New comedies sometimes come and go and don’t really elevate the genre. But every once in a while, one stands out and reminds us that a comedy series is something special. Which is why I think people should be paying attention to this Glen Powell/Michael Waldron created show.
Chad Powers is based on an Eli Manning sketch from a few years ago but the series does something really special with the character of Russ Holliday (Powell). For all his bravado and ego, at his core is a man who doesn’t really know who he is and he thinks badly about himself. More than once throughout the series, Russ makes comments about people loving “Chad” or these parts of himself but misses that Chad is still Russ.
Yes, there are dumb jokes and bits that make this a fun comedy to watch but like all great comedy shows, it allows its characters to be unique and different while having emotional depth to them. My favorite show of all time is Parks and Recreation, a series that many can discount as a “dumb comedy” but the series allows its characters to grow and change and care.
In a lot of ways, that’s what makes Chad Powers special too. These people want the Catfish team to win because they care about the players and the people working as a team. And Russ has to slowly learn that he’s not all that bad even if he makes bad decisions. Isn’t that great?! So why are you not watching it?
Russ is a flawed guy but that’s what makes him a perfect leading character
During a recent interview with The Wrap for the series, Powell and Waldron talked a lot about what makes this show special and I am want to agree with Powell’s take on Russ. The sketch had Manning under the mask and we all love him but with Chad Powers, the man behind the West Virginia quarterback is Russ Holliday, who everyone hates.
But I love that the series allows Russ to just try to figure out who he really is. Yes, I did get emotional thinking about Russ thinking he’s a bad man but then you see how everyone talks about him and you can begin to understand why he doesn’t like himself. And that is what really makes Russ/Chad’s journey in the show work.
“As Russ Holliday goes on this journey, and the eyes of the world turn towards him, and a program believes in him, the stakes become higher, which means the fall becomes more painful and potentially disastrous, and it’s all happening again,” Powell told the publication. “One of the things that we just loved about this was this idea that you have a really flawed character at the center of it, it’s a guy that we all know, or someone we can identify with, which is a person who made a mistake and has been defined by a mistake, and would give anything, including a new face, to turn back the clock and do it right again.”
We can have more Chad Powers, if you guys would just watch
The show still has one more episode to air but questions of a season 2 have been circulating. Both Powell and Waldron have said they’d make more if people like the show and Powell told The Wrap that he “never had such a good time making anything.” So…will we get more of Chad/Russ?
“When you get to collaborate with one of your best pals and make something that you love so much and that brings such joy to people … I just really feel so proud that we’ve done this first season and when you feel that way, you always make time,” Powell said. “And so obviously it’s a bit of a wild moment, but I have a lot of energy and especially a lot of energy to do something that gives me a lot of joy with people I love.”
And, as Waldron said, “If folks dig it, we’ll make more.” SO WATCH Chad Powers.
(featured image: Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.)
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