Glen Powell's New Sports Comedy Makes a Redemption Play for the Manosphere Actorsvaultpro

In the new Glenn Powell sports-comedy Chad Powers, the actor plays Russ Holliday, a former Oregon Ducks quarterback whose career implodes after a game-losing play at the Rose Bowl. Out of options, Russ uses makeup and prosthetics to disguise himself as Chad Powers, a Southern newcomer who walks onto the South Georgia Catfish football field to get his one shot at redemption.

The first two episodes of Chad Powers, now available on Hulu, show just how much Russ needs redemption. When he adopts the Chad Powers persona, he’s at a low point in his life. Russ is a grade-A jerk who became that way because society shut him out. He holds tight to outdated trends in an attempt to maintain the feeling of relevance. Chad is nothing like Russ, which should mean that over the course of six episodes, Russ will rediscover his true self.

Russ Holliday Is a Textbook Toxic Male

Hulu

Eight years after ruining his football career, Russ Holliday spends his time in Los Angeles. He wears a beanie and an earring and drives a Tesla Cybertruck. He boasts to his agent about how losing his career was actually a good thing, as it gave him opportunities like appearing on The Masked Singer and investing in cryptocurrency. At one party, he loudly references the viral meme “hawk tuah,” much to the dismay of Haley Welch, who originated the phrase. He doesn’t apologize and continues to refer to her as the “hawk tuah” girl rather than treating her like a human being and using her “full human name,” as she says.

After the party, Russ goes back home, which is really his dad’s house. He looks at the trophies from his younger days playing football. He sends a rude video to some teens who were making fun of him. He seems unable to admit that he’s at fault for his past failures. His dad asks him to run an errand, and while driving, Russ watches short-form videos on his phone, which also just happen to depict women in unflattering ways. Not to mention, he already has a DUI.

When Russ arrives at college, he doesn’t act that much better. His only friend at South Georgia University is Danny (played by Frankie Rodriguez), who also happens to be the team mascot. Danny gives Russ advice about becoming Chad Powers, but Russ just acts dismissively. Danny also lets Russ stay with him, but Russ acts privileged and trashes on Danny for not having items like throw pillows.

The Meaning Behind Russ Holliday’s Toxic Traits in ‘Chad Powers’

Glen Powell in Chad Powers walking on campus wearing an athletic shirt and arm sleeve

One side of Russ Holliday’s personality is that he represents a certain kind of male who latches onto viral yet volatile trends and objects. Cryptocurrency, Cybertrucks, and “hawk tuah” all had their moments in the spotlight, but “hawk tuah” gave Haley Welch a podcast that hasn’t been active for months, Cybertrucks didn’t sell as planned, and crypto still experiences major price swings.

These interests for Russ are intriguing, as they’re often associated with Elon Musk – given that Musk has posted about “hawk tuah” on social media, owns cryptocurrency, and is the CEO of Tesla – and the Manosphere. Still, there’s more to Russ’ characterization than meets the eye. When viewers meet Russ at the beginning of the show, he’s a lot like the trends he chases, trying to cling to his past success with no real plans for the future.

The other side of Russ’s characterization is that he represents a part of cancel culture. On the podcast “Therapuss with Jake Shane,” Glen Powell discussed what he hoped to explore with his Chad Powers character – namely the concept of cancel culture, which became prolific on the internet:

“Some of these other people that get canceled, they should lie where they’re shot. But with Russ, he made a mistake. He acted poorly about it, and the world kind of didn’t forgive him, and he couldn’t forgive himself. And what I found to be really interesting is that in today’s day and age, the cancel culture is just sort of a thing in like how the world doesn’t really let you forget your mistakes … I found it to be interesting how people react to those moments, what they double down on. Do they take accountability in those moments? Do they believe in conspiracy theories? Do they blame other people?”

Like Powell mentions, the internet won’t let Russ escape his past. When Russ thinks he has a shot with a new football league, news resurfaces about an altercation he had with a fan. The league drops Russ’ contract, and he once again has no plans for his future. Russ’s failure to advance his career helps explain why he clings to short-term trends. He wants to be popular again, and if that means attaching himself to whatever’s new and trendy, he’s willing to do that.

It’s All Setting up a Redemption Arc

Glen Powell throws a football as the titular character in Chad Powers

Russ certainly has his problems, but he’s not entirely unlikable in the first two episodes. The start of the series shows that he’s problematic, but that’s so he can demonstrate change throughout the rest of the season. The first few episodes already hint at this change, such as when Russ buys throw pillows for Danny as an apology. He still has a long way to go and might need to expedite his change as the season only has four more episodes.

That altercation with the fan might also become an important stepping stone in Russ Holliday’s path to change. It’s the main reason his career has failed, yet it hasn’t been fully shown on screen. The prologue hints at the moment but doesn’t show exactly what happened. Coming to terms with this moment could also help him realize that he needs to drop the Chad Powers persona and admit to his team who he really is. The first two episodes of Chad Powers are now streaming on Hulu, with new episodes debuting on Tuesdays.