Glen Powell’s “Chad Powers” Fumbles with Critics Despite promising Finale
Los Angeles, CA – November 16, 2023 – Glen Powell’s new Hulu comedy series, Chad Powers, is drawing mixed reactions from television critics, with many finding the premise repetitive and the humor mean-spirited despite a finale that hints at a darker, more compelling direction. The six-episode series, released ahead of schedule to critics, centers on Powell’s character, a former high school football star who returns to his hometown posing as a teenager to reclaim his glory days.
Several reviews point to a lack of depth in the show’s core relationships and a reliance on a single joke.Entertainment Weekly’s Kristen Baldwin noted the show feels “a little slapdash,” specifically criticizing the dynamic between Russ and danny (Frankie A. Rodriguez), a University of South Georgia student who assists in Russ’s deception.
Meredith Hobbs Coons of The A.V. Club described the show’s humor as leaning into ”the jerkier aspects of Powell’s character,” adding that the series ultimately repeats “the same goddamn joke: Chad sounds a bit off,looks a bit off,says weird things,and may get discovered as a fraud at any second. Oh, and there’s some mean-spirited jock humor.”
Though, not all responses were negative. The Wrap’s William Goodman praised the show’s tonal balance, comparing it favorably to Ted Lasso, and called it “one of the year’s biggest surprises.” Goodman wrote that Chad powers “toggles between comedy and drama like a dual-threat QB.”
A recurring theme in the critical assessment is the show’s finale, which takes a cynical turn and leaves the possibility of a more ample narrative arc open for a potential second season. the Hollywood Reporter’s Daniel Fienberg questioned whether the finale was a genuine shift toward a “stealthily subversive series” or merely a “contrived speed bump.” He stated, “If the finale is a starting point for the somewhat dark story chad Powers actually wants to be, you can consider me truly curious.If the finale is just a contrived speed bump…I don’t like Chad Powers very much at all.”
