Sports Comedy Shows To Watch If You Loved Glen Powell’s ‘Chad Powers’
‘Chad Powers’ turned a viral Eli Manning sketch into a full Hulu comedy, following Russ Holliday as he disguises himself to walk on to a struggling college football team. The six-episode limited series follows Holliday as he concocts an alter ego, a gifted homeschooled prodigy who sneaks onto a college team roster donning a shaggy wig and facial prosthetic.
The show has already been renewed for a second season at Hulu. For viewers who burned through the season and want more of the same blend of locker room humor and underdog heart, here are shows that scratch a similar itch.
‘Ted Lasso’
Ted Lasso is a sports comedy-drama series co-developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly. American college football coach Ted Lasso is unexpectedly hired to manage AFC Richmond, a struggling English Premier League soccer club, despite having no prior experience with association football.
Like ‘Chad Powers,’ ‘Ted Lasso’ follows an outsider stepping into a new sports environment, using unconventional methods and humor to turn a struggling team around while inspiring those around him. It remains the most frequently cited comparison for fans of the Hulu series.
‘Friday Night Lights’
Kyle Chandler stars as Coach Eric Taylor, leading a small-town Texas high school team while the whole community leans on the outcome of every game. The show leans more dramatic than comedic, but its emotional stakes echo the same themes.
It is less about football than about the town around it, and it earns its emotion honestly. The connection between a season and a community’s identity mirrors what South Georgia’s Catfish mean to their own town in ‘Chad Powers.’
‘Blue Mountain State’
For a rowdier college football setting, ‘Blue Mountain State’ is a frequent recommendation for viewers craving more chaos. If you want something with more college football chaos, Blue Mountain State is a hilarious pick that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Its irreverent tone stands as a louder counterpart to the more grounded humor found in Russ Holliday’s disguise-driven storyline.
‘Eastbound & Down’
Eastbound and Down is a sports comedy series co-created by Ben Best, Jody Hill, and Danny McBride, following former professional baseball pitcher Kenny Powers, who falls on hard times and decides to return to his hometown to teach at a middle school.
If the comedy is what you came for, Eastbound and Down turns it up to the redline. The show’s washed-up athlete premise runs parallel to Russ Holliday’s own fall from grace before his reinvention.
‘Shoresy’
Shoresy is a Canadian sitcom series created by Jared Keeso, a spin-off of the long-running series Letterkenny, set in Sudbury, Ontario, following an ageing ice hockey player who assembles a team and vows to never lose again.
Shoresy is a comedy series that chronicles the life of a senior player on the Sudbury Bulldogs, a struggling hockey team that has spent much of the season losing but refuses to accept its position at the bottom of the standings.
‘Ballers’
Ballers is a sports comedy-drama series that follows Spencer Strasmore, a retired NFL player attempting to establish himself in a completely different role, turning to financial management and representing professional football players in Miami.
It trades the college locker room for Miami nightlife and boardrooms, but the DNA is familiar, a former golden boy trying to rebuild what he lost.
‘The League’
The League follows a group of friends whose fantasy football league becomes the center of their competitive and personal lives.
The League shares Chad Powers’ comedic take on football, with rivalries, personal antics, and the lengths competitors go to in pursuit of victory.
‘Arli$$’
Arliss is a dark comedy series created by and starring Robert Wuhl, who plays L.A. sports agent Arliss Michaels, centered on the glitzy world of professional sports and following the endlessly resourceful and optimistic Arliss, whose main flaw is his inability to say no to clients and employees.
The show ran for seven seasons and 80 episodes from 1996 to 2002 and returned to streaming on Max in 2022, known for tackling controversial topics like point shaving, political corruption, steroid use, and LGBTQ+ athletes.
‘1st & Ten’
1st and Ten is an American situation comedy that aired between December 1984 and January 1991 on HBO, one of cable’s first attempts to lure viewers with a sports focused sitcom.
The series leans on locker room politics and rivalry, offering an early blueprint for the workplace comedy structure that later sports shows, including ‘Chad Powers,’ would build on.
‘Necessary Roughness’
Necessary Roughness follows a football team assembled from players who do not fit the traditional mold, after the university’s original squad is disqualified for cheating and poor grades.
The film’s mismatched roster and comedic underdog arc share obvious DNA with the ragtag Catfish squad that Russ Holliday joins under his Chad Powers disguise.
Between the wig gags, the Manning family’s fingerprints on the whole project, and a second season already locked in for Hulu, ‘Chad Powers’ has clearly built an audience hungry for more football comedy, so which of these underdog squads deserves a spot in your next watch queue.
