Glen Powell Personally Emailed Johnny Depp for Surprise Finale Cameo in His New Series

Almost everything about Glen Powell’s new sports comedy is meta, from the protagonist’s in-universe backstory to the show’s concept and premise. Inspired by a viral Peyton Manning skit and starring an A-lister whose character begs viewers to suspend their disbelief, Chad Powers‘ Russ Holliday (Powell) commits to the sham like Tropic Thunder‘s Kirk Lazarus with his method acting skit. The show is also packed with Hollywood references, including a surprise Johnny Depp cameo in the Season 2 finale.

The walls close in on Russ in Season 2 as more people discover he’s a catfish. One scene in the season finale perfectly captures his desperate state, during his secret meeting at an empty theater with a backstabbing teammate. Speaking with Gold Derby, Powell revealed that nothing was playing onscreen during that encounter — they added Johnny Depp’s Edward Scissorhands on post, but only after the actor gave them the green light.

“I have to give a shout out to Johnny Depp for giving us the rights. Johnny had to give us the OK, so I sent him an email and he did.”

Powell added that every cinematic reference in the series is deliberate, from the Mrs. Doubtfire running gag in Season 1 to the Armageddon allusion in the pilot. In the Season 2 finale, Russ mirrored Edward Scissorhands’ predicament, in the scene where the latter’s idea of a perfect world falls apart.

“He’s hurt everybody, and he’s retreating to the castle. We talked about how we could conjure that sort of feeling; every reference that you’ve seen throughout the show has intention behind it. It may seem like a funny, silly show, but I promise there’s a lot of brain power around trying to make every moment work.”

Addressing Season 2’s darker tone, Powell said they took a page from the Safdie Brothers’ playbook, emulating the latter’s tension-driven Good Time and Uncut Gems, both centered on protagonists who become entangled in the web of lies they wove. Season 2 shifted from a light-hearted sports comedy into a suspense thriller that emulated JFK and Any Given Sunday, opting for a grounded narrative with real stakes.

Series co-creators Powell and Michael Waldron envisioned a three-season arc for Chad Powers, and the final act will reveal whether Russ redeems himself and becomes a sports legend or a cautionary tale of disgrace; the show has at least resolved Russ and Ricky Hudson’s (Perry Mattfield) will-they-won’t-they relationship, but that moment also ended on a cliffhanger with Ricky’s father potentially discovering Russ’ ruse.

Hulu has yet to officially renew Chad Powers for a third season, but Powell has insisted that it would definitely be the last — they already have the end mapped out, and as he told USA Today, they don’t want to overstay their welcome. Russ’ reckoning is inevitable; hopefully, Chad Powers will be able to end on its own terms.