Sports comedies used to be the go to vibe for movies and television shows. Somewhere throughout the years, we stopped really making them. But lucky Michael Waldron and Glen Powell joined forces to bring audiences Chad Powers. The first season put Powell in the starring role as Russ Holliday, a disgraced college football star who wants a second chance. And now season 2 has upped the anti.
At the end of season 1, Ricky Hudson (Perry Mattfeld) discovers the truth about Chad Powers. Chad, a strange man from Virginia who always seems to have lore dropping, is Russ’ alter ego and when he has to use his cybertruck to help get Jake Hudson (Steve Zahn) get to the hospital, Ricky knows the truth. Which sets season 2 up for a fascinating new element: Ricky reluctantly helping Chad/Russ.
What makes this season of the show such a great elevation comes down to how Waldron and company use Ricky and Chad/Russ’ relationship to grow the story while Danny (Frankie Rodriguez) remains Russ’ one true friend. It’s the same show we all fell in love with in season 1 but with much higher stakes that really takes what Powell and Waldron built off the 2022 Eli Manning sketch and turns it into something truly special.
What’s better than an unrequited crush? One who seemingly hates you, I guess
In season 1, it was obviously set up that Ricky was getting closer to Chad. Even though she thought he was strange, there was a love brewing between the two. Whether it was romantic was the question and it all was thrown out the window when she discovered that Chad wasn’t real. That hurt over losing her friend is built into season 2 from the jump and allows Chad Powers the chance to explore what Russ Holliday is like when the girl he likes barely tolerates him.
Through a lot of the second season, Ricky is all but captive to Russ and Danny’s schemes. Her job and life is on the line the same way that theirs is and she has to work with them despite not really wanting to. But even when she’s at her end with Russ, she still wants him to succeed and not just for the sake of the Catfish.
Glen Powell is hilarious (and relatable) as Chad/Russ
In both seasons of Chad Powers, the more outrageous moments work because of Powell’s grounded performance. There are moments when Russ is baring his soul to Ricky or Danny and Powell is delivering an emotional performance all with chipmunk cheek prosthetics on and talking like Ed Gein. It’s kind of genius.
And season 2 really allowed Russ to grow as a character. Season 1 took him back to his old ways but season 2 really allows Russ to learn from what he’s done in the past and shows how a man who once had everything can grow and change for the better. And we want to see that happen not because Russ is a good person. In fact, even Danny says to Ricky at one point that he is flawed but he cares. But we want to see that happen because of what Powell brings to the character.
A great way to up the stakes for season 2 (and beyond)
It would have been easy for the show to fall into its same pattern with Ricky not engaging with Chad. Instead, including her in their grand plan allows the show to grow and shift in a necessary way. It’s just as outrageous of a premise with the comedy really working to show that Russ is maybe just a theatre kid at heart who also happens to be good at football. But what really worked about season 2 is that the show allows its characters to be human.
Russ hurt Ricky and she doesn’t just instantly forget that. He’s lonely and hurt by his own past, Danny is the only one who really tries to understand Russ, and it all allows the audience the chance to really love these people even when they are doing arguably bad things. Gerry (Colton Ryan) isn’t handling getting pushed aside for Chad well and it is understandable!
So much of Chad Powers works because you care about the people trying to win. And not just football. They’re trying to win this lie and the second season continues to grow this world of Catfish football even setting up a beautiful continuation for the series. And boy is season 2 giving us something to really chew on.
You can see what Waldron and Powell has in store for fans on September 3.
Reviews