Glen Powell to Lead New Hulu Series Chad Powers, Based on Eli Manning Skit
Devin Piel
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Football and comedy fans rejoice! There's a new comedy series coming to Hulu.
Glen Powell (Anyone But You, Top Gun: Maverick) fans can rejoice, too, because he's going to be the star of the series.
According to Deadline, Hulu ordered its newest series, Chad Powers, a half-hour comedy based on an Eli Manning comedy sketch.
The show will follow a great quarterback who loses his college career due to bad behavior.
After being kicked off of his college team, the quarterback walks onto a struggling Southern football team as the talented Chad Powers.
Glen Powell to co-create Chad Powers
Not only is heartthrob Glen Powell set to star as Chad Powers, but he's co-creating the series with Michael Waldron (Loki).
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The series will come from 20th Television and will stream on Hulu.
Powell and Waldron released a joint statement about the new series, noting that they are both football fans who are ready to take on this challenge.
"We're both diehard college football fans," their statement read.
"When we saw Eli has Chad Powers, we knew that was the way into a big, fun story about this world.
"We're excited to be part of this team and can't wait to get Chad in the game. Think fast, run fast."
Manning is an executive producer, as well as Omaha Productions' Peyton Manning, Jamie Horowitz, Ben Brown, and ESPN.
Chad Powers is based on an Eli Manning comedy sketch
Former NFL quarterback Eli Manning was Chad Powers in his own comedy sketch, which was produced by NFL Films and Omaha Productions.
The sketch aired as part of the Eli's Places series and was a smash hit.
It even included a brief cameo of Peyton Manning, a football fan favorite.
In the sketch, Manning goes undercover as a college football player trying to get to walk on to the team.
Everyone is impressed by his ability, aside from the coach, who knew it was Manning all along.
The skit shows Manning getting ready to try out and putting on his disguise, though some people could see right through it.
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Chad Powers wowed with his skill, impressing everyone around him.
However, the other athletes weren't aware that it was Manning until the very end, when it was revealed that he was ineligible to play on their team.
Manning took off his disguise and revealed himself to the athletes, who were astounded at the revelation.
To this day, Chad Powers remains as much of a legacy as Manning himself.
"The love for Chad Powers has surprised me in spectacular ways," Manning said in a statement.
"I played 16 years in the NFL, but now when I'm in a restaurant or walking through an airport, it's not uncommon for fans to scream, 'Hey Chad!'
"I'm so excited to team up with my friends Glen Powell, Michael Waldron, and Omaha Productions to continue to tell the Chad Powers story and see what he does next."
A Familiar Sounding Origin Story
If this origin story sounds familiar, that's because Apple TV+'s megahit Ted Lasso had similar origins.
Star and co-creator Jason Sudakeis starred in a series of commercials for NBC's coverage of England's Premier League, and the character connected in a big way.
With Chad Powers, Manning won't be starring in the series turn, but tapping Powell for the role is sure to turn heads.
Powell scored big with his Top Gun role and has been scouring up box office receipts starring opposite Sydney Sweeney in Anyone But You, so we have no doubt he'll be aces here.
Many people will tune into the opportunity to see Powell dig into some comedy.
Hopefully, Chad Powers won't drop in one batch, either, giving viewers a chance to digest what they're watching and talk about it before it disappears.
It's not Powell's first time on TV, having starred in Scream Queens and with roles on Rizzoli and Isles and NCIS, and we sure don't hope it's his last.
What do you think about the Chad Powers story?
Sound off in the comments below.
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Devin Piel, an entertainment news writer from the Midwest with a passion for true crime and binge-streaming the latest Netflix series, is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. You can follow her on X.