Chad Powers Episode 6 recap: Russ’s double life crashes down before the big game

Chad Powers Episode 6, 6th Quarter, closes out the first season with a nerve-wracking cliffhanger.

It’s the kind of ending that leaves you hanging, already itching to know what happens next. The episode opens the door for more, and you can feel the buzz from fans who want answers.

This show came out swinging. Glen Powell and Michael Waldron launched it on Hulu back on September 30, 2025, and it didn’t take long to grab people’s attention. It has this oddball mix: sports comedy on the surface, but underneath, there’s real heart and emotional punch.

Each of the six episodes of Chad Powers layers on more drama and laughs, and by the time you hit the finale, you are hooked. The last episode dropped on October 28, 2025, and left a good chunk of stories up in the air. No word yet on another season, but Powell and Waldron sound game. Waldron has even said they are ready to take it to three seasons if they get the chance.

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Chad Powers Episode 6 recap

Chad Powers Episode 6 picks up right where we left off, with Coach Jake Hudson clutching his chest in the middle of an ESPN interview. Ricky is scrambling to call 911, but she gets stuck on hold. Jake’s truck keys are sunk somewhere in the lake. Ricky’s car is still back on campus. The only ride left is Chad’s Cybertruck, but that is a problem.

Wendy mentioned that truck when she confessed to sleeping with Russ, and Chad knows the second he brings it out, Ricky will put two and two together. Still, Jake is fading fast, so Chad throws caution to the wind and goes for it.

He loads everyone into the Cybertruck and hauls it to the hospital, trying to play it cool and claiming the truck belongs to Danny. Ricky doesn’t buy it for a second. Outside the ER, she quietly tells Chad to go. She has figured it out: “Chad” is actually Russ Holliday, the disgraced quarterback.

Back on campus, Russ spills the whole story to Danny, how they raced Jake to the hospital, how Ricky caught on, and so on. Danny jokes, a bit too darkly, that Russ should have just let Jake die to keep the secret, then laughs it off. He tells Russ to keep his head down, act normal, and pretend nothing has changed. That plan lasts about a day.

At practice, Ricky goes straight for him. She grabs his arm and pulls off his sleeve, exposing the tattoo everybody knows belongs to Russ. There is no hiding now. Russ takes off running.

Russ doesn’t waste any time. He is shoving clothes into a duffel bag, desperate to vanish before word gets out. Danny catches him in the act and begs him to stay, reminding him how much the Catfish need him for the big game against Georgia. Russ just shakes his head. But Danny is not giving up that easily. If Russ really has to leave, he should at least patch things up with his dad, Mike. They haven’t spoken since Russ stole his makeup kit to pull off the Chad Powers stunt.

Danny mentions that Mike is working on a Michael Bay movie over in Atlanta, just a few hours away. He even offers to tag along for moral support.

While all this is going on, Ricky heads to the hospital to visit her dad. Jake is still hooked up to machines, but he is in good spirits. He is convinced the Catfish have a real shot in Athens and just assumes Chad will be there. Ricky can’t bring herself to break the truth about Chad, about Russ, worried it would be too much for Jake’s heart.

Russ and Danny finally reach the film set. Mike is in the middle of testing out a ridiculous-looking fat suit for his next role. Russ tries to hand back the stolen makeup kit, ready to come clean. He spills everything: the mistakes, the disguise, the comeback. Mike doesn’t blow up. He listens, lets Russ get it all out. And then, instead of anger, he just tells Russ he is proud. He sees his son finally finding joy in football again, thanks to Chad Powers.

With Mike and Danny in his corner, Russ suits up one more time. Chad Powers is coming back for one last shot at making things right.

Back in Athens, the Catfish have to face the game without their star quarterback. Ricky, Byrd, and Dobbs are bracing for the worst. Gerry is practically buzzing: he is finally getting the shot he has waited for. Over at the hospital, Tricia keeps Jake company. He is on edge, waiting to hear how the game turns out.

And then, out of nowhere, Chad Powers shows up. He finds Ricky sitting alone on the team bus just before kickoff. He tries to lay it all out: he started off pretending, but his feelings for her and his loyalty to the team are real. Ricky just sits there, listening, and then she slaps him. Her anger spills out, and she tells him she wishes he had never survived that career-ending collapse. She threatens to tell everyone who he really is, but Chad calls her bluff. If she outs him, the team loses everything. Jake’s name gets dragged through the mud.

Ricky hates it, but she knows he is right. She is furious, stuck, and finally tells him he can play, but only if he stays away from her.

Back in the locker room, Chad’s return lights everyone up. The team cheers, except for Gerry, who loses it over getting benched again. Ricky cuts him off, tells everyone to focus on winning for her dad. Chad Powers leads them out, and he and Ricky lock eyes one last time.

The Catfish burst onto the field, stadium lights blazing, not knowing what came next. Chad Powers is back, but the price of his comeback hangs over all of them, way higher than anyone ever expected.

Chad Powers Season 1 leaves things wide open. The showrunners are clearly hinting at what might come next, and they are not shy about it. Glen Powell, one of the creators, sounds excited to jump back in if fans want more. Michael Waldron says they already mapped out story arcs for up to three seasons, so they are ready to go further if people keep watching.

In an interview with The Wrap, Powell said:

“When you get to collaborate with one of your best pals and make something that you love so much and that brings such joy to people … I just really feel so proud that we’ve done this first season, and when you feel that way, you always make time.”

Waldron added:

“If folks dig it, we’ll make more.”

There is no official renewal yet, but with the way the show has taken off, strong ratings, great reviews, most people expect Hulu to bring it back. The finale drops a big cliffhanger, so there is plenty to dig into: Russ Holliday’s future as Chad Powers, messy team drama still hanging in the air, and all the emotional fallout from those last big reveals.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Chad Powers sits at about 57%, based on a handful of critic reviews. Most critics think it is “inoffensive”, not bad, just not great. They keep comparing it to shows like Ted Lasso and say it doesn’t quite measure up. Glen Powell gets some love for his charm, and people notice the show has big ambitions, but a lot of reviews knock the humor for being a little too easy and missing the emotional punch that makes other sports comedies stand out.

Metacritic is not much kinder, handing it a 53 out of 100.

On the other hand, regular viewers over on IMDb seem to like it more. The show holds a 7.6 out of 10 from nearly 4,700 votes. Episode ratings bounce between 7.3 and 8.5, with the finale pulling in the highest score at 8.5.