Chad Powers has arrived, but it took a minute for his main entrance onscreen as Glen Powell kicked off the premiere as Russ Holliday, the disgraced footballer who decides to reinvent himself for a chance at redemption.
Hiding behind prosthetics and a voice change, Russ decides to go by the show’s title name, opting for a more affable demeanor than the bad boy reputation he’d cultivated. When it comes to Russ’s handling of the double identity, he’s more than a little in over his head, but Danny (Frankie A. Rodriguez) decides to lend a helping hand (or Catfish fin).
The South Georgia Catfish mascot aids Chad in making it through his walk-on try-out for the team’s quarterback position, and the pressure is on because boosters like Wynn Everett‘s Tricia are eager for a win. While these more dramatic elements raise the stakes of Russ’s ruse, there’s no denying the comedy that comes from Chad’s rambling demeanor.
Disney / Daniel Delgado Jr.
“We all had a table read, and we heard a vague Chad voice, but not the real Chad voice,” Everett recalls of her first introduction to Powell’s onscreen alias. “He kind of hadn’t perfected it.”
Instead, Everett met Powell’s full-on version of Chad while shooting Episode 2. “The first day I worked with him was on Episode 2, and seeing him was overwhelming,” Everett admits, “with like ‘he he he’ and then hearing the voice come out with Chad all up here,” she adds, shifting her voice up an octave. “I had such a difficult time getting through that scene and not giggling because it was just the total package of hilarity.”
“It’s shocking how real it looks up close,” Rodriguez tells TV Insider. “There’s even facial hair poking out… the teeth… It’s shocking.”
Everett adds, “If I saw Chad on the street, I would 100 percent believe it’s Chad. The prosthetic department was phenomenal. When we were with him, you didn’t see any signs that it was fake.”
If the make-up could fool Powell’s costars, then it certainly can fool the characters onscreen… right? That’s what Russ will have to rely on as the season continues to unfold, but can he get by? Let us know your thoughts and initial reactions to the series in the comments section, and stay tuned for more on the show in the weeks ahead.
Chad Powers, New Episodes, Tuesdays, Hulu