Audiences got to see Glen Powell take on a number of different personas as an undercover detective in Hit Man a couple of years ago, and now he’s taking his powers of disguise to the football field. Chad Powers, which premieres on the 2025 TV schedule on September 30, stars Powell as Russ Holliday, who must change his identity to join a college football team after a previous on-field mishap. Critics have screened the series ahead of its release, so is it worth checking out?
Chad Powers is based on Eli Manning’s character from ESPN+’s Eli’s Places, and the ex-QB was heavily involved in the series (which can be streamed with a Hulu subscription). It’s not hard to see why people are trying to liken it to Ted Lasso, but is it worthy of such comparisons? Kristen Baldwin of EW thinks not, writing that the short season and emphasis on silliness results in no character growth and an abrupt finale. She gives the series a C- and says:
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?’
Ben Travers of IndieWire also rates it a C-, saying Chad Powers is all disguise and no character. The Hulu series hides its leading man behind prosthetics and shallow, redundant jokes, the critic says, writing:
In a show that so clearly wants you to just go along with its story … emotional (st)ick-ing points act as road blocks toward relaxed fun. There are too many unanswered questions — how is Chad passing his classes? does he even go? — and too many missed opportunities. (The cold opens are… rough.) But worst of all, Chad Powers manages to waste Glen Powell. Saddled with an uninteresting jerk half the time and a muzzled non-entity the other half, there’s only a handful of moments in the first six episodes where Powell’s star power shines through.
Meredith Hobbs Coons of AV Club gives it a D, calling the series “one hell of a fumble” for Glen Powell’s career. There’s nothing fun about Chad Powell, the critic says, writing that the show “is mean as shit. And it doesn’t even have the decency to be funny about it.” In her words:
It’s almost as if the team at the helm fought so hard to distinguish this show from Ted Lasso, another series based on a sports-related promotional short, that it felt it had to punt any impulse to convey kindness. They have instead decided to flesh out a cast of characters who are solely motivated by personal gain. Even the people who seem to help Russ/Chad do so from a place of exploitation.
However, not all of the critics feel so slighted by the series. Belen Edwards of Mashable says Glen Powell proves his comedic prowess in Chad Powers, and the series’ biggest sin is that there are only six episodes. Edwards continues:
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. … It's a high-wire performance of duality, but Powell makes it look effortless.
William Goodman of The Wrap says the show is “sincere, strange, and funner” than he expected, crediting Glen Powell for making comedy gold out of Chad Powers’ ridiculousness story. Goodman writes:
Chad Powers is absolutely absurd in its premise, but the six-episode first season quickly outkicks its coverage, becoming one of the year’s biggest surprises. Like the tension between the protagonist’s two personas, Powers toggles between comedy and drama like a dual-threat QB, just as capable in the air as it is on the run (that’s a sports metaphor, folks). … Chad Powers is a winner.
Many who have seen Chad Powers take issue with parts of the series, including repeated use of a derogatory term, but others think there’s plenty of good to be mined from it. Opinions were split on Rotten Tomatoes as well, with critics rating it an average 57%. If you want to give it a shot, the first two episodes are available to stream on Hulu, with one apiece coming each Tuesday hereafter.
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