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Plot: Chad Powers is a superstar on the field but his odd behavior off it has everyone suspicious – especially Coach Hudson and Gerry. The walls are closing in on Russ’s lie, and if he and Danny want Chad to survive the regular season and lead the Catfish to the College Football Playoff, the only person who can help them is the last person who wants to: Ricky.
Review: The first season of Chad Powers took a funny skit from a reality show created by former NFL quarterback Eli Manning and turned it into a character study comedy starring Glen Powell. Powell, who co-created the series alongside Loki creator Michael Waldron, brought his big-screen swagger to the dual role of the awkward fictional title character and the man under his prosthetics, maligned former QB Russ Holliday. The six-episode first season of Chad Powers evoked the inspirational tone of Ted Lasso with a darker angle about identity and purpose. The football itself was secondary, since the soccer was in Ted Lasso, but there was something charming about Powell playing an unlikeable character who learns to be comfortable in his own identity while pretending to be someone else that elevated the series beyond the Mrs. Doubtfire misunderstandings and shenanigans. The first season ended somewhat abruptly with Chad’s secret discovered by someone close to him, and this new second season digs in further while also taking things in a darker direction.
The new season of Chad Powers picks up right where the first left off: in the middle of the amazing season of the South Georgia Catfish under the leadership of Coach Jake Hudson (Steve Zahn). At the end of season one, Hudson’s daughter and assistant coach Ricky (Perry Mattfeld) discovers that Chad is actually Russ and begrudgingly keeps his secret so the team does not lose the chance at the College Football National Championship. Now, Ricky joins Russ and his friend and collaborator, Danny (Frankie Rodriguez), as the only people who know the truth about Chad. As the season progresses, the stress of the secret begins to weigh on all three of them, especially as the team gets closer and closer to the title game and the media exposure grows at their tiny Georgia school. The series shifts a bit to focus on those who know who Chad really is and how it impacts them, and less time with the other characters. Steve Zahn still gets some development surrounding Coach Hudson’s heart attack last season and how it impacts this season, but Coach Dobbs (Clayne Crawford) and Coach Byrd (Quentin Plair) have little to do other than wonder why Chad is so damn strange.
We get the return of most of the characters from season one, including Toby Huss as Russ Holliday’s make-up artist father, Mike, but the focus remains on Chad and his inner circle. There is an increase in screen time for backup quarterback Gerry Dougan (Colton Ryan). Portrayed last season as an infinitely positive Christian athlete who was just not very good at football, Gerry had a breakdown in the finale when Chad stepped right back into the QB role. This season, Colton Ryan gets to take Gerry to some very dark places that illuminate just how bizarre he is, making him a worthy antagonist. Chicken millionaire and Catfish booster Tricia Yeager (Wynn Everett) also gets more of a presence as she maneuvers Chad into the limelight and positions herself to become even more wealthy from it. Tricia remains a comedic presence, but Everett’s character could easily become more prominent as the series progresses beyond this season.
Chad Powers began as a comedy before introducing some heavier dramatic elements towards the end of the first season. In season two, Chad is still a bizarre character, and I laughed out loud several times at some of the off-the-wall things he says to explain his behavior, but the series takes a much darker, more psychological turn, finishing the season feeling more like a drama than a comedy. The tonal adjustments are not jarring but do offer some interesting variations to keep the story feeling fresh, with co-creator Michael Waldron taking the lead as writer on the season premiere and director on multiple episodes. Glen Powell remains an actor and producer only this season, with no script credits to his name, with Jen Bashian, Rebecca Addelman, Ben Dougan, Jordan Mendoza, Rickey Larke, Gaelyn Golde, and Luvh Rakhe responsible for the writing.
At just six half-hour episodes, this season feels like the second half of the first season rather than a standalone narrative run. Since season one finished at the halfway point of the Catfish football schedule, this season continues the rest of the way towards the playoffs. I wondered watching the first season how the story could be sustained for a long-term run, and we get plenty of story packed into a span of just a few weeks in these chapters. The idea of Russ keeping his charade as Chad is addressed this season, as are teases of where several characters could go if Chad Powers is renewed for a third season. The stakes are getting bigger, and the promise of more complex risks could make for an interesting twist as the team continues to head for success with Chad in command on the field. There are a lot of payoffs to relationships and threads introduced in the first season as well as wrinkles in Russ Holliday’s backstory as Chad that create tension while keeping the story entertaining and funny, but decidedly more dramatic.
Chad Powers connected with audiences more than the critics in the first season, and I expect this run will be equally divisive. I have had my reservations about Glen Powell’s ability to sustain his level of success as Hollywood’s newest star, but he gets the chance to stretch himself in every tone, style, and direction this season without losing the quirky charm that even lets this insane concept work as a series. Chad Powers is more of an Anti-Ted Lasso than anything, but manages to imbue a sense of inspiration and positivity as Chad himself continues to redeem himself despite breaking the law, betraying trust and ethics through his subterfuge. Chad Powers is an easy binge, and this season is just brisk enough to keep you engaged and entertained while leaving fans with another finale poised to take a potential third season in an even crazier direction.
Chad Powers returns for its six-episode second season on September 3rd on Hulu.
The post Chad Powers Season 2 TV Review: Glen Powell returns for a darker sophomore season appeared first on JoBlo.
