Powell stars as a disgraced former football star who goes undercover as a college QB in the new Hulu comedy. Chad Powers review: Glen Powell's quarterback comed

Powell stars as a disgraced former football star who goes undercover as a college QB in the new Hulu comedy.

*Chad Powers *review: Glen Powell's quarterback comedy is an incomplete disappointment

Powell stars as a disgraced former football star who goes undercover as a college QB in the new Hulu comedy.

By Kristen Baldwin

Kristen Baldwin

Kristen Baldwin is a TV critic for **, and a writer and editor with 25 years of experience in entertainment journalism. Prior to EW, she served as editor-in-chief of Yahoo Entertainment, and is currently a member of the Television Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. She does not know how to football the Super Bowl.

EW's editorial guidelines

September 26, 2025 9:00 a.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Glenn Powell and Frankie A. Rodriguez in 'Chad Powers'. Credit:

Disney/Zac Popik

Though the execs behind *Chad Powers* apparently aren't fond of this comparison, the new Hulu series bears quiet a few obvious similarities to *Ted Lasso*. Both are streaming sports comedies about an underdog — in this case, a disgraced former football star who disguises himself and tries out for a struggling college team. Both are based on cute-but-slight comedy sketches. And both feature a charismatic, well-known actor in the lead.

That's where the similarities end. In what may be an attempt to avoid the unavoidable comparisons to the Apple TV+ comedy, *Chad Powers* creators Glen Powell and Michael Waldron have painted their series into an unfunny corner by giving us "What if *Ted Lasso*, but the hero is an abrasive douchebag who is clearly supposed to undergo a redemption arc — but not until season 2, because our star only had time to make six episodes?"

Let's take a step back. We first meet Ross Holliday (Powell), a star quarterback for the Oregon Ducks, in the final minutes of the Rose Bowl. Just as it looks like Oregon has secured the championship, Russ' careless mistake in the end zone turns his moment of glory into a mortifying disaster — which he only makes worse with a subsequent on-camera meltdown.

Glen Powell on 'Chad Powers'.

Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.

Flash-forward eight years, and Russ has clearly learned nothing from his mistakes. Tooling around Los Angeles in his Cybertruck, clubbing with a very reluctant Haliey Welch (a.k.a. the "Hawk Tuah Girl"), Russ is a beanie-wearing, conspiracy-theory-spouting boor who insists that he is poised for a comeback. But when his past behavior costs him yet another opportunity, Russ' desperation hits a new peak. While delivering some supplies for his dad, Mike (Toby Huss) — who happens to be an Oscar-nominated prosthetics artist — Russ hears about walk-on tryouts for the beleaguered South Georgia Catfish football program. One large leap of logic later, Chad Powers is born.

The creators of *Ted Lasso* knew that if you're going to build a show on a wisp of a concept, you better make sure the world and the characters in it are fully developed. Alas, everything in *Chad Powers* feels a little slapdash, starting with the central relationship between Russ and Danny (Frankie A. Rodriguez), a University of South Georgia student who aids Russ in his scheme. Danny works as the Catfish's mascot, is a gay theater kid, and is an avid reader of the gossip site DeuxMoi, which is how he knows who Russ is in the first place. Still, it never really makes sense that Danny would be so eager to involve himself in the Chad Powers ruse — but Russ needs an ally who is good with prosthetics, so here we are.

Glen Powell on 'Chad Powers'.

Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.

At least the protagonist's path to redemption is clear: Before Russ Holiday can put his past behind him and reclaim his future, he needs to take accountability for many, many bad decisions. "You messed up, and you blamed everybody but yourself," Mike reminds him. Rather than exploring that challenge through Russ' experience of creating a new persona for himself, *Chad Powers* focuses instead on his madcap efforts to make sure no one uncovers his true identity. Flailing in the face of personal questions from Catfish head coach Jake Hudson (Steve Zahn) and others, Russ invents an increasingly bizarre backstory for Chad — one that falls somewhere between *Deliverance* and M. Night Shyamalan's *The Village*.

Glen Powell and Michael Waldron preview absurd comedy and big heart in 'Chad Powers' (exclusive)

Glen Powell and Edgar Wright take EW on the set of 'The Running Man' (exclusive)

Early on, Danny makes a bulleted list of the "facts" Russ has invented about Chad (e.g. "can't shower because he has pee-hole disorder") and now must keep straight lest he blow his cover. "Invent *less*," Danny urges him. When it comes to the characters in *Chad Powers*, it feels like the writers took Danny's advice. Like Russ, each character has a basic personal issue that we might assume they'll grapple with and perhaps overcome by the end of the season. Coach Hudson, for example, tends to avoid dealing with pressing problems — including that his wife, Wendy (Megan Ketch), is tired of being a football widow and is on the verge of leaving him. Hudson's daughter, Ricky (Perry Mattfield), who works as an assistant coach, is a former track star who lost her confidence after an injury and now struggles to get the other Catfish coaches (including her dad) to take her seriously.

All of this is clearly established by the end of episode 1. But due to the season's extremely short length — and the decision to emphasize cartoonish silliness over everything else — the characters end the season almost exactly where they started, as bullet points on a white board.

Quentin Plair, Clayne Crawford, Steve Zahn, Wynn Everett, and Perry Mattfield on 'Chad Powers'.

Disney/DJ Delgado

There's a lot of talent involved in *Chad Powers*. Waldron is the creator of the short-lived but wonderful wrestling-and-family drama *Heels*, and directors Tony Yacenda (*American Vandal*) and Payman Benz (*The Last Man on Earth*) have genuine comedy bona fides. Powell and Waldron have assembled an impressive cast of character actors. Zahn is a master at non-verbal incredulity, and Coach Hudson's perplexed patience in the face of Chad's weirdness is never not entertaining. We're told that Russ has a strained relationship with his dad, and Powell's few scenes with Huss are the closest *Chad Powers* gets to emotional resonance. Colton Ryan is a standout as Gerry, the team's hyper-religious backup quarterback, and Clayne Crawford is spot-on as Dobbs, the brusque, tobacco chewing QB coach who mocks Chad's apparent intellectual limitations with nicknames including "Flowers for Algernon" and "Sling Blade." (Unfortunately, the writers can't leave well enough alone with this joke. In episode 3, Chad uses the r-word several times for "comedic" effect.)

***Sign up for **'s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.***

Powell's career has been on the rise since *Top Gun: Maverick*. The actor is booked and busy with multiple projects in the pipeline, which is why season 1 of *Chad Powers* is dropping with only six episodes. The actor's appeal will no doubt help *Chad Powers* draw viewers in — but those that stick around may be frustrated by the comedy's abrupt finale. Hulu could have made a good show in a couple years, when Powell and Waldron had more time to devote to the project. Instead, they chose to rush *Chad Powers* onto the field — and now, it's too late to call an audible. **Grade: C-****

The first two episodes of *Chad Powers* premiere Tuesday, Sept. 30 on Hulu.

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL TV"

Read More

---

Source: VOGUE MAG

Full Article on Source: VOGUE MAG

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities