So many of you are Ted Lasso pilled and it is sad. Sad to someone like me who grew up watching shows like Coach and movies like Tin Cup. We used to be a proper sports loving society, which is why I love Chad Powers so much.
The series, created by Glen Powell and Michael Waldron, is based on a sketch that Eli Manning did for ESPN back in 2022. So many are unjustly comparing the series to the Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso, which was based on a Jason Sudeikis character and they expanded it for three seasons. It makes sense why people think that Chad Powers is similar then but you’re doing the series a disservice by thinking they’re one in the same.
Chad Powers is a redemption story, something that Ted Lasso is not. While Ted Lasso is about kindness and hope, Chad Powers is about a man named Russ Holliday (Glen Powell) learning how to be a decent human. Russ is not a good man and you’re not supposed to like him. He has to earn that love throughout the season.
The way Russ is used in the series reminds me a lot more of how Chris Smith exists in Peacemaker rather than anything happening in Ted Lasso. But because of “sports,” people instantly make the connection. And I do think that is sad. We have had so little of our beloved sports-centered comedies in recent years that your gut reaction is to just compare?
But I also think that if you give Chad Powers an actual chance, you will see that the series as a whole is very fun. And I know, many discount me because they know it is completely my kind of thing, but I do think it is something special.
Bring back this genre because we clearly forgot how good it is
One of my favorite shows as a kid was Coach. The Craig T. Nelson led series was always on and my dad watched it until the day he died. When you get into sports movies, my father used to quote Rudy and Field of Dreams all the time. Point being: I grew up watching movies and television shows centered around sports.
For some reason, we moved away from them. Yes, we had Friday Night Lights and shows like All American but that ended 14 years ago. We aren’t making nearly as many sports movies anymore and if we do, they’re movies about “true” stories. We lost the art of a good fun sports story. Which is why I love Chad Powers.
It is about football and the people who love it and pair that with Russ and his inability to think about anyone other than himself and it makes for great tension throughout the series! At the end of the day, Chad Powers is fun. It is funny. And if you stop trying to make everything Ted Lasso, you might realize that and enjoy yourself.
(featured image: Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.)
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