Spoilers for the first two episodes of Chad Powers are ahead! To catch up, stream the show with a Hulu subscription, and then watch new episodes as they drop on Tuesdays.
At this point in Chad Powers’ run on the 2025 TV schedule, only one person knows that Glen Powell’s character is actually disgraced football player Russ Holliday, and that’s the school’s mascot, Danny (Frankie A. Rodriguez). However, I think at least one more character needs to be aware of who he really is. That’s right, for this show and Russ’s ruse to work, I really think Ricky (Perry Mattfeld) needs to know that he’s not really Chad Powers.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that Russ going undercover as Chad and tricking the entire team into thinking he’s someone else is a fun concept. Seeing Powell in a full face of prosthetics and using a fairly silly voice is comedy gold. However, I don’t know if it can sustain the whole season.
When it comes down to it, what I really want to see is the assistant coach, Ricky, find out, and for two reasons.
Ricky Knowing Chad’s True Identity Puts Her In A Tough But Entertaining Place
The way I see it, Ricky has the most to lose. She’s trying to prove herself on the team, she’s trying to step out of the nepo baby shadow her co-workers have put her in, and she’s trying to be a great coach. All of that could be both helped and harmed by her learning Chad’s identity.
I feel like we’ll see her and Chad team up because they both have uphill battles to prove themselves. So, I’m hoping they’ll be able to help each other with them. However, I don’t know if that can meaningfully happen if she doesn’t know he’s actually Russ.
If she were to find out, she could help create a better cover for Russ while also assisting him in becoming a better player and person overall, which would make them both look great (until everyone else learns who Chad really is). It’s a high-risk, high-reward situation.
Then, if people find out that Ricky knows Chad’s secret, it would put them both in a tough place that would create some great dramatic TV, especially if my second point comes to fruition.
If Chad And Ricky Are Going To Get Closer, I Need Her To Know He’s Really Russ
Now, based on reviews, like Vulture’s, and interviews, as well as general vibes on the show, it seems like there’s a romance being cooked up between Ricky and Chad. In an interview with THR, Perry Mattfeld did say that Ricky has to be “one of the guys” as well as “kind of the romantic interest.” So, it seems natural that her relationship with Chad will at least grow into a meaningful friendship if not an eventual romance.
For this to actually work, though, I do think Ricky needs to know that he’s not really Chad Powers.
Stick with me here, as someone who watches Matlock, and is constantly worried about the titular character’s secret identity and how it will impact her relationships with her co-workers, Chad Powers is stressing me out for the same reason. I’m so concerned about both titular characters building up relationships only to have them come crashing down later on when the truth is revealed.
I realize that’s part of the fun of the premise. However, it’s actually tragic to me to see various relationships I love being destroyed over a major secret. So, if Ricky and Chad/Russ are going to have any kind of genuine relationship, whether it be romantic or otherwise, I need it to be built on honesty, which means she needs to know his secret.
I think it’s extremely important that Ricky finds out that Chad is actually Russ. It’ll make the show more entertaining, and it will help build a foundation for their relationship that actually stands a chance of being healthy and long-lasting.
Now, to see how this relationship progresses and to find out if anyone else learns Chad’s true identity, you can stream the critically acclaimed Chad Powerson Hulu.
