Chad Powers review: Glen Powell, the comedy star you are
In the last few years, the dominant narrative surrounding Glen Powell has been that of "Glen Powell: Movie Star."
The title is undoubtedly earned. Following his breakout in Top Gun: Maverick, Powell has cemented himself as a reliable leading man. He showed that successful box office rom-coms were still possible with Anyone But You, weaponized his Texas charm for Twisters, and channeled a dizzying range of characters in Hit Man.
But Powell stans know that the actor can do even more than play the suave lead. He's capable of total silliness, a talent on display in his earlier TV work as Scream Queens' ultimate frat bro, Chad Radwell. Very stupid, very douchey, yet somehow still endearing, Chad Radwell revealed Powell's ability to commit wholeheartedly to a bit, playing up his own good looks and frat background to killer effect.
That same level of comedic commitment is on display in Powell's new TV series Chad Powers, in which he, once again, plays a gut-busting character named Chad. (If I had a nickel, right?) Here, Powell proves he's gone beyond the label of "movie star," or, in Chad Powers' case, "TV star." He's a comedy star, too.
What's Chad Powers about?
Chad Powers follows the Ted Lasso formula of taking a comedic sports segment and fleshing it out into a show with real heart. In Ted Lasso's case, that segment was a commercial for NBC's Premier League coverage. Chad Powers, on the other hand, draws from an episode of Eli Manning's Eli's Places docuseries. (Eli Manning and Peyton Manning are both executive producers on Chad Powers.) The episode saw the Super Bowl–winning quarterback don a face full of prosthetics, take the name Chad Powers, and go undercover at Penn State's walk-on tryouts.
Chad Powers, co-created by Powell and Michael Waldron (Loki), expands on that premise, asking, "What if the man behind the Chad Powers makeup wasn't superstar Eli Manning, but instead, a man at rock bottom?"
That man is Russ Holliday (Powell). Once a rising star quarterback for the University of Oregon, he made an arrogant mistake in a championship game that cost his team the win. Following the loss and his resulting crash out, Russ is reviled by the entire internet. Even eight years later, he can't escape his infamous meltdown.
But when Russ learns that the struggling University of South Georgia Catfish are holding walk-on tryouts for a new quarterback, he senses a golden opportunity. Russ' image is toxic, but maybe he can find new success as someone else. So, one bad wig and several prosthetics later, Chad Powers is born.
Glen Powell is a comedic force in Chad Powers.
Russ' double identity is reminiscent of Powell's layered performance in Hit Man, where he plays philosophy professor Gary and his fake hit man identities, often at the same time. As Russ, Powell remains relatively grounded, a man haunted by his failure. Yet as Chad, he goes bigger and sillier than anything we've seen from him, starting with Chad's squeaky voice. You know Channing Tatum's much-memed "My name is Jeff" delivery from 22 Jump Street? Powell's voice is that level of ridiculous, sustained over several episodes of TV.
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That ridiculousness extends to Chad's dialogue. From the moment Russ walks on the South Georgia field as Chad, he starts improvising the hell out of Chad's backstory. He knows he shouldn't. Messing up details could get him caught. Yet he can't help himself, spinning up folksy tales about a backwoods childhood plagued by wolves and bizarre medical conditions. His eyes light up with worry at every new question about his past, but there's a glint in them that suggests his panic comes paired with the thrill of performance, of becoming someone else. It's a high-wire performance of duality, but Powell makes it looks effortless.
Russ sinking into his daffy alter ego points to Chad Powers' themes of redemption. But it's also pleasant evidence that there's a theater kid hiding inside jock Russ, just as there's a love letter to movie makeup hidden within the football-focused show that is Chad Powers.
If you, like me, aren't the biggest football fan, then Chad Powers' surprise focus on prosthetics serves as a sweet counterbalance to the show's sportier nature. The Chad Powers makeup, which Russ steals from his prosthetics designer father (Toby Huss), essentially becomes its own character. It's the reason why Chad can't shower with his teammates, or join in on their lake parties. It's the reason why Russ has to go on a high-stakes emergency mission to get glue at Spirit Halloween. The prosthetics wind up as a driving force within Chad Powers, highlighting the ridiculousness behind Russ' scheme while also letting the show embrace the makeup craftsmanship at its core.
In some ways, Chad Powers' pairing of football and movie makeup magic is the perfect synthesis of its leading man: a film star who knows the transformative power of prosthetics thanks to films like Hit Man, and who spends football season hyping up the Texas Longhorns.
It's a crime that Chad Powers is only six episodes long.
Powell leads a a charming cast in Chad Powers. As Catfish coach Jake Hudson, Steve Zahn is a live wire of comedic stress. Perry Mattfeld brings gritty determination to the show as Jake's daughter Ricky, who knows football inside and out but can't shake the nepo baby accusations. She's an unlikely kindred spirit for Russ, who also understands what it means to be pigeonholed based on prior expectations.
Elsewhere, Frankie A. Rodriguez is downright delightful as Russ' ally Danny. On top of serving up physical comedy as the Catfish mascot, Rodriguez imbues Danny with a mischievous, scheming quality, making him a bit of a wild card in his dedication to helping Russ succeed. Colton Ryan has a smaller role as Bible-thumping, perpetually optimistic backup quarterback Gerry, but his can-do attitude made me crack up every time he opened his mouth.
Unfortunately, we don't get too much of Gerry in Chad Powers' six episodes — a wild number for any TV show! — nor do we get much of the rest of the Catfish locker room. They have potential to be a great ensemble, but given the truncated length of the show, they fade into the background.
What little we do get of Chad Powers, though, is the makings of a great sports comedy, anchored by a great comedic performance from Powell. Watching the show, I kept thinking that it's not just criminal that Season 1 is only six episodes long; it's also criminal Powell has never hosted Saturday Night Live. Put him in a wig and let him loose onstage. Chad Powers proves he's got what it takes.
The first two episodes of Chad Powers premiere Sept. 30 on Hulu, with new episodes every Tuesday.
