When it comes to comedy, this series is no catfish

[‘Chad Powers’, from Et] cial prosthetics from his father, who happens to be an Oscar-winning makeup artist.

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And he relives his glory days, this time as the starting quarterback for the fictional South Georgia Catfish.

If that premise sounds familiar, it’s because the series is based on a viral sketch featuring former NFL all-star Eli Manning, who goes undercover for walk-on quarterback tryouts at Penn State. In the clip, he dons prosthetics, a wig, an altered voice and bizarre personality to pull off the hijinks. Chad Powers is born. The sketch was part of“Eli’s Places,” an ESPN+ series that was produced by NFL Films and Omaha Productions, the Manning brothers’ production company.

Powelland Waldron knew they wanted to take a stab at turning Manning’s sketch into a scripted series when Omaha Productions began exploring adaptation options. But they didn’t want to just make arun-of-the-mill sports show. They set out to make the “greatest football experience, whether in movies or TV shows, that people have ever seen,” in its authenticity and heart, said Powell over Zoom (his screen name was “Glenjamin Button”).

“We want college football fans to see storylines and personalities and people that they are watching every Saturday,” Powell said.

“This is not coming from our own imagination. It’s coming from our own fandom.”

Powell, who’s been working at a breakneck pace since his starring role in 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” co-created and co-wrote the series with Waldron, who created the Marvel television series “Loki” and the short-lived but critically acclaimed “Heels.” Producers from both Omaha Productions — including Eli and Peyton Manning — and ESPN also worked on the series.

The first two episodes of “Chad Powers” were released Tuesday on Hulu, and new episodes drop weekly through Oct. 28. Powell and Waldron spoke on Monday about the development of the series, working with the Manning brothers, the “Hawk Tuah Girl” cameo and their devotion to getting the showright for college football fans like themselves.