For reasons that are unclear, Glen Powell is being touted as Hollywood’s next great movie star. You may have noticed him as an uber-confident pilot in Top Gun: Maverick, or leading the cast in last year’s remake of Twisters, or starring in generic Netflix fare Hit Man and Anyone But You. He’s a decent actor with a strong jawline but he doesn’t set the screen alight, and he can’t save the feeble sports comedy Chad Powers.
American football doesn’t tend to set British pulses racing, being what is essentially rugby with shoulder pads. Chad Powers started life as an ESPN skit starring real-life NFL player Eli Manning, and is now a full-blown series airing in the UK on Disney+.
Powell plays Russ Holliday, an American football player whose career is a mess of suspensions and tabloid headlines, and that’s before he punches the dad of a wheelchair-bound cancer patient on live television. We catch up with him eight years later, when he loses his last remaining job offer and is reduced to working for his dad.
But wait! His dad is an Oscar-nominated make-up guy, who sends Holliday off one morning to deliver some prosthetic masks and wigs to a film set. Sitting in the car, he watches a video in which the head coach of the South Georgia Catfish announces open try-outs for a new quarterback. Moments later, his gaze alights on a conveniently placed poster for Mrs Doubtfire. With the kind of logic that only exists in comedy shows, Holliday decides to disguise himself, Mrs Doubtfire-style, and apply for the team under the name Chad Powers.
If this were a heart-warming family comedy in the style of Ted Lasso, it might work. Instead, the show’s creators seem to have asked: “What if we made a version of Ted Lasso, but meaner?” Steve Zahn, as the head coach, is the only affable character. The writers could have gone in one of two directions: sweet or cynical. Instead, they’re stranded in the middle. It’s definitely not family fare. “You’re just not a d— they’re prepared to suck,” Holliday’s agent says when he’s dropped by a prospective employer. “I’m a d—. They should suck me,” Holliday replies. Charmless.
There is some fun to be had poking fun at Holliday. He wears a very silly beanie hat, believes various conspiracy theories and drives a Tesla Cybertruck. Many scenes involve him trying and failing to think on his feet when asked questions pertaining to his fake persona, or panicking at the thought of his fake face/nose/hair coming unstuck. That’s the extent of the jokes here and very little thought has gone into the supporting cast. They’re cardboard cut-outs, especially the team mascot, a gay theatre kid who rumbles Holliday at the outset but keeps his secret for him because he enjoys helping him with his make-up.
An understanding of American football is not strictly necessary but a familiarisation with US internet culture will help. The first episode features a cameo by the “Hawk Tuah” girl, and if you have to look her up to know what I’m talking about, then Chad Powers probably isn’t for you.
Chad Powers is available now on Disney+
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