Glen Powell’s 6-Part Hulu Series Makes For An Easy One-Night Binge

While Glen Powell’s Hulu series wasn’t as critically acclaimed as viewers might have hoped, the show’s short run makes the lightweight comedy perfect fare for a quick one-night binge. In the era of Prestige TV, it can sometimes be tough to justify a silly binge-watch. There are countless gripping dramas vying for the attention of viewers, and heavy, brutal shows like Hulu’s adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale often earn superb reviews precisely because of their unapologetic intensity.

However, sometimes viewers just want a quick laugh, and even ostensible comedies like The Bear can feel too dramatic and emotionally involved to fit the bill. When a light-hearted comedy is the order of the day, viewers could do worse than to look through the filmography of Top Gun: Maverick’s breakout star Glen Powell, who has prioritized comedic roles on the big and small screen alongside his more serious projects. From How to Make a Killing to 2023’s Anyone but You, Powell has plenty of comedy movies to his name.

While he also appeared as a guest star in the long-running cartoon comedies Family Guy and Rick and Morty, as well as stealing scenes in the cult horror-comedy Scream Queens before he was famous, Powell’s lone live-action comedy series, Chad Powers, was met with mixed reviews. Based on a series of viral skits by Eli Manning and created by Powell and Loki writer Michael Waldron, the six-part Hulu comedy series focuses on Powell’s eponymous quarterback with a secret.

Why Chad Powers Is Worth Watching (Despite The Rotten Tomatoes Score)

Disney/Zac Popik

After humiliating himself during a game and destroying a potential pro career, Powell’s college quarterback, Russ Holliday, hatches a plan to don a wig and some elaborate prosthetics so he can reinvent himself as the titular Chad Powers, a walk-on player who tries to start over anew at a different college. Clearly indebted to the work of Eastbound and Down creator Jody Hill, Chad Powers takes a daring approach to Powell’s title character, ensuring the show’s ostensible hero is thoroughly unlikable.

Critics were divided on how well this worked, especially when the show doesn’t always capture the delicate balance between dark cynicism and unexpected sweetness found in Hill’s Danny McBride vehicle. While insufferable comedy protagonists are a sitcom institution from Archie Bunker to The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper, Chad Powers makes an unusual choice by casting an actor famous for his charisma in such a uniquely unpleasant role.

Chad Powers Is Returning For Season 2 In 2026

However, there is a reason that for every critic who didn’t get Chad Powers, there was a reviewer singing the show’s praises. As an alternative to Ted Lasso, the show is too mean-spirited and dark, but as a portrait of a deeply flawed antihero, it is a compelling and funny misadventure that plays out like a less optimistic version of Netflix’s Karate Kid spinoff Cobra Kai.

Where that series was interested in redeeming the pitiful original villain, William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence, Chad Powers is committed to making its title character worse and making his circumstances worse before he gets better. Powell’s upcoming Judd Apatow movie, The Comeback King, looks set to be a similarly dark character study of a flawed protagonist, so both this forthcoming movie and the upcoming Chad Powers season 2 are welcome arrivals for fans of grim character comedy.

While there are a lot of great comedy shows that feel like a warm hug, the genre also needs projects like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia or South Park, whose edgier satire feels more like a bracing smack in the face. Glen Powell’s unexpectedly dark comedy Chad Powers fits the bill perfectly, making it a must-watch on Hulu for anyone seeking out a comedic tale that is short and sharp, but far from sweet.