20 years after Glen Powell was rejected from Friday Night Lights, he’s beaten the series remake to the punch with a new replacement show. Glen Powell’s best movies and TV shows include Top Gun: Maverick, Twisters, and Anyone But You, as the actor’s rapid rise to stardom in 2022 has made him one of the most sought-after performers in Hollywood.
Aside from starring in big-ticket action films like 2025’s upcoming The Running Man reboot, Powell has tried his hand at writing comedy. He co-wrote 2023’s Hit Man, and co-wrote and co-produced the Hulu series Chad Powers. The show’s first two episodes premiered on September 30, 2025, offering a nostalgic sports comedy.
Glen Powell Auditioned For Tim Riggins In Friday Night Lights
Last week, Glen Powell dropped a retrospective hypothetical bombshell when he revealed on the Therapuss podcast that he almost played Tim Riggins on Friday Night Lights. Long before he won over millions of fans with a supporting role in Top Gun, Powell was a struggling actor hoping to make it in Los Angeles, auditioning for some major projects.
The role of Tim Riggins notably went to Taylor Kitsch, who made the character an iconic fan favorite in the five-season-long Emmy-winning football drama. It’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role, but it’s still fun to wonder what the show would have been like with Glen Powell instead of Kitsch, and how their career trajectories would have changed.
Glen Powell’s most recent project is the aforementioned Chad Powers, and while the show is far more comedic than Friday Night Lights, it has some similar qualities. Powell plays a college quarterback who, in a moment of undeniable hubris, cost himself his NFL career, and attempts a comeback as a walk-on player for a college team, using the alter ego “Chad Powers.”
Powell’s character, Russ Holliday, doesn’t have quite the same level of tragedy as Friday Night Lights’ Jason Street, but there are similar elements at play. This is a series about an underdog team that has to balance egos, with Holliday hoping to redeem himself through football.
Peacock’s Friday Night Lights Series Is Still In Early Development
In December 2024, Peacock announced that a reboot of Friday Night Lights was in the works, with creators Jason Katims, Peter Berg, and Brian Grazer reuniting to develop the series. While there haven’t been any major updates since, the series is likely still in pre-production stages.