Jonathan Millar 
Anil Krishna 
James Oconner 
‘Chad Powers’ Season 2 Review Roundup: Glen Powell’s Sports Comedy Keeps Getting Better
© Hulu
When Chad Powers first showed up on Hulu, there was a pretty obvious question hanging over it: could a joke that worked in an ESPN sketch actually carry an entire TV series? The basic idea was ridiculous enough. Glen Powell plays a disgraced college quarterback who changes his appearance with a prosthetic disguise and tries to get another shot at football. Funny in a commercial, sure. But turning that into a full season could have gotten old very quickly. Now that Season 2 is here, though, most critics seem to think the show has managed to get past that problem. What started as a goofy premise has turned into a sports comedy that actually has some heart behind it.
The second season feels more comfortable in its own skin, too. Instead of constantly going back to the joke of Powell looking completely different as Chad, the show spends more time dealing with the mess he has created for himself. His lies have consequences now, and he has people around him that he genuinely doesn’t want to disappoint. That gives the comedy a little more weight, especially when the story gets into friendship, accountability and Chad trying to figure out who he really wants to be. It isn’t suddenly a serious drama, but there is more going on here than the disguise.
Glen Powell Is Still Doing Most of the Heavy Lifting
Powell remains the biggest reason the show works. He’s not just the lead actor, either; he’s also a co-creator and writer, and you can feel that involvement in the way Chad has been shaped. The character is still arrogant, impulsive and very capable of making the wrong decision at exactly the wrong time, but Season 2 gives him a softer side without completely sanding off those rough edges.
That’s probably the trick with Chad. Powell doesn’t play him like someone who has suddenly learned all his lessons. He’s still Chad, which means he’s still going to screw things up. But there is a genuine desire to make things right underneath all that ego, and Powell is pretty good at letting that come through without turning every emotional moment into a big speech. The result is a character who’s much easier to root for than he probably has any right to be.
The Supporting Cast Gets More to Do
One of the nicer changes in Season 2 is that the show isn’t quite as obsessed with keeping Chad at the center of everything. The supporting characters get more space, and that makes the whole series feel bigger.
Perry Mattfeld is one of the standouts, especially now that her character knows Chad’s secret. She’s dealing with her own career goals, her family’s reputation and her increasingly complicated feelings about Russ, so she has plenty going on outside of simply reacting to Chad. Colton Ryan and Wynn Everett also get some strong material. Ryan, in particular, brings a weirdly intense energy to his role as a rival who’s determined to uncover what Chad is hiding. At times, he almost seems like he’s wandered into a thriller instead of a sports comedy, and that’s part of what makes the character funny.
The Comedy Gets a Little More Complicated
The stakes are higher this time around, but the show doesn’t forget that it’s supposed to be funny. As Chad’s secret becomes harder to protect, some episodes start playing with thriller territory, particularly around the middle of the season. The series doesn’t suddenly become Breaking Bad, obviously, but there are moments where you actually wonder how badly things are going to blow up.
That works because Chad has changed. He actually cares about his teammates and coaches now, so getting caught isn’t just going to ruin his own career. There are other people who could get dragged into the fallout. It makes the near-misses more interesting because there’s something at stake beyond another joke about his ridiculous disguise. The show can still be silly one minute and surprisingly sincere the next, which is probably where it has found its sweet spot.
Six Episodes Is Still a Problem
The biggest complaint in the reviews is also one of the easiest to understand: Season 2 is only six episodes long. That’s not much room when the show is trying to juggle Chad’s story, the supporting cast, the football storyline and all the complications surrounding his secret.
Because of that, some storylines move faster than they probably should. A few supporting characters don’t get nearly as much to do as they could have, and certain developments feel like they’re being pushed along because there simply isn’t another episode to slow things down. The season is entertaining throughout, but you can occasionally see the seams.
There are also moments where Chad Powers sticks fairly close to the usual sports-comedy playbook. That’s not necessarily a dealbreaker, especially if you’re watching for the characters and jokes, but some critics felt the show could have taken a few bigger swings instead of always choosing the safer option.
So, Is Season 2 Worth Watching?
For the most part, the answer from critics seems to be yes. Chad Powers could very easily have been one of those shows where the original joke is funny for ten minutes and then everybody starts wondering why it became a series. Instead, the writers have slowly built an actual character around the joke, and Season 2 benefits from that work.
It’s still goofy. It still has plenty of ridiculous moments. But there is enough character development, comedy and genuine emotion here to make the whole thing feel like more than a long version of the original sketch. The six-episode runtime is frustrating, and the story doesn’t always take the biggest risks, but if you liked the first season, there’s little reason to stop now. Powell and the ensemble have turned Chad Powers into a surprisingly easy show to root for.
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