The Transformative Antics of Glen Powell in "Chad Powers"

Hulu’s new comedy series “Chad Powers” follows football shenanigans and revolves around the protagonist Chad Powers, whose character seems reminiscent of Apple TV+'s very popular "Ted Lasso". The series is a significant platform for Glen Powell who co-created the series, marking his second major role in which his character undergoes a significant physical and internal transformation.

However, “Chad Powers”, unlike "Ted Lasso", does not successfully transform its initial premise into an engaging storyline throughout its six-episode run. Despite Powell’s bountiful talents being evident, "Chad Powers" does not completely showcase his potential and the character is unlikely to become one of his significant roles.

In the series, Chad Powers is the alias for Russ Holliday, a washed-up former college athlete whose career ended in disgrace. Now a low-tier celebrity, Russ decides to masquerade as Chad, a college footballer, in a search for redemption. With help from his father, Mike, a Hollywood makeup artist, Russ successfully transforms into Chad and begins his unusual journey.

The series juggles with multiple subplots and characters, including an unlikely alliance between Chad and team mascot Danny, as well as his romantic interest in Jake's daughter, Ricky. The relationships, however, evolve at a pace dictated more by the number of episodes rather than natural character development, leaving certain narrative threads unfinished by the end of the first season.

Despite this, Powell’s commitment to the character of Chad is noteworthy. His metamorphosis into Chad is so distinct that Russ starts referring to him as a separate entity. However, “Chad Powers” fails to mesh its humor with its more sincere elements, leading to inconsistency in tone. Despite its shortcomings, “Chad Powers” offers plenty of laughs although it fails to evolve beyond its preliminary sketch-like premise into a full-fledged TV series.

The first two episodes of “Chad Powers” are currently available on Hulu, with new episodes released weekly on Tuesdays.