Dwayne Johnson stars as UFC champ Mark Kerr in the biopic "The Smashing Machine."
Glen Powell throws the pigskin in Hulu's "Chad Powers."
Months after being ousted from MSNBC, Joy Reid is finding new success going her own way with a YouTube show.

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Fall is the time for manly men doing manly things. Very manly.

There's Dwayne Johnson going for Oscar gold with the MMA biopic "The Smashing Machine," and it's The Rock as you've never seen him. Speaking of transformations, Glen Powell puts on a fake nose and some facial prosthetics to play a quarterback needing a second chance in the Hulu football comedy "Chad Powers."

Yes, that's a lot of dudes punching each other in the face and tossing balls through the air, so good thing there's a Taylor Swift movie in theaters for some nice counterprogramming. (Although a screen project with The Rock, the Glen AND the Tay-tay would be epic. Make it happen, Hollywood!)

Now on to the good stuff:

Witness Dwayne Johnson's Oscar-ready transformation in 'The Smashing Machine'

I've been watching Dwayne Johnson since way before he became the biggest pop-culture star on the planet, when he was just becoming The Rock in a wrestling ring. Since then, he's made some good movies, quite a few bad ones as well, but it's interesting to see someone grow and become better at their job, even an A-list action figure. "The Smashing Machine," which stars Johnson as MMA star Mark Kerr, unlocks a new era of The Rock's career with a transformative performance that transcends the sports biopic. Whether or not he gets an Oscar nod (he likely will, given the subject matter), it's just the start of the heights he could go from here. (Peep my ★★★ review.)

I also chatted with the real Mark Kerr about what's fact and what's fiction in his Hollywood story and how seeing his life on screen gave him a new perspective on his relationships and his struggles with painkillers. "Parts of me were just so hard on everybody around me, especially the addiction part," Kerr says.

See Glen Powell hit the gridiron for Hulu football comedy 'Chad Powers'

"Necessary Roughness" meets "Mrs. Doubtfire" with the Hulu football comedy "Chad Powers." Glen Powell stars as the disgraced quarterback who messed up his first chance at a pro career and gets another one with a fake nose and, as one coach puts it, "a howitzer" for a throwing arm. As a football fan myself (go Lions!), I dig that the series is in that goofy "The Replacements"/"The Waterboy" mold. But TV critic Kelly Lawler was not amused, writing in her ★★ review that while it aims for "Ted Lasso"-style irreverence, it "oftentimes ends up awkward and cringe."

My colleague Bryan Alexander talked with Powell about the show and being trained in quarterbacking skills by executive producers Eli and Peyton Manning. Eli especially leaned into the "granular" aspects of being a pro passer. "Even something as small as honing my signature superstition before snapping the ball," Powell says. "Is he licking his fingers? I always ask 'why?' when playing a character. It was fun that the 'why?' came from the Mannings."

Stream former MSNBC host Joy Reid's new YouTube show

Joy Reid was a staple on MSNBC for more than a decade and enjoyed her own primetime spot with "The ReidOut," until it was cancelled in February. She's bounced back, however, with a new YouTube show. She stopped by our New York City studio for a discussion with my pal Ralphie Aversa about navigating the current "McCarthy-ite" media government and the freedom of having a digital platform.

Reid also received some important advice from Katie Couric: "She's like, 'You're not doing TV anymore. So it doesn't have to be a TV show. You just have to say your feelings, say your thoughts, be accurate, be factual, but don't overthink it.' "

Even more goodness to check out!

  • Daniel Day-Lewis is back, baby! The Oscar-winning actor ended his retirement for the new movie "Anemone" and is "definitely thinking about" his next film after working with his filmmaker son Ronan. (And for the record, don't mess with his kids.)
  • Be sure to catch the superbly intense "The Lost Bus" if Matthew McConaughey driving a school bus through a hellish inferno sounds like a good time. It's one of several new flicks on your favorite streaming services.
  • You might not know "Gabby's Dollhouse" star Laila Lockhart Kraner but she's probably your kid's favorite actress.
  • Nostalgia alert! Tim Allen hosted a Tool Time reunion with his old "Home Improvement" costars guesting on the Season 2 premiere of "Shifting Gears."
  • Love true crime and Halloween? Here's a list of horror movies influenced by the heinous exploits of Ed Gein.

Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email btruitt@usatoday.com and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to watch: Rock solid

Reporting by Brian Truitt, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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