5 Best TV Shows Like Chad Powers to Watch Next

Glen Powell has built a career on movie-star looks and effortless charm, which makes his latest television role all the more amusing. In Hulu’s “Chad Powers,” his famously recognizable face is hidden beneath an outrageous disguise. Like one of the shows on this list, the series began as a sketch—one created by football star Eli Manning for Omaha Productions—before becoming a full-fledged comedy developed by Powell and Michael Waldron. Powell plays Russ Halliday, a college quarterback whose career implodes during a national championship game. After botching a potential game-winning touchdown, Russ gets into a confrontation with a spectator and accidentally tips over the wheelchair of a young cancer patient. Eight years later, desperate for another chance at football, Russ uses his father’s makeup skills to transform himself into Chad Powers. In disguise, he tries out for a team at a small Georgia university and earns a place on the roster.

“Chad Powers” has become a bona fide Hulu hit, helped by a terrific supporting cast that includes Steve Zahn, Toby Huss, and Colin Woodell. If the show’s blend of sports, absurdity, and heart has you looking for something similar, there are plenty of excellent options. The five series below all approach athletics from different angles, but each makes for a strong follow-up to “Chad Powers.”

It can be easy to forget, given its awards haul and widespread acclaim, that “Ted Lasso”—much like its spiritual successor “Chad Powers”—also began as a sketch. Jason Sudeikis originally created the character for NBC Sports years before Apple TV+ launched the series in 2020, at a time when audiences were especially eager for an uplifting comedy. Created by Sudeikis, “Scrubs” showrunner Bill Lawrence, Joe Kelly, and Brendan Hunt, the show follows Ted, an unfailingly upbeat Kansas football coach hired to lead A.F.C. Richmond, a Premier League soccer club in England. The catch is obvious: Ted knows American college football, not British football, and his assistant Coach Beard, played by Hunt, is no expert either. Their hiring is part of a revenge scheme. Rebecca Welton, the club’s co-owner, wants A.F.C. Richmond to fail so her ex-husband and fellow owner, Rupert Mannion, will lose everything after their bitter divorce.

Although “Ted Lasso” loses some of its momentum across its second and third seasons, the first remains a near-perfect example of an irreverent, warmhearted sports comedy. Its superb ensemble includes Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Phil Dunster, Nick Mohammed, and Toheeb Jimoh. Anyone drawn to the fast-moving humor and big personalities of “Chad Powers” should find “Ted Lasso” an ideal next watch.

“Chad Powers” is a football comedy, while “Friday Night Lights” is neither particularly funny nor centered on college football. Even so, the two shows share a love of the sport—and “Friday Night Lights” is simply one of television’s finest dramas. Developed by Peter Berg from H.G. Bissinger’s book “Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream” and Berg’s film adaptation, the series stars Kyle Chandler as Eric Taylor, a tough but compassionate high school coach leading the powerhouse Dillon Panthers. During a game, star quarterback Jason Street, played by Scott Porter, suffers a devastating injury that leaves him paralyzed from the neck down. The accident changes life for everyone around him. Jason’s best friend and fullback, Tim Riggins, begins an unexpected relationship with Jason’s cheerleader girlfriend, Lyla Garrity. Backup quarterback Matt Saracen steps into the starting role, while Eric works to keep his team and family steady with help from his wife, Tami, and their daughter, Julie.

“Friday Night Lights” ranks among the greatest sports dramas ever made—and among the best television series of any genre. Its outstanding cast also includes future stars such as Michael B. Jordan and Jesse Plemons. Whether you’re discovering the Dillon Panthers for the first time or returning for another rewatch, the series is an exceptional choice after “Chad Powers.”

If you mention Aaron Sorkin’s name, people will probably think of “The West Wing,” “The Newsroom,” or his Oscar-winning script for “The Social Network” … but don’t sleep on his comedy-drama “Sports Night.” Based loosely on the ESPN “SportsCenter” lineup that featured Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann, this dramatic and innovative ABC sitcom stars Josh Charles and Peter Krause as co-anchors Dan Rydell and Casey McCall, who have been working together for years. As the two report on the sporting events of the day, they’re flanked by the show’s managing editor Isaac Jaffe (Robert Guillaume), associate producer and research analyst Jeremy Goodwin (Sorkin regular Joshua Malina, whose social media bios joke that he “ruined” “The West Wing”), Jeremy’s on-again, off-again love interest and senior associate producer Natalie Hurley (Sabrina Lloyd), and the fictional program’s executive producer Dana Whitaker (Felicity Huffman). 

The ensemble on “Sports Night” is remarkably impressive, featuring William H. Macy, the real-life husband of series star Felicity Huffman, “Meet the Parents” actor Teri Polo, and future Marvel star Clark Gregg. For viewers who have somehow missed this early Aaron Sorkin comedy, it is a particularly rewarding discovery. Once you’re finished with “Chad Powers,” “Sports Night” deserves a spot on your watchlist.

If “Chad Powers” makes you laugh, HBO’s “Eastbound & Down” should be next. The series, created by Ben Best, Jody Hill, and star Danny McBride, may be the funniest sports comedy ever put on television. McBride plays Kenny Powers, a former Major League Baseball player whose career ends after his skills decline—and because he is, by nearly every measure, a terrible person. Kenny repeatedly plots his way back into the public eye, but every comeback attempt collapses. In the meantime, he works as a physical education teacher at his old middle school.

Accompanied by his devoted sidekick, Stevie Janowski, played by Steve Little, Kenny pursues one misguided plan after another, including an attempt to win back his former middle school crush, April Buchanon, portrayed by Katy Mixon. The series also features an outstanding comedy lineup, with Jillian Bell, Tim Heidecker, Efren Ramirez, Ken Marino, Andy Daly, Craig Robinson, Adam Scott, and Will Ferrell among its many standout performers. Fans of McBride’s “The Righteous Gemstones” should not overlook “Eastbound & Down”—particularly those looking for another outrageous sports comedy after “Chad Powers.”

Netflix’s decision to cancel “GLOW” remains one of the streamer’s most frustrating losses. Created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, the wrestling comedy ran for three seasons before Netflix reversed its renewal for Season 4 during the COVID-19 pandemic, ending the series for good. The story follows Ruth Wilder, an aspiring actress played by Alison Brie, who auditions for a women’s wrestling program called GLOW, short for Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. To attract viewers, the performers create larger-than-life characters inside the ring. Ruth’s personal life quickly complicates the job: one of the women who joins the league is Debbie Eagan, played by Betty Gilpin, whose husband is secretly having an affair with Ruth.

With Marc Maron leading the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, “GLOW” balances sharp comedy with genuine warmth and emotional depth across all three seasons. Its premature cancellation remains one of Netflix’s most disappointing decisions. Still, anyone who enjoys the bold characters and playful sports setting of “Chad Powers” will find plenty to appreciate in “GLOW.”