{"id":4171,"date":"2026-01-01T18:49:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T18:49:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2026\/01\/01\/hulus-new-mini-series-chad-powers-falls-just-short-of-the-endzone\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T18:49:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T18:49:08","slug":"hulus-new-mini-series-chad-powers-falls-just-short-of-the-endzone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2026\/01\/01\/hulus-new-mini-series-chad-powers-falls-just-short-of-the-endzone\/","title":{"rendered":"Hulu\u2019s new mini-series \u2018Chad Powers\u2019 falls just short of the endzone"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Hulu\u2019s newest comedy, \u201cChad Powers,\u201d almost impressed me. With a talented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cosmopolitan.com\/entertainment\/tv\/g68135230\/chad-powers-hulu-cast\/\">cast<\/a> and hilarious banter throughout the premiere episodes, I was looking forward to weekly releases. Despite my optimistic outlook, \u201cChad Powers\u201d proved to only offer quick laughs and a lack of space for exploring the story and its characters, ultimately falling to the same overambition as its protagonist.<\/p>\n<p>The miniseries follows disgraced former college football star Russ Holliday (Glen Powell, \u201cAnyone But You\u201d), who cost his team a national championship due to a premature touchdown celebration. Fast forward eight years, Russ, inspired by a \u201cMrs. Doubtfire\u201d poster, decides to walk-on to the South Georgia University football team disguised as Chad Powers. What ensues is conflict and comedy as Russ struggles to keep up his disguise.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The show stems from a <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Na2hOcx4uX8\">2022 prank<\/a> done by former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, a co-producer of the show alongside his brother and fellow quarterback, Peyton Manning (\u201cWWE: Unreal\u201d). In this viral ESPN skit, Manning goes undercover at Penn State\u2019s tryouts as Chad Powers, from which the show and titular character get their name.<\/p>\n<p>As someone who loved Manning\u2019s sketch when it came out, I was enticed by the premise of the show. And as a Eugene, Oregon native, I couldn\u2019t miss Glen Powell as an Oregon Duck (even if he loses their national championship shot).<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>The performances within the series\u2019 short span were incredibly well done. Steve Zahn (\u201cDiary of a Wimpy Kid\u201d) and Perry Matfeld (\u201cThe Idea of You\u201d) play Coaches Jake and Ricky Hudson, a father-daughter duo whose relationship is characterized by their passion for football. Ricky\u2019s struggle to be respected as a female coach and Russ\u2019 developing feelings for her were well-executed subplots. Frankie A. Rodriguez (\u201cHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Series\u201d) plays Danny, the South Georgia Catfish\u2019s mascot and Russ\u2019s confidant and roommate. Danny was the funniest character in the show, balancing genuine support with witty, well-timed jabs. Unsurprisingly, Powell, also a co-creator and producer, stands out most with his performance of two distinct characters. Powell is no stranger to humor, as highlighted by his roles in \u201cHit Man\u201d and \u201cScream Queens,\u201d and he perfectly fits the rom-com heartthrob mold in \u201cAnyone but You\u201d and \u201cSet It Up.\u201d In \u201cChad Powers,\u201d Powell adds a new dimension to his repertoire, prompting audiences to simultaneously hate certified asshole Russ Holliday and love optimistic and aloof Chad Powers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While the series\u00a0is often entertaining, it lacks substance, lacks character development and ends far too early and abruptly to satisfy. Unnecessary and overused humor inadequately illustrates Russ\u2019s experiences as a quarterback, building up to an underwhelming ending, while the storyline is overall limited by the show\u2019s measly three-hour runtime.<\/p>\n<p>Rather disappointingly, for a show heavily marketed as being about football, there\u2019s almost no gameplay. We see Russ\u2019s attempt at a rushing touchdown in the opening flashback, a few passes in tryouts, one quarter of play during the third episode\u2019s game against Ole Miss and Russ running onto the University of Georgia\u2019s field in the finale, but never active play. While the show highlights Russ\u2019s talent, I found myself wishing that it actually illustrated his prowess by including more of the training, team bonding and actual competition that is critical to Russ\u2019s success as Powers. Powell has a football <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/is-glen-powell-playing-football-chad-powers\/\">background<\/a>, and a stunt double was on set for difficult throws, so it\u2019s hard to understand why this crucial aspect was largely omitted. Furthermore, if some of the screen time used on filler humor instead showcased Russ\u2019s athleticism and its importance to his character, the series would\u2019ve been much more well-rounded.<\/p>\n<p>Worst of all, the ending of \u201cChad Powers\u201d in the finale \u201c6th Quarter\u201d was\u00a0suddenly cut off when the main characters finally showed significant development. Just as \u201cChad Powers\u201d builds excited momentum, the credits roll. Show\u2019s over.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t get me wrong, I can appreciate a cliffhanger. But I also have an issue with releasing single-season shows with unconfirmed renewals written as multi-season series. When these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/gallery\/tv-shows-canceled-cliffhangers\/\">series<\/a> are cancelled, audiences are left with no way to find out what\u2019s next. \u201cChad Powers\u201d may be advertised and released as a limited miniseries, but the creators have expressed the show is structured for at least three seasons, while only the second is <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2025\/12\/chad-powers-renewed-season-2-glen-powell-hulu-1236634696\/\">confirmed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>Co-creator Michael Waldron recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mensjournal.com\/entertainment\/chad-powers-season-2-creator-breaks-his-silence-on-the-glen-powell-series\">spoke<\/a> on this creative decision, citing Powell\u2019s schedule as a limiting factor, but also intentions for the ending to feel \u201clike we\u2019re just getting started.\u201d Waldron and Powell hope to continue with at least two more seasons, running the length of South Georgia\u2019s football season. Between the potential for Russ\u2019s long-awaited championship and the widening gaps in Powers\u2019 identity, there is enormous potential for the team, and the series, beyond its game six stopping point.<\/p>\n<p>Like Russ himself, the show has flashes of greatness but disappoints where it matters most. With its unique premise and one of Hollywood\u2019s most popular actors, \u201cChad Powers\u201d failed to deliver a series as strong as its potential. If the show gets greenlit for two more seasons, then maybe it can recover from the early fumble, and I hope to watch it do so.<\/p>\n<p><em>Daily Arts Contributor Julianna Laban can be reached at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/arts\/tv\/hulus-chad-powers-falls-just-short-of-the-endzone\/mailto:laban@umich.edu\"><em>laban@umich.edu<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related articles<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hulu\u2019s newest comedy, \u201cChad Powers,\u201d almost impressed me. With a talented cast and hilarious banter throughout the premiere episodes, I was looking forward to weekly releases. Despite my optimistic outlook, \u201cChad Powers\u201d proved to only offer quick laughs and a lack of space for exploring the story and its characters, ultimately falling to the same [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[4034,4036,593,3478,4033,4035,594],"class_list":{"0":"post-4171","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-chad","9":"tag-endzone","10":"tag-falls","11":"tag-hulus","12":"tag-miniseries","13":"tag-powers","14":"tag-short"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4171"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4173,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4171\/revisions\/4173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}