“Chad Powers” is here.
The sports comedy, from Glen Powell and “Loki” mastermind Michael Waldron, follows a disgraced football player named Russ Holliday, who finds his way back to the big time with the help of his father’s prosthetics. That’s right — inspired by “Mrs. Doubtfire,” he tries out for a different college team under the guise of a new character, Chad Powers. He’s dimwitted, sweet and very good at playing football. But how long will it last before somebody finds out his true identity?
This is the suspense that courses underneath “Chad Powers” on Hulu. And it’s something that Powell and Waldron were keenly interested in, after being presented the concept (borrowed from an earlier Eli Manning sketch). TheWrap spoke to them about what it took to turn the concept into a series, the tightrope walk of absurdity and sincerity that it walks, and whether or not they’ll be down for a Season 2. Hike!
TheWrap: Where did “Chad Powers” come from? I know it was an Eli Manning sketch but how did you take that and transform it into a full-fledged series?
Michael Waldron: Glenn and I have been buddies for a while and have wanted to work together, just looking for the right thing. We’re both big college football fans, so when this thing came up, I think we were probably some of the only guys in town, who were like, Oh yeah, yeah. We’re actually interested in that. It’s set in the world of college football that we both love, but also as we got deeper into it and had to figure out, all right, what is the actual story here? We kept finding interesting layers of character and a surprising depth.
We didn’t want to make “Ted Lasso.” We wanted to make something that was very much its own weird, offbeat story. This had all of the right ingredients for that.
Glen, what was the appeal for you?
Glen Powell: I think the thing that Waldron and I really loved about Eli’s original sketch is the fact that you understood that it was Eli Manning under that mask. In every scene, there was a wonderful lie at the center of it, in that walk-on tryout. And I think what’s also really fun is just a bomb under the table. It creates this crackling sense of danger around everything. You have the DNA of a great underdog story, a great redemption story, when you put this lie at the center of that. As Russ Holliday goes on this journey, and the eyes of the world turn towards him, and a program believes in him, the stakes become higher, which means the fall becomes more painful and potentially disastrous, and it’s all happening again. One of the things that we just loved about this was this idea that you have a really flawed character at the center of it, it’s a guy that we all know, or someone we can identify with, which is a person who made a mistake and has been defined by a mistake, and would give anything, including a new face, to turn back the clock and do it right again.
What’s fun too is that the show has this super high concept, almost ‘80s sitcom element. What was it like marrying those too elements – the broader comedic elements and the deeper character stuff?
Michael Waldron: I think we just chased fun. We chased laughs between each other, between the writers room, between the cast and the crew. We were never taking it too seriously. But also we’re telling a dramatic story. There’s one outrageous element here, a guy in prosthetics, but let’s ground everything else in the real world.
I didn’t want to feel like there was a tone that existed, necessarily, before this. I thought a lot about “Eastbound and Down,” and the stuff that Danny McBride, Jody Hill and David Gordon Green have done with Rough House. It’s stuff that that isn’t afraid to have a hard edge to it but also just be super funny and be sweet. That’s what makes that my favorite stuff, because it makes the sweetness feel real to me, because it takes place in a world that does have some meanness and some teeth to it.
Glen Powell: The reality is that this is a show that should be reflective of a real guy. It’s one of the reasons that you can’t sugarcoat real pain and trauma and what humans do when terrible things happen to them and when the world hates the look of your face. What does that do to a person? That’s why we couldn’t make this a PG-13 softball. We had to be reflective of a real character hating the sight of themselves in a mirror so much so that they want to put a prosthetic on it and do it all over again and do it right this time. That’s real pain that someone’s going through. There’s not an, Oh, shucks, golly gee, I went through something hard. It’s a guy who’s really struggling, a guy that would take himself off the planet if he could, because a lot of other people wish he would. He looks at the Internet and looks at all the comments that ask him to do it, that’s a person who’s really struggling, and it’s a human thing.
That’s why I find the comedy around all of it really fun because it is absurd. It’s an absolutely silly concept. But Waldron and I always looked at each other and asked, What is the honest reaction to someone who goes through something like this? That’s why the people that he’s hanging out with at the beginning of the story, the fact that he’s a conspiracy theorist and not taking accountability, he’s he believes that the world is out to get him. Instead of just saying, “I made a mistake and I want to try to be better next time,” he has doubled down on a life that’s not taking accountability. This is the personality of a guy that can’t say, “I’m sorry,” and so he does it all wrong, and even worse, this time.
What we really always wanted reflected in this show is authenticity, and to not shy away from the hard-hitting humor or the hard-hitting moments dramatically. The unexpected sweetness is, I think, the heartbeat of the show. It is great because it we all root for a great redemption story. We all want to see someone rise from the ashes. I think it’s a basic human emotion. And I think it reflects the best of us, instead of what you know, a lot of cancel culture is, which is kicking someone while they’re down. I think we all believe in what the heartbeat of a great sports story, which is seeing someone while they’re down and hoping they rise up and win the game, all of those elements around the show. It’s a tonal tightrope, and something that I think is potentially hard to play, but if you play the honesty of it, I think it’s very reflective of the real world.
How are you both feeling about season 2?
Glen Powell: I’ve never had such a good time making anything. When you get to collaborate with one of your best pals and make something that you love so much and that brings such joy to people … I just really feel so proud that we’ve done this first season and when you feel that way, you always make time. And so obviously it’s a bit of a wild momen, but I have a lot of energy and especially a lot of energy to do something that gives me a lot of joy with people I love.
Michael Waldron: If folks dig it, we’ll make more.
“Chad Powers” releases new episodes Tuesdays on Hulu.
The 7 Best New Movies on Hulu in October