After six episodes of hijinks and prosthetic makeup, the first season of Chad Powers has come to a close. Hulu’s football comedy not only brought Twisters and The Running Man star Glen Powell back to television, but it surprised viewers a lot along the way.
Of course, now it’s time for the biggest question: will Chad Powers return for a second season? At the time of this writing, Hulu has yet to renew the series… but that doesn’t mean it’s completely out of the question. For one thing, the evolution of when and how successful “ratings” for new shows come in has changed amid the streaming era, so Hulu could end up waiting a beat before making a decision in one way or another.
There are also the busy schedules of Powell, who has a number of upcoming movies lined up, and co-creator Michael Waldron, who is currently working on the scripts for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
**spoilers for the Season 1 finale of Chad Powers below!**
“Yeah, I mean I think just on a practical plot level, Ricky’s part of the conspiracy, whether she likes it or not, and what does that do?” Waldron detailed. “Can there be a love story still? And can Russ continue to grow by being Chad and can Chad grow by Russ, by being inhabited by a little more Russ? And can the Catfish win it all? Is Coach gonna die all that, all sorts of stuff and what’s happening with Tricia and Coach Dobbs? Are they hooking up?”
Jenna Anderson is the host of the Go Read Some Comics YouTube channel, as well as one of the hosts of the Phase Hero podcast. She has been writing professionally since 2017, but has been loving pop culture (and especially superhero comics) for her entire life. You can usually find her drinking a large iced coffee from Dunkin and talking about comics, female characters, and Taylor Swift at any given opportunity.
The six episode run of Chad Powers left fans wanting more. And that is a good thing. The Hulu series starring Glen Powell’s finale left us with a lot of questions we need answers to. Meaning we need a season 2.
Throughout the first season, the question was whether or not Russ (Glen Powell) was going to get caught as “Chad Powers,” a walk on quarterback for the South Georgia Catfish. As the season went on, the show was about a lot more than just Russ being a douchebag. It is a redemption story and one man’s journey to understanding who he really is.
But with the end of season 1, we were left with a lot of open-ended storylines and that’s kind of an ideal way to leave an audience. Which is why there’s a lot to talk about and why we need to beg for more of Chad Powers.
**Spoilers for all of Chad Powers season 1 lie ahead**
(Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.)
The end of season 1 leaves us with two big questions: Can Ricky (Perry Mattfeld) and Russ fix the relationship they once had was Ricky and Chad? And the other is obviously whether or not the Catfish can win it all with Russ as their captain.
But the way the show leaves us on edge is what makes it special. Ricky is not on good terms with Russ. After episode 5, she learned his secret and wants to expose him but Russ’ darker side wins out and he threatens her by saying that exposing him will ruin her father, Coach Hudson (Steve Zahn), in the process.
So Ricky steps up, pushes her feelings aside, and let’s Russ back on their team. But it doesn’t feel finished. And we know the Catfish have a game to win.
What is going to happen with…literally everyone?!
(Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.)
What I love about television is that it can leave you on the edge of your seat. When a season ends, you don’t know whether or not everything is going to be resolved with a nice little bow and Chad Powers left us with a lot of questions. Which is why I find “Sixth Quarter” so perfect.
It could have had Ricky and Russ talking about everything and settling their differences. It could have flashed through the entire season. But none of that happened. Instead, we got some resolution, set up for a future of the show, and a taste of what that could look like. It is why I really want this series to get a season 2.
I think every show should get the chance to have more than one season and really flesh out their story but with Chad Powers, there is so much more to unpack with these characters and I’d honestly watch Glen Powell doing weird voices for the rest of time. So I think this first season does a great job of really allowing an audience to care about this show and its characters. Now…can we get that renewal?
All of season 1 of Chad Powers is now available on Hulu.
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She’s been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff’s biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she’s your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell’s dog, Brisket.
Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.
Chad Powers has finished its first season of football. Well, television. The hit Hulu series starring Glen Powell, had its finale and it left us with a lot of questions for the future of Russ Holliday and the Georgia Catfish.
The series focused on a redemption story but it was far from typical. Russ Holliday (Powell) was down on his luck, took on a disguise, and learned the hard way that he is a good person, even if he had to be “Chad Powers” to figure it out. With the help of his roommate Danny (Frankie A. Rodriguez), he manages to become the quarterback the Georgia Catfish needs. And maybe finds himself in a will they/won’t they relationship with Coach Ricky Hudson (Perry Mattfeld).
To help breakdown the finale, the show as a whole, and the star power that Powell has, I spoke with Michael Waldron (who co-created the series with Powell and made his directorial debut with the show’s season one finale) about all things Chad/Russ.
**Spoilers for the entire first season of Chad Powers lies ahead**
(Hulu)
The Mary Sue: It is exciting to talk to you guys before the show started and then now get to talk to you after it is done. I like seeing how everyone (online) is kind of realizing the deeper themes you guys were putting in at the start of the show. How has it been seeing online? Everyone realizing how fundamentally sad Russ is as a character?
Michael Waldron: It’s sort of been the vibe of like, “Oh, this is actually good.” I think that’s my favorite comment to see, which is also, “Oh, the premise is ridiculous.” And I don’t know that it’s a premise that people expect all that much out of and I think I’ve said this before, that that’s probably what drew us to it. To be able to find something really unexpected with this premise. And especially last week, episode 5, which takes a really sort of serious human turn. It was so fun to see the reactions to that. And, that’s my favorite stuff to write and make anyways. So I think that the show really becomes the truest form of itself and sort of becomes what it’ll be moving forward in these last two episodes. So it’s been a blast to see people respond positively to that.”
The Mary Sue: And speaking of that last episode, I loved the layers that it gave specifically to Ricky, because when you have a dad who is either like, my dad died, but he had heart stuff when I was younger, and it changed how I view a lot of things. And I liked that we got to see that, especially in the finale. Her kind of breaking in a way that I think given the situation, she would’ve reacted very differently had all this not happened at the same time as what was going on with her dad. How was it getting to work with Perry (Mattfeld) and figuring out exactly where Ricky’s anger was in a lot of these last two episodes and figuring out kind of where she is as a character?
Michael Waldron: Well, Perry is a genius of an actor and so it’s a pleasure to work with her. And I could write scenes like that scene on the bus with full confidence and excitement knowing what we were gonna get out of her. And she had made really strong deliberate choices with the character over the course of the season to play her as sort of a powder keg. Ricky is it many ways a mirror of Russ, she’s an athlete who flamed out and is carrying around a lot of probably rag deep, deep down, she’s a competitor. In episode five, which for a lot of the episode it feels like everything’s going great for everybody, you see her maybe wondering, do I like Chad power?
Michael Waldron: There is this connection with this weirdo. Then it all goes so terribly wrong and everything blows up and her dad has a heart attack, and Chad Powers this person who saw her in a way that nobody else did is revealed to not even exist. And, in fact that person is a bad guy and the bad guy who hurt her dad. So we felt like that’s a justified lighting of the fuse to have her explode to, to detonate on him. And so I think Perry really, she understood it and we rehearsed that scene, we taped out the full length of a bus. I really wanted to set it on the bus. So they had this sort of claustrophobic, shut in the airlock. You’re stuck in there together and you’ve gotta have it out feeling. We rehearsed the movements, but not the performance, that would let them sit on that. And when Perry let that loose the first take, I’ll never forget, was absolutely breathtaking to see her go to that place and really, really, really special.
(Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.)
The Mary Sue: Yeah. I loved it. And I also realized while I was rewatching the finale last night, I mean, you guys are very smart individuals, you and Glen, so I figured you’ve did this on purpose, but I was like, wow, Chad and Ricky’s relationship is really the idea of a woman will like someone for their personality and their kindness versus their looks. And I was watching that unfold. And I realized Russ can’t really understand it because people would deem Russ attractive versus the Chad of it all. And it was very cool to kind of come to that realization while watching her get so angry about her friend that is now dead in her eyes. When you are doing stuff like that and you’re kind of working through how these characters are gonna go throughout an entire season, do you plan out beats like that love story or is that something that you guys kind of came to organically as you were working through the show?
Michael Waldron: I think in this case, I always knew just because in my work can’t help but bend in this direction. I just I love the love story. Even if it’s kind of a tragic one in this way or even a friendship story, whatever you wanna call this. And so I always knew that maybe Ricky finding out was the endgame of the season in some way. I think, that it had been enticing to us at times that, ‘Well, what if that’s final moment of the season?’ And then I really got in my head, ‘Why am I saving the fun?’ That was when we said let’s accelerate and let’s have her find out much sooner than maybe the audience expects her to and then let’s explore the fallout in the finale. And so you always have a general blueprint in your head especially with a show like this, I like to just take it episode by episode and you try and kinda write yourself into a corner and then figure out how to put Russ and Danny into a tough situation and figure out how they’re gonna get out of it.
The Mary Sue: You directed the finale, which is a big deal, and I already like one thing you said about the blocking because it is my favorite part of the episode when she has to ask permission to get off the bus because Russ is standing directly in her way. And it’s cool to hear like the mechanics behind the blocking of stuff like that.
Michael Waldron: Such a great delivery by her, “Please move so I can get off this bus.”
The Mary Sue: Exactly. And so for you though, what was the biggest challenge of not only taking on the finale for a directorial debut, but getting to kind of capture a lot of different moments? Because you have the big stadium set pieces, you have the emotional beats between these characters and all of it has to kind of come to a cliff-hangry resolve as it is.
Michael Waldron: Of course I was nervous but that’s probably good nerves. I felt confident because I believed in our script and I really believed in my actors and so at that point, a lot of my job is get out of the way. And this one was kind of on a rocket and we were writing the season as we were there in Atlanta. So it wasn’t like we had a ton of prep time. But the things that needed a ton of rehearsal, like the bus or the running out in Georgia, we were able to do. And I had an amazing team around me. And I would say the biggest thing, if I think about that episode, when I watch it, the biggest challenge for me was actually it’s the second to last scene where there everybody’s in the locker room.
Michael Waldron: And only because that was my second day, my first full day directing ever. And I hadn’t had a chance to prep with my DP. And it had a ton of characters and a ton of stuff we had to cover in that scene and sort of just followed my instincts and was pleasantly surprised when we got into the edit. And I was like, ‘Alright, I think we got out alive here.’ But again, we have great camera operators and Mark Schwartzbard, our DP, took care of me every step of the way. So I was lucky. A lot of people made me look good.
(Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.)
The Mary Sue: Well you guys did a something in this season that I never think is possible. But you guys did it, which is, you wrote very, very good, bad improv. Because I studied improv for four years and every time someone tries to do bad improv, I’m like, ‘You’re just…no, this is bad.’ But Russ cannot think on his toes to save his life. How much fun was it to get to not only work with Glen on, the creation of this, but like then get to play around with just how bad Russ is at coming up with something that is like sane and normal as Chad?
Michael Waldron: It was amazing. You can’t be stupid enough. And also it’s easy. I would say it’s easier. It comes out of laziness because if I need to write a Chad line, typically if I am, if I’m spending too much time on it, it’s the wrong thing. Like the trick with Chad is to sit down and just kind of close your eyes and like, what’s your first thought? That’s how the wolves thing came. I was just like, ‘I don’t know.’ And then you look at it and you’re like, ‘Well, if Glen does this, it’s so stupid.’ And so that was fun. And then actually improvising bad improv. That’s it. This testament to how funny Glen is. That he’s just able to. That was improv from him in episode five when he goes, ‘Is this wood?’ Which I think is maybe the funniest line in the entire show.
The Mary Sue: It’s really good. Well, and I also wanted to ask you because or it was a very weird, I don’t know why I did this, but then it broke me a little bit, but I obviously had seen the whole season when I interviewed you guys first, then I came home, was watching all of Monster: The Ed Gein Story and then started Chad Powers back up and was like, ‘I can’t listen to these voices’. Both of these voices are gonna drive me insane. But it is so funny because you have little moments, especially with Danny and then Ricky at the end where they’re like, ‘Stop doing the voice. Like you’ve gotta like just talk like a normal human being.’ How was that though on set, figuring out when the voice was too much or when you needed more of it and really leaning into it to make people uncomfortable with the Chad voice at times?
Michael Waldron: Well, the voice is never too much. I still get such a thrill anytime I can get Glen to start it, anytime he does it. I’m so spoiled when we’re shooting because I hear it all the time and if I’m on Zoom with him or we’re pitching something and he just started ‘Oh yeah and Chad can talk like this,’ I get so excited. But I mean, we were trying to make it uncomfortable and then as the season wore on, we were excited about just mixing and matching. So there’s the scene in episode five when he is talking to Danny and he’s writing his autograph and he’s got the face on, but the wig off and he’s going in and out of the voice and such a amazing performance from Glen to just be doing that. And I just think it’s so unearthing to see and it’s like the show in many ways about a guy losing his mind so I don’t know. I love it. I want it to be uncomfortable.
The Mary Sue: Yeah. Him singing a mix of Let It Be and Reflection from Mulan in the Chad Powers voice. I was like, ‘Oh, I kind of hate this actually.’
Michael Waldron: Yeah. It’s great. So stupid
The Mary Sue: Well, and to that point, I talked when I talked to you the first time about how my favorite show of all time is Parks and Rec, which does the same thing I think Chad Powers does of teetering on stupidity at times in a way that is so much fun as an audience member. How is that for you writing and getting to lean on the stupidity? Because you’ve done comedy and stuff before versus doing something that is a little bit more heavy hitting like a Marvel thing or whatever it may be, but getting to come back and just have fun with a comedy series.
Michael Waldron: It’s great. And it’s great because I’m a comedy writer at heart and I’m never more comfortable than I am in a room full of psychotic comedy writers, that is my happiest place in the world, a comedy writer’s room. But I also just creatively love the dramatic opportunities that the insane comedy gives you because there’s just less expectation. I love that in episode five when we go to these human places and in episode six, people are like, ‘What? How am I getting this out of Chad Powers?’ I find that delightful. I love doing this show. I’d make it forever.
(Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.)
The Mary Sue: I have two last quick things. One being I know you and Glen have talked about how you would do a season two, you would make more, all this kinda stuff. This season was obviously a man kind of losing his way and trying to figure out like who he is as a person. Have you figured out what the general theme would be moving forward in extra other seasons if you guys get them?
Michael Waldron: Yeah, I mean I think just on a practical plot level, Ricky’s part of the conspiracy, whether she likes it or not and what does that do? Can there be a love story still? And can Russ continue to grow by being Chad and can Chad grow by Russ, by being inhabited by a little more Russ? And can the Catfish win it all? Is Coach gonna die all that, all sorts of stuff and what’s happening with Tricia and Coach Dobbs? Are they hooking up?
The Mary Sue: I vote yes.
Michael Waldron: Heavily implied.
The Mary Sue: You know, I love the show. For my last quick thing, I need to ask for your help and it is, can you also push, I know you pushed the Nova agenda with Glen Powell, but can you push Bruce Wayne for me because I want him to be Bruce Wayne. So can you just shove that agenda?
Michael Waldron: [laughs] That does nothing for me. I’m a Marvel guy.
The Mary Sue: I know but he’d be a perfect Bruce Wayne and I’m like, ‘Everyone needs to get on my side.’
Michael Waldron: If you can get DC to let me direct the Batman movie then maybe.
The Mary Sue: I’ll call up DC we’ll figure it all out. It’ll all be worked perfectly into my plan.
Michael Waldron: Well I think that whatever he does, any role he takes, he’s gonna be remarkable in it.
The Mary Sue: I agree. Thank you so much for talking with me. I love this show. I’m gonna keep pushing so I get more of Chad Powers because it rules.
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The entire first season of Chad Powers is now airing on Hulu!
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She’s been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff’s biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she’s your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell’s dog, Brisket.
Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.
Hulu’s new series Chad Powers, starring Glen Powell, has already got a claim that viral sensation Haliey “Hawk Tuah” Welchreplaced another actress. After comedian Brittney Rae Carrera posted a viral video alleging she was the one originally cast in Welch’s scene, Welch has now publicly responded, clarifying the situation.
Haliey Welch on Brittney Rae Carrera claiming viral star replaced her on Chad Powers
Haliey Welch finally broke her silence after being inundated with tags and messages concerning Brittney Rae Carrera’s claims. Taking to her Instagram Stories, Welch shared that she was unaware the role had been offered to anyone else before she accepted it. “I wasn’t aware the role had been filled prior,” she stated.
The Hawk Tuah Girl emphasized that there was no malicious intent involved. As she further wrote, “I was called and asked to be in a TV series with Glen Powell and I said yes (bc duh it’s Glen Powell)” She even complimented Carrera, adding, “I actually love her content and think she is a funny and sweet girl.” Welch also confirmed that she has since been in direct contact with Carrera and the two are “cool.”
This began when Carrera, an actress and influencer with credits in shows like Found and Queens, posted a reaction video. In the now-viral clip, Carrera stands next to a television paused on Welch’s face from the Chad Powers premiere and screams, “They replace me with Hawk Tuah?! This is literally my scene!”
Since then, it has been confirmed that Carrera did indeed shoot for one day on the series but would not appear in the final episode. The situation ended peacefully, with Carrera posting her own conciliatory message later on Wednesday. “I am not upset with [Haliey Welch] at all,” she wrote, jokingly adding, “I hope one day she will teach me to spit on that thang.”
In Chad Powers, Welch appears as herself in a nightclub scene where Glen Powell’s character, trying to blend in with a younger crowd, excitedly name-drops her by her viral moniker, to which she politely corrects him, “Welch. Haliey Welch is my full human name.”
Chad Powers starts streaming on September 30 and the show is truly one of the best comedies out there. I absolutely loved it and one of the things I think is incredibly fun about the show is the use of music in it.
In one scene, Danny (Frankie A. Rodriguez) is singing a musical theatre song when he’s home alone. Now, if you’ve ever had a roommate or if you’ve ever lived with someone else, you know the song you choose to sing when you’re by yourself is incredibly important. After all, it may be the only time you have to see if you can hit that high note without embarrassing yourself.
So during a game of flip cup with Glen Powell and Perry Mattfeld, I asked the two if they had the freedom that Danny does in the show to just belt it out, what song would they sing? Mattfeld responded quickly with “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift. But “only because it’s really high and I don’t want anyone to hear me attempt that.”
Powell agreed saying that it was a hard song to sing. And when I had him answer the same question, he responded by saying “Now I just want to get alone so I can do ‘Cruel Summer.”” The two did then compliment Powell’s younger sister, Leslie Powell, for her musical talents, saying “My little sister, Leslie, is an amazing singer. I’m sure she could crush ‘Cruel Summer.’”
This also comes after Powell said he’d love to see Taylor Swift on season 2 of Chad Powers so he is campaigning hard for her to join the series. And look, isn’t that what singing alone in your home is all about? If you can’t try to belt incredibly high songs when you are by yourself, what are you doing?
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She’s been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff’s biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she’s your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell’s dog, Brisket.
Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.
Glen Powell recently appeared on Jake Shane’s “Therapuss” podcast and detailed an awkward encounter he had at a Hollywood party when he was asked to take a photo with a canceled actor. Powell, who is currently promoting his Hulu comedy series “Chad Powers” and Paramount’s upcoming action movie “The Running Man,” did not name the celebrity.
“I was at a party and there was somebody [there] that had basically been on the ropes in terms of sort of getting canceled,” Powell explained. “It was one of those Hollywood parties where there’s like cameras and press and all that stuff. This person had made some of my favorite movies and I was like, ‘Oh, this is great.’ He came up and he said, ‘Nice to meet you.’ I was like, ‘Oh, dude. Such a big fan.’ And then a photographer said, ‘Hey, can we take a picture of you guys.’”
“This person was recently canceled and it was not good,” Powell continued. “I was a fan of their work, but not a fan of their choices. So I was kind of just being nice. But then, when they wanted to take a picture with you, I realized very quickly — I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if this is a good idea.’ He clearly clocked that I was like, ‘Oh, this is probably not a good idea.’ And I realized that this guy, his face is toxic. Going out into the world, people are having a visceral reaction to this person in terms of the bad choice they’ve made.”
The story led Powell to comment more generally on cancel culture in Hollywood. He even drew a connection to “Chad Powers,” which stars Powell as a quarterback who gets canceled and then finds redemption by disguising himself on a new team as a different person.
“Russ Holiday is just a guy who made a mistake, he’s not a bad guy,” Powell said of his character. “Some of these other people who get canceled, they should lie where they’re shot… In today’s day and age, cancel culture is just a thing where the world that doesn’t let you forget your mistakes. With phones, with TikTok, with Instagram, so many people make mistakes and the world doesn’t let you forget. And I found it to be interesting how people react to those moments. Do they double down, do they take accountability, do they believe in conspiracy theories? Just having a character learning to say ‘I’m sorry’ is a really beautiful thing.”
“Chad Powers” debuts Sept. 30 on Hulu. Watch Powell’s full “Therapuss” interview in the video below.
Comedy is something that brings so many of us joy and when you find a new favorite show, it is important to cherish it. Chad Powers has that potential.
The series, based on the Eli Manning sketch, details Russ Holliday’s (Glen Powell) return to sports. When he thinks he is in the end zone, he dropped the ball and the other team takes it and destroys him. He had to move back with his father and ended up leaving his dreams of becoming a quarterback behind. That is until his brilliant plan of taking on a new persona comes to life.
Danny (Frankie A. Rodriguez) ends up helping Russ keep up the image that he is a sweet man from the middle of nowhere who decided to walk-on to the Georgia’s Fishes just because. And the two form an unlikely friendship throughout the series that is, in a lot of ways, the heart of the show. Both Danny and Russ think they’re “okay” but then the two see that they can (and should) change for the better.
What makes this show so special isn’t the hilarity of Glen Powell in all of those prosthetics. It is that Russ sees Chad as the “better” version of himself but doesn’t recognize that feeling and want to change. Instead, he is always trying to do what is best for “Russ” and not the greater good. Or, at least, that’s what Russ would want you to think.
It is a show about believing in yourself
(Hulu)
Russ thinks that he is not a good man. He says as much on the show. He also says that he, as Russ, is a dick. His words, not mine. But Chad isn’t. What Russ fails to realize on the show is that he IS Chad and Chad is who he is. And somewhere in all of that, the real Russ can step forward and show his true self. All of this is what, to me, makes the show stand out.
You could have leaned heavily into the sketch idea and made this outlandlish but I love that Chad Powers isn’t about Russ becoming the next Eli Manning or anything other than a man trying to have a redemption arc. Really, it is its own thing entirely and I think that’s a good thing. That way then the show can breathe. When you follow something that is too rigid, it means you have to stay by the books.
But Chad Powers feels fun and whismy about its source material. The show itself doesn’t take itself too seriously but it does still hold an emotional weight to its characters. And look, we haven’t had a great sports series in a while. I do think though that Chad Powers is more than just a show about a ‘Football star’s comeback story’ that no one asked for.
The series is about people growing and learning that they can change (and change for the better) and it is a beautiful message to share with an audience right now.
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She’s been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff’s biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she’s your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell’s dog, Brisket.
Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.
Glen Powell got the full pro experience as he played the titular college football star in Hulu‘s Chad Powers.
Speaking to Deadline on the red carpet of Thursday’s premiere, the Golden Globe nominee recalled the “really special” experience of working with real former NFL players on the comedy series he co-created with Michael Waldron.
“When I was actually on the field, it felt very immersive,” he explained at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. “Because they also had former NFL players playing with us, putting on pads. Guys that are 350, 6’7, sprinting at me with everything they got.”
Powell continued, “But it felt very much like Chad Powers in the fact that Russ Holliday is getting a second chance to be on that field, these guys got to put on pads and be back on that field with me. And you could see their eyes light up, and their hearts were full. It was really special.”
The actor noted that executive producers Eli and Peyton Manning connected him to Patrick Mahomes’ coach Nic Shimonek and Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Pat O’Hara.
In Chad Powers, the first two episodes premiering Sept. 30 on Hulu, Powell plays hotshot quarterback Russ Holliday, who disguises himself as the titular football player to join a new team after tanking his own college career.
Featuring a pilot co-written by Powell and Waldron, Chad Powers is based on the sketch produced by NFL Films and Omaha Productions that aired on ESPN+ as part of the Eli’s Places series.
