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Before Glen Powell strapped on a dollar-store wig and a mustache so bushy it needs its own landscaping crew — all for Hulu’s latest comedic experiment, Chad Powers — his titular character belonged to a very different arena. Back in 2022, Eli Manning donned the same get-up for a viral ESPN+ sketch, going undercover as “walk-on quarterback” Chad Powers during Penn State’s open tryouts. What started as a goofy bit about an aging Manning testing his spiral among college hopefuls quickly took on a strange second life – memed to oblivion, and even referenced by NFL commentators who couldn’t resist the punchline. It was the rare one-off sports comedy sketch that lodged itself in the culture.
Now, three years later, Powell is attempting the meme-to-mainstream jump, pulling a page out of Jason Sudeikis’ playbook by turning a throwaway sketch into a streaming comedy. Chad Powers imagines the character not just as a disguise, but as a persona; a flawed, brash, overconfident quarterback who can carry a series on his own. The leap says as much about our appetite for viral content-turned-actual art as it does about Powell’s ascent as Hollywood’s favorite leading man. If Eli’s sketch cracked the joke, Powell’s version is attempting to stretch out the laughs into an entire series about ego, athletics, and American myth-making.
How Eli Manning’s Viral ESPN+ Sketch Became a Pop Culture Phenomenon
Chad Powers was born on a practice field, not a studio set. In 2022, Manning showed up at Penn State tryouts sporting a shaggy mop, unruly upper-lip thicket, and the kind of confidence only a retired professional athlete could fake. The joke was simple: Manning pretending to be an overzealous “walk-on” while actual college hopefuls sized him up. He referred to himself in the third person, naturally, and strutted around the field spouting his self-motivating motto, “Think fast, run fast,” all while coaches looked on in disbelief and players scratched their heads trying to work out how he could possibly meet the age requirements. What should’ve been a quick short-form shenanigan hit bigger than expected, partly because of the prosthetics, partly because of Manning’s deadpan delivery, and partly because “Chad Powers” just sounded like a guy destined to host a podcast about DIY grilling hacks.
Instead of fading into the background like most sports comedy bits, Chad stuck. The sketch spawned catchphrases, memes, and even made its way into NFL broadcasts — proof that every once in a while, a silly one-off can worm its way into culture. And that’s when the character began to shift from gag to intellectual property. Like Sudeikis’ Ted Lasso, a skit built for laughs suddenly looked like the foundation for something bigger. And the pros were fairly obvious. The character had a built-in audience, appealed to the sports-loving crowd, and already had a working premise — yet the concept still offered enough room for Hulu to do something fresh, avoiding the traps of a typical reboot.
Only Glen Powell Has the Swagger to Sell ‘Chad Powers’
The joke was ready-made, but turning it into a series required someone who could walk the line between cocky and lovable. Enter Glen Powell. From rom-coms to Top Gun: Maverick, he’s carved out a spot as Hollywood’s go-to charm generator — the last true leading man, some even say. Powell is the type who can make arrogance feel hilarious and, occasionally, endearing. That combination of charisma and comedic timing made him perfect for taking Manning’s goofy sketch and turning it into a fully realized character with real stakes and a surprising amount of pathos. Powell isn’t just donning fake hair; he’s inhabiting a persona that can carry a series, turning a stereotype into a flawed, brash, fully realized hero. Or, at least the kind of guy whose comeback story audiences don’t mind sinking a few hours into watching.
And the Mannings’ willingness to clown themselves made it all possible. Eli’s knack for self-deprecation — often alongside his brother Peyton on SNL and ESPN ads — set the tone for Chad Powers from the start. Their comfort with laughing at their own legacies gave the character its DNA, and Eli’s involvement in the Hulu series hopefully keeps that original spirit alive — even as Powell runs with the role.
Can ‘Chad Powers’ Actually Score With Viewers?
Some early reviews say Hulu’s take on Chad Powers leans into darker, more abrasive territory than Manning’s original sketch ever did, which feels like a predictable consequence of expanding a 15-minute bit into a six-episode series. Powell plays Russ Holliday, a disgraced quarterback reinventing himself via elaborate prosthetics and subterfuge to walk on at a small Georgia college team. Critics say the tonal shifts between broad comedy and moody drama are jarring, especially for fans who might’ve expected the show to take the Ted Lasso route. (A feel-good, cosy redemption tale this is not.) What it does have going for it is ambition — co-creators Powell and Michael Waldron clearly saw that simple skit as a starting block to build something risky and maybe more worthwhile on.
Whether it can make good on that ambition is still to be seen. Even with Powell’s star power baked in, you only really know if a cheeky sketch on a sports network meant to fill time between quarters will work by giving it the opportunity to crash and burn. If it doesn’t, it won’t be because Manning’s original version of the character wasn’t up to snuff. His Chad Powers’ only real crime was being too good, too memorable, too iconic not to coax him back into the streaming spotlight.
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