Fresh off Top Gun: Maverick, Hit Man, Anyone But You and Twisters, Golden Globe nominee Glen Powell is set to star in Chad Powers, a brand new college football show that premieres this week. Plenty of big names from Hollywood and the football world alike teamed up to create the comedy series, so it’s only fitting for it to come out right in the thick of NFL season.
Here is everything you need to know before the show’s debut:
When does Chad Powers come out?
The first two episodes of Chad Powers will hit the Hulu streaming service at 12 a.m. ET on Tuesday, September 30. Episode 1, titled “1st Quarter,” is 40 minutes long. Episode 2, titled “2nd Quarter,” is 33 minutes long.
In total, there will be six episodes of Chad Powers. Following the two-episode premiere, the show will release one episode a week until the finale comes out on Tuesday, October 28.
Who is starring in the show?
Beyond Powell, the rest of the Chad Powers cast isn’t made up of A-listers. There are quite a few familiar faces in the credits, though, plus some cameos that are bound to bring the star power. Here is a quick look at the main cast for the show:
- Glen Powell as Russ Holliday, a.k.a. Chad Powers
- Steve Zahn and Jake Hudson
- Toby Huss as Mike Holliday
- Perry Mattfeld as Ricky
- Clayne Crawford as Coach Dobbs
- Wynn Everett as Tricia
- Colton Ryan as Gerry
- Frankie A. Rodriguez as Danny
- Xavier Mills as Nishan
- Quentin Plair as Coach Byrd
- Keese Wilson as Rod
Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler, Marty Smith and Eli Manning are among the big names who popped up in the trailer, so keep an eye out for their appearances. Peyton Manning was also an executive producer on the show, alongside Eli.
What is Chad Powers about?
Russ Holliday was on top of the world as the quarterback at Oregon, taking the Ducks all the way to the Rose Bowl against Georgia. His career came crashing down in embarrassing fashion, though, making him the butt of every joke on social media. Looking for any opportunity to keep playing football, Russ decides to pull a “Mrs. Doubtfire” and go undercover for tryouts at South Georgia. He takes on the persona of Chad Powers, a mysterious walk-on from West Virginia, seeking a shot at redemption.
Here is the official plot synopses for episodes 1 and 2:
“Years after bad boy QB Russ Holliday nuked his college football career, he attempts to walk on to the struggling South Georgia Catfish program disguised as a young man named Chad Powers. Chad struggles to compete for the starting QB job, then struggles even more maintaining his new identity at Coach Hudson’s lake house barbecue.”
Here is the official trailer for the show:
Where did Chad Powers come from?
Back in 2022, Eli Manning went undercover at Penn State walk-on tryouts as part of his ESPN+ show, Eli’s Places. He hired Hollywood makeup artists to work on his disguise, ultimately becoming Chad Powers. None of the prospective student athletes could tell who he was, and even some coaches were shocked to see how well the supposed unknown was throwing the ball.
Jared Goff pulled off a similar stunt in partnership with Red Bull at Ventura College back in 2018. Greg Maddux did the same at a Kris Bryant batting practice in 2016.
One of the most famous instances of a pro athlete going undercover to shock unsuspecting competition was when Kyrie Irving became the elderly Uncle Drew as part of a Pepsi ad campaign in 2012. That eventually led to an Uncle Drew movie in 2018. The other comparison for Chad Powers’ journey to the small screen is Ted Lasso. Before the now-beloved character had his own Apple TV+ show, Lasso was part of a series of commercials and skits on NBC Sports in 2013. The network had just secured rights to air the Premier League, so Jason Sudeikis helped construct a goofy American football coach tasked with managing Tottenham Hotspur F.C. That became a show in 2020, featuring Lasso as the manager of the fictional A.F.C. Richmond, with a fourth season coming as soon as 2026.
