Screen Queen TV reviews: Chad Powers, High Potential, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Wayward & Watching You

Chad Powers

Tuesday, streaming on Disney Plus

If you were kicking about in the 90s, no doubt you saw your fair share of famous AFL players out and about after dark getting up to no good. Back then, pre-social media, it was a lot easier to get away with shady behaviour, and let’s just say: blind eyes were turned at the Sapphire Bar at 2am (if you know — you definitely know).

These days, of course, it’s a lot harder to get about acting like an absolute peanut — just ask Glen Powell’s character in this unexpectedly great series. Powell plays American NFL player Russ Holliday, who eight years prior did something so unforgivable — so utterly, utterly stupid — there was no clawing his way back into the public’s good graces.

Fast forward almost a decade, and he’s officially a deadbeat; no longer playing football and universally reviled for his bad behaviour, tabloid exploits and career-ending stuff-up. He’s living with his dad, a movie special effects artist, dreaming of what could have been when a struggling South Georgia college football team decide to host open try-outs. Holliday hatches a plan to use his dad’s prosthetics as a means of disguising himself as an unknown, oddball football player: Chad Powers is born.

There are some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments in this series, which Powell co-created and executive produces. It very much feels like Ted Lasso meets Mrs Doubtfire, something I am entirely there for.

A great cast, an excellent script and an irresistible central ruse make this a hit in the making.

If you’ve got a puerile sense of humour like mine, trust me when I tell you you’ll want to inhale every episode as soon as it drops.

Whatever you do: don’t miss this one.

High Potential

Streaming now on Disney Plus

I don’t know how it happened, but this fantastic detective series starring Kaitlin Olson totally sailed right past me.

Olson stars as a flaky single mum who works as a cleaner at the local police department. She also happens to be insanely bright, and a total savant at solving crimes. When she accidentally knocks over a case file, reads it over and spots some glaring errors, the police track her down and get her to help them solve more crimes — it’s a great conceit.

If you haven’t yet discovered this delightful series, go back and watch from the start. This is Ludwig meets Poker Face meets Veronica Mars, and I’m loving it.

Wayward

Streaming now on Netflix

Toni Collette stars as the creepy headmistress of a school for wayward teens, with comedian Mae Martin as the police officer determined to get to the bottom of what she’s up to. On the fence about this one.

Watching You

Friday, streaming on Stan

Described as a “high-stakes, sexy thriller” this stars Aisha Dee as a thrill-seeking paramedic who gets entangled in a sticky (and steamy) situation after her one night stand goes spectacularly awry. This psychological thriller also stars The Newsreader’s Chai Hansen.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Friday, streaming on Netflix

This latest in the Ryan Murphy horror anthology series is being described as “the most chilling yet” — and if you know anything about Ed Gein (Charlie Hunnam stars as this real life murderer and body snatcher), you’ll know this is likely right on the money.

Really wishing I hadn’t gone down this particular rabbit hole — proceed with caution.