The first season of Hulu’s Chad Powers—the football comedy that took the absurd SNL sketch about a mustachioed, mullet-sporting quarterback and turned it into a surprisingly heartfelt underdog tale—wraps up with Episode 6, “6th Quarter.” Airing on October 27, 2025, this 40-minute finale delivers the high-stakes drama we’ve been building toward all season, but true to the show’s subversive spirit, it swaps feel-good resolutions for raw emotional gut-punches and a cliffhanger that leaves you questioning if glory is worth the isolation. Spoilers ahead, obviously—this is a full recap, so buckle up.
We pick up right where Episode 5 left us hanging: Coach Hudson (the gruff, chain-smoking heart of the Southern Georgia Catfish) collapsing from a heart attack during a tense team huddle. Russ Holliday—our disgraced ex-pro QB who’s been hiding behind the Chad Powers mustache and persona all season—springs into action alongside Ricky Hudson, the coach’s sharp-tongued daughter and Russ’s reluctant romantic tension. But with ambulances delayed and the clock ticking, Chad commandeers his flashy Cybertruck for a high-speed dash to the ER. It’s a chaotic ride that cranks up the paranoia: Ricky, already suspicious after her fling with Russ in that same truck, starts piecing together the puzzle mid-crisis. By the time they screech into the hospital parking lot, she’s piecing it all together—Chad is Russ—and demands he vanish before she unloads the truth.
Russ, played with magnetic vulnerability by Glen Powell, is spiraling. His carefully constructed Chad facade, which let him claw his way back onto the field and rediscover his love for the game, is crumbling. He confides in his ride-or-die buddy Danny (the ever-optimistic comic relief), who urges him to bail on the disguise entirely. But before Russ can ghost the Catfish for good, Danny drops a bombshell nudge: track down Russ’s estranged dad, Mike, who’s in Georgia shooting a ridiculous Michael Bay-style action flick (complete with exploding helicopters and a fat suit cameo). In one of the episode’s most tender beats, Russ shows up at Mike’s trailer, spilling his guts about the Chad con while speaking in that thick Southern drawl—even sans makeup. Mike, initially baffled, softens into a genuine moment of paternal pride, forgiving Russ for the scandals that tanked his career years ago. “If I can see the man under the ‘stache, so can she,” Mike says, handing back the makeup kit. It’s a rare win for Russ, a quiet reconciliation that humanizes him beyond the bro-jock schtick and hints at the family wounds the show has only teased so far.
Emboldened (or desperate), Russ suits up as Chad one last time and boards the team bus for a raw showdown with Ricky. What starts as a vulnerable confession—Russ admitting Chad was born from his rock-bottom shame, a way to atone without the baggage—explodes into something vicious. Ricky slaps him hard, unleashing years of pent-up rage: “I wish you’d finished the job back then,” she hisses, referencing Russ’s lowest moment. No rom-com makeup kiss here; instead, it’s a brutal standoff. Ricky vows to expose him, but Russ flips the script, pointing out that blowing his cover would torch Coach Hudson’s legacy too. Blackmail begets blackmail, and Ricky’s forced to swallow her fury, letting “Chad” suit up for the Catfish’s do-or-die rivalry game against Georgia. The tension is electric—Russ gets his shot at redemption, but at the cost of a teammate who now despises him.
Meanwhile, the ripple effects hit the locker room hard. Poor Gerry, the earnest backup QB who’s been grinding for his big break all season, melts down when Chad struts back in amid cheers. It’s a heartbreaking sidebar, underscoring how one man’s miracle is another’s nightmare in the cutthroat world of small-college ball. Coach Hudson, stabilized but sidelined, barks orders from the booth, his health scare a stark reminder that these underdogs are playing with real stakes.
As the episode hurtles toward kickoff, the subversion kicks in. We’ve been primed for the classic sports-movie arc: underdog win, identity reveal with hugs all around, fade to credits on a high note. Instead, Chad Powers denies us that catharsis. The Catfish storm the field, Chad barking plays with that signature swagger, locking eyes with Ricky in a glare of pure mutual loathing. The screen fades to black mid-huddle, the Georgia showdown unresolved. Has Russ pulled off the ultimate Hail Mary, or will Ricky’s simmering betrayal unravel it all mid-game? The finale leaves Chad teetering on glory’s brink, his secret intact but poisoned, emphasizing the show’s core truth: reinvention is messy, and forgiveness isn’t guaranteed.
This isn’t just a game-changer—it’s a character gut-wrenching evolution. Russ emerges more isolated than ever, his growth (owning his past, mending with Dad) clashing against the fresh wounds with Ricky. Powell sells it flawlessly, turning Chad’s bravado into a mask for quiet devastation. Showrunner Michael Waldron (of Loki fame) leans into the emotional whiplash, blending bro-comedy beats with sharp jabs at fame’s underbelly, toxic masculinity, and the grind of second chances.
For Season 2? The setup screams potential: that unfinished Georgia game looms as a powder keg, with Ricky’s coerced silence breeding inevitable blowback—maybe a mid-play slip-up or a vengeful leak to the press. Gerry’s grudge could spark locker-room mutiny, while Russ’s dad might pull strings from his Hollywood perch. And Coach Hudson’s ticker? It’s a ticking bomb for more vulnerability amid the gridiron chaos. Hulu’s already greenlit a second season, and if this finale’s any indication, it’ll double down on the heart beneath the helmets.
Chad Powers Season 1 ends not with a bang, but a tense, unresolved snap count—proof that the best underdog stories aren’t about easy wins, but surviving the fallout. Stream it now on Hulu if you haven’t; it’s the rare comedy that tackles failure without flinching.
Mick Lite is a versatile entrepreneur, photographer, and blogger with a huge passion for Music, Sports, Movies, Food, and Gaming. He has worked as an official scorer, social media manager, and photographer for various college, semi pro, and pro sports teams, including the River City Rascals, St. Louis Attack, Missouri Monsters, St. Charles Chill, SLU Billikens, Gateway Steam, St. Louis Riversharks, and Gateway Grizzlies. Served 12 years in the USN/USAF/USN.
