Glen Powell and Michael Waldron teamed up in 2021 to create Chad Powers, a college football comedy about a disgraced former star quarterback who attempts a daring comeback. The series, now streaming on Hulu, explores the wild premise of a player disguising himself to earn a second chance in the sport, blending sports action with sharp humor. This unexpected collaboration launched from a virtual meeting set up by their agents and quickly evolved into a creative partnership centered around authentic football passion and storytelling.
During their initial meeting over Zoom, Waldron, known for creating Marvel’s Loki and the wrestling drama Heels, and Powell, who recently impressed in Top Gun: Maverick, discovered instant rapport, largely due to their shared love of college football and Southern roots. Powell is pursuing a degree at the University of Texas and is a familiar face on the Longhorns sidelines alongside Matthew McConaughey, while Waldron is an avid University of Georgia Bulldogs fan.
How a Viral Sketch Sparked a TV Show
The idea for Chad Powers stemmed from a viral sketch called “Eli’s Places” produced by Omaha Productions, a company led by NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. The sketch featured Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning going undercover as Chad Powers, a talented but quirky rookie trying out for Penn State’s football team. When Powell and Waldron’s agency flagged the project, both men immediately connected over its potential.
“I don’t think anybody else in the agency raised their hands, and both of our eyes lit up,”
Powell said, recalling how their enthusiasm kicked off the brainstorming sessions.
“I called Michael, and we just riffed on it.”
– Glen Powell, Actor and Co-creator of Chad Powers
The collaboration quickly turned creative, with Powell pushing the boundaries of what the show could be. Waldron remembered:
“Give Glen all the credit, because in our first conversation, I was like, ‘Well, you couldn’t actually do “Mrs. Doubtfire.’ Like, you couldn’t do a show where the guy puts a mask on. And Glen just said, ‘Yeah. But what if you did?’ I was like, ‘Oh, he’s insane. And that is the show.’ Because it’s such an impossible thing to pull off, [but] what if you did actually try to?!”
– Michael Waldron, Series Co-creator
A Story of Redemption Disguised as Comedy
The storyline of Chad Powers follows Russ Holliday, played by Powell, a cocky college quarterback who disastrously loses the National Championship game at the Rose Bowl and becomes a pariah after a public fight with a fan. Eight years later, desperate for redemption, he disguises himself with a prosthetic mask and new identity to play for a struggling team, the South Georgia Catfish.
The show mixes absurd humor with deeper themes. In one memorable moment, Chad freaks out when a fly gets trapped inside his prosthetic face, highlighting the slightly surreal comedy that sets the series apart. Beneath that, the series explores themes of identity, mistakes, and second chances in a digital age filled with instant shaming.
“We got really excited as we explored the idea of a broken guy who had been a jerk and had made a mistake and became a pariah — which I think happens over and over again in this modern, very online age — [and] if, by wearing a mask and playing a better person, that he could accidentally become a good guy,”
Waldron explained, describing the show’s emotional core.
“I’m always drawn to these stories about identity and people wrestling with who they are versus who they want to be.”
– Michael Waldron, Series Co-creator
Powell admitted it was intimidating to take on such a challenging role but embraced the risk:
“But like all great things, it was a bit of a Hail Mary pass… Every character in this show is at a point in their life where they’re willing to throw a Hail Mary pass. Waldron and I were willing to throw that pass, too.”
– Glen Powell, Actor and Co-creator
Building the World of Chad Powers
Powell and Waldron co-wrote the pilot while juggling other projects, crafting not only Chad’s character but also his relationships with coaches, teammates, family, and unexpected allies like the Deuxmoi-obsessed team mascot played by Frankie A. Rodriguez. Supporting characters include Coach Ricky (Perry Mattfeld), teammates Quentin Plair and Clayne Crawford, Steve Zahn, and Chad’s father portrayed by Toby Huss.
The creative duo infused their favorite pop culture references throughout the show, drawing inspiration from films such as Armageddon, Bull Durham, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Phantom of the Opera, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Mulan. This blend of sports narrative and unexpected comedy creates a distinctive tone that feels grounded despite the outlandish premise.
“It’s so nice to have a collaborative partner that you just are in awe of their brain and what they bring to the table,”
Powell said.
“And it’s not just a cheap joke; it’s a joke that’s rooted in reality. The one buy-in you get from the show is a man wearing a mask. Everything else has to feel grounded in real scenarios and real stakes.”
– Glen Powell, Actor and Co-creator
Authenticity in Football and Filming
To maintain realism, the show featured real college football teams as South Georgia Catfish’s opponents, including the University of Mississippi Rebels, the University of Tennessee Volunteers, and the Georgia Bulldogs — Waldron’s alma mater and a team that caught the spotlight across the show’s six episodes. This connection added meta layers, as Georgia and Texas were actual rivals during the 2024-25 season, with Waldron’s Bulldogs defeating Powell’s Longhorns twice.
“What is this? A fucking ambush?”
Powell joked when asked about this real-life rivalry mirroring the show’s sports battles. – Glen Powell, Actor and Co-creator
The season finale was filmed live at halftime of a sold-out game at Georgia’s Sanford Stadium, before a crowd of 92,000. Powell’s character was deliberately booed by the crowd to simulate the tension of an in-state rivalry game, an experience both daunting and exhilarating for the actor.
“Not to say that they wouldn’t have booed me anyway, but we did ask them to boo,”
Powell recalled, laughing.
“When I went out there, to literally have an entire stadium booing you, I got off the field and I told Waldron, ‘I don’t know if I’ve ever been so ready to run through a wall in my life. Like, that was crazy!’”
– Glen Powell, Actor and Co-creator
Powell compared the atmosphere to his experience working on Top Gun: Maverick, which was filmed on active aircraft carriers and demanded authenticity.
“That’s why ‘Top Gun’ feels authentic,”
he explained.
“We didn’t want this show to just be a half-hour football comedy. We wanted this thing to have scope and scale and the energy of college football, which is easier said than done.”
– Glen Powell, Actor and Co-creator
Challenges and Triumphs Behind the Camera
Filming the finale at Sanford Stadium posed logistical difficulties. With just six minutes to shoot, Waldron made his directorial debut during a high-pressure sequence that needed to deliver a memorable conclusion.
“This was my directorial debut, and I thought, ‘Well, let’s make it easy,”
Waldron joked.
“It’s the season finale, and we wanted to end it with a bang. We had the opportunity to do it, and by that point, I believed in my team of like-minded psychopaths to pull it off.”
– Michael Waldron, Series Co-creator and Director
The crew disguised themselves as coaches to blend in on the sidelines and used a flag communication system amid the roar of the crowd. Waldron recalls a last-minute decision to add a ball toss between Perry Mattfeld and Powell, greatly increasing the difficulty of the shot but ultimately succeeding thanks to the actors’ professionalism.
“We basically had two bites of the apple, and our steadicam op [Joseph B. Hernandez] is going to get this great orbiting shot of Glen and Perry,”
Waldron said.
“And at the last minute, I [told Perry,] ‘You know what’d be really cool is if you tossed him the ball.’ So suddenly, the degree of difficulty for Perry and Glen gets 5,000 times harder.”
– Michael Waldron, Series Co-creator and Director
“I don’t know if I’ll ever have a better day in my career,”
Waldron said afterward.
“But that represents the entire experience of filming the show. Everybody pulling together to do something that should be impossible but turns out to be so much fun and really beautiful.”
– Michael Waldron, Series Co-creator and Director
The Future of Chad Powers and Its Football Legacy
The six-episode debut leaves many questions open: Will the South Georgia Catfish pull off an upset over the mighty Bulldogs? Will Chad’s true identity remain a secret, now that Coach Ricky knows? And will the mascot Danny feature on Deuxmoi? Powell and Waldron are eager to explore these storylines if Hulu renews the show for a second season.
“It’s a make-or-break thing for me that the University of Texas be included,”
Powell insisted.
“I told Waldron, ‘If I have to support the UGA football program and not the University of Texas one more time, I’m gonna break.’”
– Glen Powell, Actor and Co-creator
Waldron added, “On my Season 2 whiteboard, on one of the episode blocks, I just have ‘Texas’ written.”
– Michael Waldron, Series Co-creator
Both creators expressed deep satisfaction with their work on the series and the opportunity to tell a heartfelt and humorous story about sports, identity, and redemption.
“The reason I do this is because I couldn’t play,”
Waldron said, reflecting on his personal connection to the subject.
“That was such a career highlight, and to get to do it with a friend at the top of his game, who loves this stuff as much as I do, it’s a dream. I mean, this is the dream job of all dream jobs.”
– Michael Waldron, Series Co-creator
