Glen Powellis set to star in Hulu’s upcoming comedy series ***Chad Powers,***as a sidetracked college football star who reinvents himself for a shot at redemption. The story is based on NFL star Eli Manning’s viral character from the ESPN series, Eli’s Places. Chad Powers follows Powell as Russ Holiday, who is attempting to start over eight years after having to bid farewell to his career because of an unforgivable mistake. The upcoming show is created by Powell and Michael Waldron, with Manning serving as an executive producer.
Waldron spoke to a news outlet about bringing Chad Powers to life and shared that the show is about “flawed characters who put on a mask.” The co-creator clarified that Russ won’t be a traditional underdog hero, but the fans will be able to empathize with and love him regardless. “Russ dons pricey earrings, drives a Cybertruck, and may believe in a conspiracy theory or two,” joked the writer. The impressive cast of the show includes Steve Zahn, Toby Huss, Frankie A. Rodriguez, and Perry Mattfeld among others.
The story of the six-episode series follows Russ disguising himself as Chad Powers with prosthetics and fake hair to land a spot on the South Georgia Catfish football team with the help of their mascot, Danny (Rodriguez). According to Waldron, Russ is a non-judgmental character who finds it easy to befriend everyone. However, things get complicated almost immediately as Russ tries to juggle two different lives. The outlet has also shared newly-released stills from the show, which feature Russ’s dramatic transformation into Chad.
Glen Powell Was Inspired by Eli Manning’s Improv Skills
In a recent interview, the ***Anyone But You***star shared that he watched the original Chad Powers bit from Eli’s Places and was surprised by how naturally Manning was able to improvise. “There was a lot of weird heart in the character,” added the actor. Powell shared that his take on Chad Powers doubles down on all that. The newly released trailer for the show features Russ losing the big game and punching the father of a sick child, which leads to his downfall.
According to Powell, viewers witness these kinds of meltdowns in sports, but they never “live with that person afterward.” The actor described the titular character as the “worst dude on the planet” who accidentally learns to become a good teammate. The upcoming comedy series is rooted in authenticity, with each one of South Georgia Catfish’s opponents being nods to the Manning brothers’ and Waldron’s alma maters.
Powell admitted that having the Mannings on board was a great hack as the production team dealt with colleges and athletic directors. The actor revealed that negotiations with other colleges weren’t easy, especially since some schools had restrictions about signage and color schemes. In the end, the team decided to take creative liberties and build their own fictional programs so the story wasn’t compromised.
Chad Powers premieres on September 30 on Hulu with a two-episode launch, followed by weekly Tuesday drops.