Reel Review: Glen Powell Brings Fun Back to Television in Chad Powers
It’s been an absolute joy watching fellow Longhorn alumni Glen Powell tear up the football field in Hulu’s Chad Powers. Based on the iconic skit starring NFL superstar Eli Manning, the show follows Russ Holiday (Powell), a former college football quarterback whose career was derailed by an overinflated ego. All seems lost for Holiday until he gets the wild idea to try out as a walk-on for a struggling college team in full prosthetic makeup and under an absurd alias: Chad Powers.
As crazy as the idea sounds, it works! Holiday gets a second chance to prove himself for the South Georgia Catfish. Side note, I love a good pun, and see what the writers did there with the team name! However, hiding his identity proves extremely difficult, as the prosthetic pieces are always on the verge of falling off, Russ is forced to conceal his identity, and, of course, he creates utterly ridiculous lore for his new Powers persona. Holiday creates Powers to be a homeschooled country boy who is extremely awkward but adorably endearing, and he steals the Catfish’s hearts.
The cast is jam-packed with dynamic characters who all bring something to the field. Perry Mattfeld plays Ricky, a powerful coaching asset who is undermined by being the only female coach on the team and her father being the head coach. Steve Zahn plays Jake Hudson, the Catfish head coach, who struggles to lead the team and balance his personal life. Frankie A. Rodriguez plays Danny, the school mascot and Holiday’s sidekick, who helps keep the secret alive. Wynn Everett plays Tricia, the nosy head of the team’s booster club who can’t wait to fire Hudson at the first chance she gets. Together, this cast compiles a group of oddballs who make the perfect team.
Powell’s projects consistently bring joy to audiences, and this series cements him as a Hollywood leading man who isn’t afraid to have some fun. So often, television seems like the only things that “work” are the snobby, existential dramas that leave you feeling drab and gloomy. Powell counters that in Chad Powers, where at its heart, Chad Powers is a show about redemption and teamwork, and proves that no matter how lost you might feel, it’s never too late to start over. Maybe don’t fraudulently play college football in a makeup and an alter ego, but that’s just our advice! Powell is truly bringing fun back to television.
Catch new episodes of Chad Powers on Hulu every Tuesday.
