In Chad Powers, Glen Powell plays Russ Holliday, a disgraced college quarterback trying to reinvent himself with a Southern football team. The idea isn’t new. After all, there are many underdog stories of people trying to rise to the top while learning valuable life lessons along the way. But this Hulu show is specifically inspired by a viral ESPN+ skit starring NFL star Eli Manning, who went undercover at a Penn State tryout.
Chad Powers will premiere on September 30, 2025, on Hulu and Disney+. The show has 6 episodes and was co-created by Michael Waldron and Powell. They expanded that small skit into a multi-episode show that told a story. Apart from Powell, the show stars Steve Zahn, Perry Mattfeld, Quentin Plair, Wynn Everett, Frankie A. Rodriguez, Toby Huss, and more in supporting roles.
Chad Powers: What Is the Viral Eli Manning Sketch It Is Based On
In September 2022, ESPN+ released an episode of the Eli’s Places skit where Eli Manning put on prosthetics and a blonde wig and walked into Penn State’s football tryouts as “Chad Powers.” So, who was Chad Powers? It was a persona made up by the production team to test Manning’s football skills against college players.
This prank went viral as Manning fooled coaches and athletes there with his superior skills. When he revealed himself, fans and the people there were delighted. Here’s the video below from Omaha Productions, who collaborated with ESPN+:
This Mrs. Doubtfire-meets-football stunt has now been made into a Hulu original show by Powell. So, it’s not really based on a true story. In an interview with THR, the Top Gun: Maverick actor revealed why the skit went viral. Powell said:
What made Eli’s thing so magical is the viewer knew Eli Manning was under [the disguise]. So, let’s use the lie at the center of this thing, which creates inherent fun conflict over the course of the series. We were like, ‘OK, we’re going to Tootsie this thing. Let’s Mrs. Doubtfire it, and let’s see how far we can take this lie.
The show’s episodes are expected to have a romantic subplot, more characters, and team politics to expand on the core concept of the prank.
Will Eli Manning Star in Chad Powers as Well
Even though Eli Manning and his brother Peyton are executive producing the show, Eli won’t star in it as Chad Powers. This ensures that he can oversee the production without requiring him to act. Here’s more information about the Hulu show below:
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Name of the Show | Chad Powers |
| Creators | Glen Powell, Michael Waldron |
| Director | Tony Yacenda |
| Executive Producers | Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Glen Powell, Michael Waldron, Jamie Horowitz, Ben Brown |
| Genre | Sports Comedy |
| Episodes | 6 |
| Premiere Date | September 30, 2025 |
| Platform | Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ |
| Main Cast | Glen Powell; Steve Zahn; Perry Mattfeld; Quentin Plair; Wynn Everett; Frankie A. Rodriguez; Toby Huss; Clayne Crawford; Colton Ryan |
Chad Powers’ idea of taking one viral sports sketch and expanding it into a show has been done before by Ted Lasso with great success. After all, the show has just wrapped filming its fourth season. So, the genre of sports drama is riding high on the shoulders of the Jason Sudeikis-led show. It will be interesting to see if Chad Powers can join it or not.
Will you be tuning in on September 30, 2025? Do you think it will have any similarities to Ted Lasso? Let us know in the comments below.
Chad Powers will premiere on Hulu on September 30, 2025.
