“Ted Lasso” found a perfect groove when it premiered in 2020 on Apple TV+. A feel-good sports dramedy with sharply drawn characters, underdog spirit, and just a little bit of an edge, it was perfect viewing for a period defined by the COVID-19 blues. It felt sui generis, but, like any showbiz success, it made TV executives wonder: Can we make another one of these?
Which brings us to “Stick,” streaming now on Apple TV+, also the story of a lost man seeking redemption from sports and imparting some life lessons along the way. The trailer wears the precedent with pride: “From the home of ‘Ted Lasso.’” But where “Ted” felt fresh and witty, “Stick” generally feels like a prefab job. Its heart is firmly in the right place, but it leaks treacle and cliché all over the screen. Worse still, you can watch several of the first season’s 10 episodes without laughing once. “Stick” inspires impassivity, not a good quality for a comedy or really, any other kind of television.
Owen Wilson brings his shaggy brand of charm to the role of Pryce “Stick” Cahill, a former pro golf stud who flamed out years back, beset by grief (spoiler advisories prevent me from saying why), drinking, and disappointment. His ex-wife, Amber-Linn (Judy Greer, always a welcome presence), is tolerant but weary. His RV-driving former caddy and current barroom hustle partner, Mitts (Boston University alum Marc Maron, grouchily funny in brief spurts), remains a good buddy. Pryce is skimming the surface of life in his native Indiana, his dreams indefinitely deferred.
Then, one day at the driving range, he hears a magical sound. It’s the ball flying off the club of Santi (Peter Dager), a teen prodigy with a bit of an attitude. Pryce sees Santi as his way back to golf nirvana. But the kid was coached by his hard-ass dad, who then up and left him and his mother, Elena (promising Mexican actress Mariana Treviño, who shows sharp timing here and opposite Tom Hanks in 2022’s “A Man Called Otto”). He wants no part of competitive golf. Undeterred, Pryce cuts a check for Elena, convinces Santi that together they can make the big time, and embarks on a wild, wacky, life-affirming tour of major amateur events, with Elena, Mitts, and his RV along for the ride.
Golf is rife with metaphors applicable to the game of life, particularly where it comes to deciding between playing it safe or letting it all hang out. A past big-screen golf comedy, which we’ll get to in a moment, worked these ideas to smooth and even raunchy effect. “Stick,” on the other hand, likes to whack you over the head with a 9-iron. The comedy feels forced, more in the vein of a middling network sitcom than a premium streaming series. The drama can be downright maudlin, especially when it tries to visualize Pryce’s ruminations on his past and his might-have-beens. As Pryce tries to get his pupil to slow down and let the game come to him, it’s hard not to wish “Stick” had followed similar advice.
“Stick” also shanks its attempts at edgy nowness. Along the way the crew picks up a wild card, a young woman named Zero (Lili Kay). She describes herself as a “genderqueer, anti-capitalist, postcolonial feminist.” Kids. They’re really something, am I right? She becomes Santi’s girlfriend and touchstone, which would be fine if the two actors had better chemistry and better material to work with. The series also tries to have some fun at the expense of a hyper-competitive pickleball couple, because pickleball is, you know, hot. You can sense someone standing behind the scenes of “Stick,” constantly trying to gauge its Q Score.
There are some highlights. The brightest is Timothy Olyphant, playing Clark Ross, the smarmy head of a pro tournament that Pryce and Santi would like to crash. He’s also Pryce’s golf nemesis from way back. A cocky glint in his eye, his hair perfectly coiffed, Olyphant oozes the toxic charm of a mediocre talent who got some breaks and set out to lord them over his small kingdom. Olyphant has shown that he can help carry a great series (see “Deadwood” and “Justified”), but he’s just as valuable as a utility player who can step in and make a lesser product a little more watchable.
Clark is actually a lot like David Simms, Kevin Costner’s slick, slimy adversary, who was played by Don Johnson in the 1996 romantic golf comedy “Tin Cup.” Come to think of it, “Stick” has an awful lot in common with “Tin Cup,” another story of a washed-up, impetuous golfer looking for a shot at redemption. The biggest difference is that “Tin Cup” never sweated on the course as it mixed homespun wisdom with sex appeal. “Stick” can’t keep its cool the same way. You feel it straining to be meaningful and charming, and to fill out 10 episodes. Playing golf can be frustrating. Watching a comedy about it shouldn’t be.
STICK
Starring Owen Wilson, Peter Dager, Lili Kay, Marc Maron, Mariana Treviño, Timothy Olyphant, and Judy Greer. On Apple TV+.
Chris Vognar, a freelance culture writer, was the 2009 Nieman Arts and Culture Fellow at Harvard University.
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