to be one of the hardest sports to choreograph, especially when you're trying to get a desired result out of a play. Chad Powers wisely never fixates too much on the game, often cutting between Chad throwing and receivers catching passes.
It's the atmosphere that matters most. The crowd noise and environment of the SEC schools' stadiums are immersive. They also aren't afraid to use their ESPN ties to include their broadcast aesthetic, SportsCenter, and GameDay properties.
Under the wrong circumstances, Chad Powers would look like Friday Night Lights. Of course, series like Friday Night Lights have a place in the ether, but something with Powell's star power needs the ESPN licensing to tie it all together.
Should you watch Chad Powers?
Powell and Waldron played the long game with Chad Powers. What could have easily been a 90-minute movie is stretched out over six episodes. They take a methodical approach down the field instead of a Hail Mary shot at the end zone.
The approach works. Once you get past the premiere episode, which is an expanded version of Manning's sketch as Russ disguises himself and attends South Georgia's tryouts, the series really picks up.
The scenarios are ridiculous, but Chad Powers commits to the absurdity. If it had tried to commit to being a drama, which its pilot somewhat implies, it would have failed. Russ' situation sends him on quests for glue, avoiding bed checks, and catching feelings for a coach.
Some jokes don't land, like the usage of the r-slur or the Hawk Tuah Girl appearance that is surely going to age worse than Avengers: Endgame featuring Fortnite.
Chad Powers isn't aiming to be the new prestige TV series. It's a fun detour from Powell's blossoming career. It's rare to see someone at the height of their powers return to TV, but we should all be glad he did.
Chad Powers will premiere on Hulu on Sept. 30. New episodes will air every Tuesday through Oct. 28.
