{"id":2502556,"date":"2025-10-24T03:34:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T07:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hulus-football-farce-review-of-chad-powers\/"},"modified":"2025-10-24T03:39:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T07:39:21","slug":"hulus-football-farce-review-of-chad-powers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hulus-football-farce-review-of-chad-powers\/","title":{"rendered":"Hulu\u2019s football farce: review of &#8216;Chad Powers&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhulus-football-farce-review-of-chad-powers%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2502556&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article is a review of Hulu&#8217;s new six-episode football comedy series, *Chad Powers*. Produced by Eli and Peyton manning, the show follows washed-up Oregon quarterback Russ Holliday, who adopts a bizarre alter ego-Chad Powers-using a fake prosthetic nose to re-enter college football.The series blends absurd humor with surprisingly authentic football action, thanks to the Manning brothers&#8217; intensive training of lead actor glen Powell. While the show delivers plenty of physical comedy and quirky characters, including a notable female assistant coach and a deranged team booster, some plot points stretch believability, such as the ease with which Russ hides his identity. Powell&#8217;s dual performance is polarizing-Russ is a vile yet fascinating character, whereas Chad is portrayed as a ridiculous caricature that can wear thin. Despite its flaws and tonal inconsistencies, *Chad Powers* offers an amusing, if silly, addition to the sports dramedy genre and provides an entertaining half-hour of viewing.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Hulu&rsquo;s football farce: Review of &lsquo;Chad Powers&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nfl\/\">NFL<\/a> had <em>Ballers<\/em>, Dwayne Johnson&rsquo;s five-season saga of unsportsmanlike conduct. High school <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/football\/\">football<\/a> had <em>Friday Night Lights <\/em>&mdash; at its peak, one of the best shows on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tv\/\">TV<\/a>. But not since Craig T. Nelson&rsquo;s <em>Coach<\/em> put down its whistle nearly three decades ago has the college game put serious points on the scripted-television board. Now, with the premiere of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hulu\/\">Hulu&rsquo;s<\/a> sweetly imbecilic <em>Chad Powers<\/em>, that long scoreless stretch looks set to end.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The six<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/barack-obama-copies-wife-again-launches-podcast-with-new-jersey-man-arrested-for-dwi\/\" title=\"Barack Obama Copies Wife Again, Launches Podcast with New Jersey Man Arrested for DWI\">-episode series<\/a> is produced by Eli and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/sports\/1532606\/where-are-the-manning-haters\/\">Peyton Manning<\/a>, among others. As such, the prevailing tone is more than a little reminiscent of the elder sibling&rsquo;s Nationwide Insurance ads: Motivatin&rsquo; Manning, but with swears. The star of the show, <em>Twisters&rsquo;<\/em>s Glen Powell, plays Russ Holliday, a washed-up <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/oregon\/\">Oregon<\/a> quarterback turned conspiracy theorist and lout. When, inspired by his father&rsquo;s job as a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hollywood\/\">Hollywood<\/a> prosthetics man, Russ creates an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/spider-man-star-tom-holland-itd-be-nice-to-see-something-different-than-white-male-spider-man\/\" title=\"&#039;Spider-Man&#039; Star Tom Holland: &#039;It&#039;d Be Nice to See Something Different&#039; than White, Male Spider-Man\">alter-ego<\/a>, a new Division 1 career is launched. Before long, and thanks to a fake schnoz that deserves its own &ldquo;worst makeup&rdquo; Emmy, our hero is back on the field as the eponymous, ridiculous Chad Powers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/magazine\/3860837\/obituary-ace-frehley-kiss-band-rock-musician-1951-2025\/\">Ace Frehley, 1951-2025<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3860518\/after-the-hunt-review-metoo-movement\/\">Vibe tweak: Review of &#8216;After the Hunt&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3862562\/hunter-biden-confront-obama-reelection-fundraiser\/\">Hunter Biden says he almost &#8216;jumped on the stage&#8217; to confront Obama for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-says-he-almost-confronted-obama-for-viral-moment\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden says he almost confronted Obama for viral moment\">leading father offstage<\/a><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>I would be lying if I said the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thank-god-trump-hater-howard-stern-to-be-cancelled-after-48-years-of-filth-on-air-porn-online\/\" title=\"Thank God: Trump-Hater Howard Stern to Be Cancelled After 48 Years of Filth on Air, Porn Online\">show isn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t amusing. An opening sequence in which Russ self-destructs during the Rose Bowl is pure gonzo hilarity, culminating in a Make-a-Wish kid&rsquo;s slapstick wheelchair collapse. Russ himself is cleverly drawn, name-dropping his &ldquo;buddies in crypto and NFT&rdquo; one moment and questioning the legitimacy of Osama bin Laden&rsquo;s death the next (Get in line.) Like Apple TV&rsquo;s COVID-19-era hit <em>Ted Lasso<\/em>, the success of which other streaming services will clearly be chasing forever, <em>Chad Powers<\/em> fills its ranks with pathos-inducing supporting characters, most notably Jake Hudson (Steve Zahn) and Ricky&rsquo;s (Perry Mattfeld) father-daughter coaching duo and disoriently wholesome QB2 Gerry (Colton Ryan). Nevertheless, physical comedy is the production&rsquo;s MVP. I will not soon forget a scene in which Russ must dig around &ldquo;in&rdquo; his face to kill a fly that has burrowed there.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Glen Powell in &ldquo;Chad Powers.&rdquo; (Courtesy of Hulu)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The series is set at the fictional University of South Georgia, a minor football power that somehow boasts a pro-style stadium. Other stretches of the imagination are even more perplexing. How, for example, does Russ go undetected as Chad despite a prosthetic job that barely alters his appearance? In what universe would the NFL refuse to employ a college superstar on the basis of one mental error and a few tasteless posts (&ldquo;The fans didn&rsquo;t make you tweet that crap about Princess Diana,&rdquo; Russ&rsquo;s father scolds)? Many of these puzzlers are necessary to make the plot whirr, and social verisimilitude was never going to be the show&rsquo;s calling card in any case. Still, the minor unrealities add up. By the time Russ&rsquo;s accomplice, Danny Cruz (a catty Frankie Rodriguez), begins listening to <em>The Phantom of the Opera<\/em>, many viewers will be openly scoffing. Are we meant to believe this child is a gay college hipster, or aren&rsquo;t we? Try Stephen Sondheim or William Finn.<\/p>\n<p>What <em>Chad Powers<\/em> does know is football. Indeed, the series&rsquo;s in-game sequences are as good as anything on <em>Friday Night Lights<\/em> and markedly better than what <em>Any Given Sunday<\/em> (1999) or <em>Rudy<\/em> (1993) served up. As has been widely reported, the Manning brothers trained Powell to within an inch of his life, and the actor&rsquo;s throwing motion and footwork could probably get him a scholarship offer in real life. The result, however, is a curious imbalance. The show fairly wallows in its own absurdity, yet much of its run time consists of hyper-professional athletic simulations. To put it another way, <em>Chad Powers<\/em> is a sports dramedy that ought to have been an outright comedy. Audiences surely won&rsquo;t care whether the South Georgia Catfish win the big game, but we do enjoy a good laugh.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3849115\/british-espionage-slow-horses-season-five-review\/\">REVIEW: BRITISH ESPIONAGE BLUES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A better lead might have provided even more of them. As Russ, Powell is deliciously vile, occupying a cultural space typically reserved for manosphere influencers. Think Andrew Tate, but with &ldquo;the arm of a Yugoslav mortar launcher.&rdquo; As Chad, on the other hand, the actor channels a breathy weirdo with all the virility of a purity bracelet. Not for nothing does an assistant coach call his new quarterback &ldquo;Sling Blade.&rdquo; I suppose we&rsquo;re meant to laugh at Russ&rsquo;s creation on the sheer basis of his stupidity. The character hems and haws, utters vaguely Southern non sequiturs, and generally comes across as a mentally disabled Frankenstein&rsquo;s monster. Yet silliness is not necessarily funny. And boy, does it get old as Chad comes to dominate more and more of the series&rsquo;s attention.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It is to the show&rsquo;s credit, then, that something not just watchable but occasionally delightful emerges from all of this mess. Mattfeld shines as Ricky Hudson, a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >female assistant battling accusations<\/a> of nepotism on the sideline. A mid-season episode features the best use of Stan Bush&rsquo;s 1986 rock anthem &ldquo;The Touch&rdquo; since <em>Boogie Nights<\/em> (1997). Journeyman actress Wynn Everett steals more than one scene as a deranged booster obsessed with the team. Through it all, the production offers a confident smirk and keeps the plot zipping merrily along. There are worse ways to spend a half-hour.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Graham Hillard is editor at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal and a <\/em>Washington Examiner<em> magazine contributing writer.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hulu&#8217;s football comedy &#8216;Chad Powers&#8217; breaks college TV drought<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":956,"featured_media":2502557,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LA.TV_.102925.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[65809,5541,13478,50916],"class_list":["post-2502556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-chad-powers","tag-football","tag-hulu","tag-review-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LA.TV_.102925.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/956"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2502556"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2502560,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502556\/revisions\/2502560"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2502557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2502556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2502556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2502556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}