WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Chad Powers Season 1 Episode 1, “1st Quarter”
The announcement that the hit sports comedy series Ted Lasso would be renewed for at least another season seems to have triggered a dramatic uptick in fictional media centered around different types of sports. Recent months have seen the release or announcement of sports-themed movies and TV shows such as F1 (Formula 1 racing), Stick (golf), and a reboot of Friday Night Lights (high school football), just to name a few examples.
Another entry into this newly crowded category is the Hulu original series Chad Powers, starring Glen Powell, Perry Mattfeld, and Quentin Plair. The show’s premise is rather simple, at least for the first episode: disgraced former Oregon Ducks quarterback Russ Holliday (Powell) is tired of working odd jobs for his father’s (Toby Hess) Hollywood hair and makeup business and longing to get back into the big game, so when the struggling University of South Georgia football program announces open tryouts, he sees his shot at a second chance.
Aided by Danny Cruz (Frankie Rodriguez), the USG student behind their catfish mascot, he assumes the made-up identity of Chad Powers and eventually earns his way onto the roster. That’s not to say everything goes smoothly, though. Chad/Russ grapples not only with his past actions but also with keeping his real identity a secret. Even being allowed to try out poses a challenge because Ricky (Mattfield), an assistant coach and daughter of the head coach (Steve Zahn), is among those skeptical of just how truthful he’s being about himself.
The things that the first episode of Chad Powers does well, it does very well. It’s no surprise that the tension and emotion behind real-life college football are recreated so faithfully in the game sequences, as several of the Mannings served as executive producers of the series, which is in fact based on an original sketch by Eli Manning.
When you watch Chad Powers, you don’t just feel like you’re watching football – you feel as if you’re the one actually involved in the game, although that could be chalked up to some footage being filmed at real football games. Powell is outstanding as the jerky jock Holliday, and also as Powers, once he truly gets into character.
From the moment of his hilarious, dramatic introduction, which has been omitted here as not to spoil the surprise, Rodriguez’s character is another of the show’s bright spots: always optimistic, encouraging and ready to break any grim atmosphere that may arise. Don’t ignore Mattfeld, either – she is absolutely brilliant in her role as the practical and charming Ricky, trying to break out of her father’s shadow and prove that she, as a woman, belongs in what is often seen as a men’s sport. And of course, Chad Powers is a comedy, so the first episode alone has more than its share of killer lines, although most of them can’t be quoted here. Besides, they don’t deserve to be spoiled.
But nothing’s perfect, and the first episode of Chad Powers is no exception to that rule. As mentioned above, Powell has to find his groove to truly embrace the character of Powers, and he fumbles a few times before he’s successful at doing that. Perhaps it’s intentional, but the overall effect comes off mostly as awkward instead of funny. It also feels highly improbable that none of Powers’ teammates or the coaching staff vocally scrutinize his questionable fictitious background, given how long he takes to respond to any form of prompting. This is especially a problem when his wig falls off mid-practice, making it obvious to anyone looking that he is in fact Russ Holliday.
Some elements of the cinematography, editing and production design appear to have less time and attention paid to them than others. There are a couple of attempted “jokes” that fall flat because they’re unfunny or simply just rude.
The first episode of Chad Powers will leave you feeling like it’s a matter of when, not if, Chad is going to be discovered as Russ, and the Catfish are probably going to at least make a deep run in the playoffs if they don’t win the national championship outright.
There are some neutral considerations to keep in mind before watching the first episode of Chad Powers. If you don’t like football, you probably won’t like the show. Some thematic elements are on the more mature side, and you can expect violence both related and unrelated to sports, though nothing graphic. Also, there is plenty of what can politely be described as…creative language use.
It’s hard not to recommend watching at least the first episode of Chad Powers if you don’t mind some gaping plot holes in what can feel like an impressively solid mashup of sports story cliches. Can’t wait for your team’s next game? Turn on Chad Powers instead for an exciting, exhilarating sports experience, and you’ll feel like you just found the end zone for a touchdown.
