Here’s the thing about “Chad Powers”: It’s an acquired taste. But the stats show that, in its sophomore season, “Chad Powers” has found his people. All six new episodes launched on Sept. 3, and according to Nielsen, the Season 2 premiere episode “7th Quarter,” ranks third among scripted series returns on Hulu, with 2.86 million viewers in the U.S.
It just makes me happy that people are digging it.” The industry has responded, too: Rotten Tomatoes’ critics score surged from 60% in Season 1 to 93% for Season 2. (The audience popcorn meter rates Season 2 at 93%, compared to 85% for Season 1). Many of those reviews credited the series’ shift to a darker tone, which Waldron, who directed four of the season’s six episodes, crafted to evoke “Point Break” and films from Tony Scott, Jonathan Demme and Sam Raimi. It’s a lot of moving masters [a continuous, unbroken camera shot] — sort of that ‘Point Break,’ ‘Uncut Gems’ vibe — and it enhanced the propulsion and the tension of the season.” The drama centers on Russ’ efforts to keep his identity secret, with help from his friend Danny (Frankie A.
Rodriguez), the Catfish’s costumed mascot, and assistant coach Ricky Hudson (Perry Mattfeld), whom he’s falling in love with. The trio’s biggest threat is backup quarterback Gerry (Colton Ryan), who’d grown increasingly suspicious of “Chad.” Tensions ratchet even higher when Gerry learns the truth and, now fully unhinged, blackmails Russ into throwing the game against Texas for a $200,000 bet. The finale ends on a cliffhanger: Ricky and Russ find a way around Gerry’s rules to win the game.
But they soon learn that Danny, attempting to protect them from Gerry, has exposed Russ’ identity to booster Tricia Yeager (Wynn Everett). And Tricia has her own demands: Russ and Danny will live on her ranch to keep Russ playing as Chad — and serving as her cash cow. There’s also a major development in the “RickyRuss” romance department. (“There’s a nice little fandom out there for them online that I keep my eye on, and hopefully all those folks, as they would say, feel like they’re getting ‘fed’ this season,” Waldron cracks.) After the game, Ricky admits that he loves her and they finally kiss.
But then, Coach Jake Hudson (Steve Zahn), the Catfish’s head coach and Ricky’s father, catches them. And the camera cuts to black before showing whether he noticed Ricky had peeled off Russ’ Chad prosthetic. With Season 2 now streaming, Waldron is turning his attention to a potential third season.
He and Powell designed the story to evolve in three parts, following the fictional South Georgia Catfish over the course of one football season. So, if, and seemingly when, Hulu renews the show for Season 3, audiences will watch the Catfish compete to win the Natty (the national championship game) — which could signal a rematch with Waldron’s Georgia Bulldogs or the Texas Longhorns (Powell’s college team). He’s a Marvel Studios stalwart, having created the hit Disney+ series “Loki” and writing Raimi’s 2022 film “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” He’s also co-writer of “Avengers: Doomsday,”
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