"Ted Lasso" is the exception, not the rule. The Apple TV+ hit is a Hollywood oddity, not necessarily a roadmap for future series. It was based on a character created for an ad for soccer coverage on NBC, combines sports comedy with mental health, Anglophile obsession, twee romanticism and the charm of its star,Jason Sudeikis. It can't really be replicated. But it's hard not to think about "Lasso" while watching Hulu's new comedy"Chad Powers"(streaming now, ★★ out of four), a similarly monikered show that takes place within a semi-professional sports team. StarringGlen Powellas a disgraced college football player who tries a second go at the game under a fake name and a prosthetic nose "Mrs. Doubtfire"-style, "Powers" goes for irreverent and goofy, but oftentimes ends up awkward and cringe. There are moments when it feels as if the show, based on an ESPN+ short that starredEli Manningas the titular imposter, is trying directly to be an American version of "Lasso," all the sunny humor with gridirons and a bigger tolerance for profanity and lewdness. Although the potential is there, the result is deeply disappointing. Fake noses, questionable Southern accents and gay panic jokes can't make up for a show that lacks soul. "Powers" is built entirely on the back of Powell, who brings out all the smarm he drummed up for "Top Gun: Maverick" and then adds some real odiousness on top. Russ Holliday, his character's true name, is a perennial screw-up. Tabloid fodder before he even makes it out of college football, the star quarterback makes a huge mistake in a Rose Bowl game that costs him his career. Eight years later a struggling college team is holding open try outs for a quarterback, so Russ thinks he should have a go at it, in disguise. Russ invents the persona of Chad Powers, who, under a wig and prosthetics and an accent that makes everyone around him call him derogatory names for mentally disabled people, somehow makes the team. What team is that? Oh right, the South Georgia Catfish, as if there was too much subtlety already in a show in which Powell wears a prosthetic nose as big as the whole of Georgia. There are flavors of "Mrs. Doubtfire" here, but also underrated Amanda Bynes 2006 high school comedy "She's the Man" and any number of Shakespearean hidden identity foibles. It's all a little bit ludicrous and witless, and not just because, though he is handsome and stately, 36-year-old Powell does not look like he could pass for a student athlete. But in spite of this, he is a magnetic personality even when he's playing an A+ jerk ("Powers" likely has the distinction of being one of the first pieces of media to define just how sleazy its protagonist is by the fact that he drives a Cybertruck). Powell commits to both Russ and Chad in an admirable way − if only the scripts lived up to his dedication. Fall TV season is fast arriving on all your streaming services and networks, and there are dozens of shows premiering, that are new, old and something in between. As you get cozy in your sweaters and with your pumpkin spice lattes, some of the biggest shows of the decade will be returning for new seasons, new series will be trying to capture your attention and new spinoffs will try to convince you everything old is new again.First up:'NCIS: Tony & Ziva'(Paramount+, Sept. 4):Michael Weatherly (Tony) and Cote de Pablo (Ziva) return to their star-making "NCIS" roles in this spy caper spinoff featuring Isla Gie as their daughter Tali. The series also can't really develop any supporting characters around Russ/Chad to bolster the series into more than a one-joke sketch. There's Danny (Frankie A. Rodriguez), Russ' accomplice who risks his own future in the fraudulent scheme seemingly just for the fun of it, after meeting Russ one time. Ricky (Perry Mattfeld), is a female coach in a male-dominated sport trying to shrug off sexism and a "nepo baby" reputation. And head coach Jake Hudson (Steve Zahn) is trying to save his job and a failing football program with his surprise new star. There is great potential for an offbeat, bawdy comedy about one of our nation's obsessions, but "Powers" always goes for the simplistic jokes and surface-level plots. Chad can't get wet and risk his prosthetics, so the team makes fun of him. Chad has no back story so he pretends he's a homeschooled shut in. The laughs are supposed to come, but they don't. It's a shame, because football is great fodder for deep storytelling in the right context. Even the show namechecks a bunch of pop culture's football stories in its first few episodes, from "Rudy" to "Radio." If "Powers" wasn't as contrived as the character itself, maybe it could stand to be on a list with those others. As it is, it's only worth cutting from your lineup. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Glen Powell football comedy 'Chad Powers' is a flop
