If soccer is the sexiest sport to watch, golf might be the least sexy — men in khakis whacking tiny balls sadly lacks the same oomph (no offense meant to Happy Gilmore or the gentlemen of Caddyshack). It can be an exceptionally funny sport to watch, though, something that greatly benefits the silly-fun new Netflix comedy series The Hawk, co-created by and starring Will Ferrell as a former pro golf champion striving to return to glory.
It’s been a long time since Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins was a PGA champion — so long, in fact, that one of his primary competitors is his own son Lance (Jimmy Tatro), whose life and career are being micromanaged by the often bitter Stacy (Molly Shannon), to whom Lonnie is still married despite their relationship being tempestuous.
The Hawk has his own specific quirks — a love for white wine, an almost ever-present visor, a habit of talking to golf balls in a gently encouraging fashion (versus the Happy Gilmore approach). Like so many Ferrell creations, though, he does have a healthy enough ego to mask any limitations regarding his intelligence. Fortunately, he’s got a new caddy/driver in his corner named Sam (Fortune Feimster) — Sam doesn’t know much about golf, but the two of them have a good time together, and with some luck and hard work, soon The Hawk is flying towards redemption.
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The Hawk is far from Ferrell’s first sports comedy, following Kicking and Screaming, Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro, and of course Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. However, it’s been a while since he played in this particular sandbox (all of those movies were made before 2009) — it’s also the first time Ferrell’s been a series regular on a show since the Saturday Night Live days.
Still, there’s something almost comfortingly familiar about the series, Although there’s no sign of Danny McBride in the 10-episode first season, and it’s an officially sanctioned PGA Tour Studios production, The Hawk features a lot of the same irreverent DNA that defined the HBO comedy Eastbound and Down — a show executive produced by and occasionally guest-starring Ferrell.
It’s not just Ferrell’s involvement: David Gordon Green, who directed multiple episodes of Eastbound, directs The Hawk’s series premiere and other episodes, while the other two co-creators are two longtime collaborators of Ferrell’s: Chris Henchy, who also worked on Eastbound, and Harper Steele, who did not work on Eastbound but did recently travel the nation with Ferrell in the documentary Will & Harper.
The Hawk (Netflix)
This show does avoid feeling as callous as it could, thanks to both the tight bond that emerges between Lonnie and Sam, which leans hard on the natural friend chemistry between Ferrell and Fortune Feimster. Feimster may be better known for her stand-up, but while she doesn’t exactly disappear into roles, she’s always a reliably hilarious performer. And Sam — like nearly all the characters in this series — gets a pretty solid arc, with Feimster proving her ability to play a slightly shadier character than usual.
There’s also a father-son tale here that leans hard on Jimmy Tatro, who began his career as a YouTuber but has quite successfully transitioned into a reliable comedy star. He’s a great match for not just Ferrell but Molly Shannon, who glories in playing a woman whose give-a-shit broke years ago. HBO Max’s The Other Two made great use of Shannon’s sweet side — here, she gets to wield a much sharper edge.
The other cast includes the always incredible Keith David as The Hawk’s original caddy, a frequently unhinged Chris Parnell as a PGA Tour board member, and a bleached-blond Luke Wilson as The Hawk’s biggest rival. (It is unsettling how much the dye job makes Wilson looks like his brother Owen.) There are other notable guest stars scattered throughout, including a few folks playing themselves; Tony Hawk (of course) has an especially hilarious cameo.
There’s a potential argument that The Hawk could have been a movie instead of a multi-episode series — many episodes end on the kind of cliffhanger that assumes the viewer is binge-viewing. However, the abridged version of the first season would have required trimming a lot of the solid character beats that really make this show sing.
It could be a little tighter overall, but the most enjoyable aspects of the show feature these characters bouncing off each other in unexpected ways, anchored by the charisma that has made Ferrell one of our most enduring comedy stars. The Hawk isn’t crying out for a second season, but the first one was a loose and fun flight.
The Hawk is streaming now on Netflix. Check out the latest trailer below.