Do you like Ted Lasso, but you prefer American football to soccer? I have a show for you.
Similar to Ted Lasso, Chad Powers started as a short sketch played mostly for comedy. Real-life quarterback Eli Manning dressed up with a bunch of prosthetics and pretended to be a walk-on quarterback at Penn State.
The 6-episode show follows a disgraced college athlete whose father works in Hollywood (hence the access to prosthetics). He makes up a fictional character, Chad Powers, to try to reclaim the glory he feels was taken away from him–in a big way, the show is about taking responsiblity instead of placing blame.
I really liked the show, and I look forward to season 2. It has good heart, and it’s very funny at times, especially when “Chad” is ad-libbing to cover up his fictional past.
One disclaimer, though: Chad’s alter ego, Russ, is the epitome of unlikable, especially at the beginning of the season. He’s incredibly crass, crude, and self-centered. This is by design, but I just don’t want you to be caught off guard.
Let me know what you think if you watch Chad Powers!