Stick: Season 1

Ever since Ted Lasso wrapped up (temporarily...), Apple TV+ has been desperate for a feel-good comedy show in its portfolio. Jason Segel's Shrinking has done an admirable job so far, but it hasn't quite lived up to the immense popularity of Ted Lasso. Clearly Apple is looking for a way to correct this and to once again tap into the immense audience that adore the show, and this has without question led to the creation of Stick.

This show follows Owen Wilson's Pryce "Stick" Cahill, a retired PGA Tour golfer who following a series of emotional hardships, has found himself at the bottom of the barrel. Just as all seems to be lost, the ever-positive ex-athlete discovers a young and very talented golfer played by Peter Dager, and this leads Pryce to looking to support and coach Dager's Santi Wheeler in an attempt to break into the world of professional golf. This journey is far from as easy as it seems, as in a typical Ted Lasso fashion, there are emotional twists and turns, betrayals and rekindled relationships, unexpected truths, and all while maintaining a charming and positive attitude that would make Jason Sudeikis' football coach very, very proud.

You might think that the constant references to Ted Lasso are a bit much, but the parallels between these two shows are very evident. They're both delightful and sweet entertainment where you can lose yourself for hours. There's hilarious and witty comedy baked in that will make you smirk and smile, performances that are charismatic and sometimes heart-wrenching, there are episodic themes that look to explore core emotions and even attempt to educate people on how to deal with them, and all on top of having a core cast that is by-design highly diverse and unique. The Ted Lasso formula reigns true here, even if Stick stands on its own two feet mostly thanks to the fantastic efforts of Wilson.

The comedy actor stands out in this show, delivering a performance that is head and shoulders above those around him. His character is relatable and funny, yet ridden with so much guilt and sadness at the same time that you want to excuse his poor decisions and motivations at times. This is a role that feels built for Wilson, and he truly steals the show in this series, offering up his best performance in years.

The rest of the cast are no slouches, but they do pale in comparison to Wilson. Dager stands out as a better golfer than hormonal teenager, Mariana Trevino handles her duties as a caring mother, Lilli Kay is fine as the troublemaking Zero, and Marc Maron is particularly effective as the grumpy yet humorous former caddy Mitts. But while the rest of the cast are fine, it's only when Timothy Olyphant appears to serve as a bit of antagonist to Wilson's Pryce do you realise that the lead star and his nemesis are a cut above the rest, delivering a great effort especially in the latter half of the season.

Otherwise, the comedy is effective in Stick, the plot direction, narrative, and dialogue works well, and as you'd expect and hope from an Apple TV+ series, the cinematography, camera work, editing, location choices, it's all top of the line. What did rub me the wrong way at times - and I am at risk of sounding regressive and anti-woke here - is the constant efforts to forcefully educate its viewers about personal identity and gender fluidity. I have no issue, and in fact find it refreshing that a show can dare to be progressive in how it presents its characters, but when there are moments on an almost episodic basis where it tries to inform you about how transgenderism works, for one, and also then somehow try to tie that into a story about a young golf pro, it just doesn't work and seems massively out of place and shoehorned in due to the frequency with which it happens. It takes the focus away from the comedy and the light nature because all of sudden it wants you to see Stick as a political vessel and more than just a positive and charismatic golfing comedy series.

So even though there are moments that feel unnecessary and there's clearly a bit of a lack of originality in its core premise, for the most part Stick is a triumph as a show. It's simply enjoyable and easy television that is rooted and at its best when Wilson gets the opportunity to steal the scene and run wild. Like Ted Lasso and its football inspiration, it'll entertain golfing fans as well, but don't expect a very authentic representation of the sport, because it does take liberties in many, many places. Still, this shouldn't detract from the fact that Stick is another quality series in Apple TV+'s portfolio.