Chad Powers Season 3 is set to be the show your middle schooler begs to watch because the locker room rants are all over their social feeds, but you should know it is leaning even harder into its TV-MA energy than the first two seasons. While the original Eli Manning sketch was a family-friendly bit of physical comedy, the series is a full-throttle adult sitcom that uses college football as a backdrop for some very grown-up humor.
TL;DR: Chad Powers Season 3 is the upcoming continuation of Glen Powell’s undercover-quarterback comedy on Hulu, expected to release in late 2026. It follows a disgraced pro QB who disguises himself as a walk-on at a Southern university. Expect a heavy dose of profanity, raunchy locker-room banter, and adult themes that make it a better fit for high schoolers than younger fans of the original Eli Manning character.
If your kid knows Chad Powers from the 2022 Eli’s Places sketch on ESPN+, they might be expecting a goofy, "aw-shucks" story about a guy in a prosthetic nose. The Hulu series is a different animal. Glen Powell (who also co-created the show) plays Russ Holliday, a quarterback whose pro career goes up in flames after a high-profile scandal. He creates the "Chad Powers" persona to get one last shot at glory.
The show is fundamentally about a guy lying to everyone around him to salvage his ego. By Season 3, we expect those lies to get more complicated and the stakes to get higher as the "Chad" identity starts to crack. It is less about the X’s and O’s of football and more about the chaotic, often crude culture of a college program trying to stay relevant.
The show has been compared to Ted Lasso, but that comparison only goes so far. Where Lasso is optimistic and generally clean, Chad Powers is cynical and loud.
- The Language: The F-bombs are frequent. This is "prestige streaming" dialogue, meaning the characters talk like actual adults in high-stress environments. If your household has a hard line on profanity, this will be a non-starter.
- The Raunch: The jokes often lean into locker-room humor. It’s not quite at the level of Eastbound & Down, but it’s in the neighborhood. Expect references to partying, hookup culture, and the general "bro" energy of a Southern football house.
- The Intensity: While it’s a comedy, the show deals with the pressure of performance and the fallout of public disgrace. It has an edge that feels closer to The Bear than a traditional sitcom.
Teens are drawn to this show for the same reason they’re drawn to Glen Powell in general: he’s charismatic, funny, and doesn't talk down to the audience. The "undercover" trope is also a classic hook. There is a specific kind of wish-fulfillment in watching a pro-level athlete absolutely dominate a bunch of college kids while wearing a ridiculous wig.
If your kid is an athlete, they will recognize the locker room dynamics. The show does a great job of capturing the specific brand of camaraderie and toxicity that exists in high-level sports. It’s a masterclass in watching a character navigate a world where his entire value is based on his last play.
If you’re watching this with a high schooler, the football is the least interesting thing to talk about. The real meat is in the deception.
- The Ego Trap: Russ Holliday is only "Chad Powers" because he can’t accept that his pro career is over. Ask your kid: "At what point does trying to save your career become a obsession that hurts the people around you?"
- The Culture of Sports: The show pokes a lot of fun at Southern football obsession. Talk about the pressure those college kids are under and whether the "fame" at that level is worth the trade-offs the show depicts.
- Identity vs. Persona: Chad is a mask. Does Russ actually like himself better when he’s pretending to be someone else?
If your family is into the sports-comedy-drama mix but you want to branch out, here are a few other directions to go:
- For the drama: Friday Night Lights is the gold standard for Southern football culture, though it’s much more earnest and less joke-heavy.
- For the comedy: Ted Lasso hits the "outsider in a new sports world" beat with a lot more heart and a lot less raunch.
- For the sports grind: All American captures the high-stakes world of competitive football with a focus on the social and economic pressures of the game.
- For the origins: Check out Eli's Places if you want to see the original, much tamer version of the character that inspired the series.
Q: Is Chad Powers Season 3 appropriate for a 12-year-old? Most 12-year-olds will be fine with the sports action, but the dialogue is heavy on TV-MA profanity and raunchy jokes. If they’ve seen other PG-13 sports movies, the content won't be a shock, but the frequency of the F-bombs is much higher than what you’d find on network TV.
Q: Do you need to know about football to enjoy the show? Not really. The show is a character study of a guy in a midlife crisis. Knowing how a quarterback works helps, but the comedy comes from the social awkwardness and the "secret identity" stakes, not the play-calling.
Q: How is the show different from the Eli Manning YouTube sketch? The sketch was a lighthearted prank. The show is a scripted drama-comedy with a plot, character arcs, and a lot of adult language. They share a name and a prosthetic nose, but the tone is completely different.
Chad Powers Season 3 is set to continue its run as a high-energy, foul-mouthed exploration of ego and athletics. It’s great TV for older teens and parents who can handle the locker-room talk, but it’s a far cry from the "wholesome" sports content your younger kids might be expecting.
- See our best shows for kids list for more age-appropriate sports comedies.
- Check out our digital guide for high schoolers to see how we handle mature themes in streaming.
- Find more shows like Chad Powers
