The newest sports comedy series streaming this fall is Hulu's Chad Powers. Based on an "Eli's Places" episode where Eli Manning wore facial prosthetics to transform himself into a unidentifiable football star, Chad Powers expands on this character who must hide his identity in order to play again.
The show stars Glen Powell as both Russ Holliday (a disgraced college football player) and Chad Powers, a new-to-school southern weirdo who looks terrified about keeping this massive secret.
What happened in Chad Powers episode 1 on Hulu?
We meet Russ Holliday at the height of his college football career in the 4th quarter of the Rose Bowl. With incredibly fancy footwork, it looks like he's going to make the winning touchdown, but he doesn't realize that he celebrated too early and dropped the ball before he crossed into the end zone. Letting his ego get the best of him, he then further embarrasses himself by punching a fan on the sideline.
In the middle of his football identity crisis, Russ is hopeful that the professional football world will forget about his scandal, but no one wants to sign him. The name Russ Holliday has become synonymous with a curse, and Russ' dad, who works as a professional prosthetic make-up artist, calls it like it is. He wants his son to realize that his football career is over, and argues that he needs to move on with his life and leave football behind.
With his dad encouraging him to help out with the family business, Russ finds himself at Fox Studios in Los Angeles delivering a prosthetic mask. But a glimpse at the old billboard for the movie Mrs. Doubtfire (conveniently located on a soundstage near the lot's entrance) becomes the ultimate lightbulb moment for his football career. Russ takes the mask he was supposed to deliver to the lot, and uses it to craft himself a brand new identity.
How a catfish player becomes a Catfish star
Driving out to open tryouts for the South Georgia University football team, Russ thinks everything is going to plan when he's able to successfully transform his look. But he may have been a little too covert in how he acted on campus because he's swiftly attacked by the school's catfish mascot -- who thought he was a school shooter. After they reveal their true identities to each other, an unexpected friendship blossoms between the two.
Danny the mascot helps Russ reapply the prosthetics, and sends him off to tryouts, offering advice and hopeful that Russ will make the team. There's one big problem though.... Russ hadn't thought of a name for his new persona. Assistant coach Ricky sees right through his terrible acting, but he ends up taking the field anyway with dozens of other young college students.
Chad is off to a rough start on the field, especially as he's plagued with flashbacks, and he considers quitting altogether. But with a quick pep talk from Danny, and coaches who are desperate to find a new quarterback, Chad gets the confidence he needs to make plays and put on a great show. The coaching team thinks he's a little crazy (and that he might have some brain damage), but he lands himself a spot on the team!
Coach Ricky confides in Chad after tryouts
After tryouts, it's revealed that assistant coach Ricky is the daughter of the head coach. She confides in Chad that she was also previously a superstar on the track team there, but when she couldn't run anymore, she was hired by her dad and is now judged for nepotism. Despite having the most to prove on the coaching staff, she also seems to be the other one with legitimate suspicions about Chad's... whole vibe. Chad doesn't come clean about who he really is, but commits to the team anyway.
Though it can't be that easy, right? Of course not. It seems as though Chad's biggest challenge will actually be convincing the school he's the age of a college student with paperwork that proves his identity. But seeing as how the stars have aligned for every other unlikely moment in the first episode, I have a feeling he'll be able to draw up some believable fake documents. Go Catfish!
Chad Powers season 1 streams Tuesdays on Hulu.