If you’ve been missing the feel-good charm and heart of Ted Lasso, Apple TV+ might have just delivered your next fix. Stick, a new sports comedy starring Owen Wilson as a washed-up former golfer, debuted on the platform today — and it’s already driving straight down the fairway with critics.
The show follows Pryce Cahill, played by Wilson, who when we meet him is spending his days working at a suburban sporting goods store. He’s a has-been, divorced and drifting, when Pryce gets a second shot at meaning when he crosses paths with Santi, a 17-year-old golf talent played by Peter Dager. And what begins as a mentorship quickly turns into a full-fledged partnership, with Pryce stepping up to coach the kid in golf as well as life.
The resulting comedy, which has debuted with a solid 83% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing, is something that feels both familiar and fresh: It’s a story about second chances, found family, and the hope that lives at the heart of every comeback story. A golf comedy filled with emotional mulligans, as it were.
Across its first few episodes, the series manages to balance quick-witted writing with just enough emotional weight to keep things grounded. Wilson brings a laid-back vulnerability to the role of Pryce, while Dager delivers a breakout performance as a teen athlete navigating pressure, fame, and the expectations that come with talent. Add in the sun-soaked golf courses, a sharp supporting cast, and a script that doesn’t talk down to its audience, and Stick makes a strong case for being Apple’s next big comedy hit.
The Hollywood Reporter probably said it best, by noting of the characters in Stick: “It’s hardly revolutionary to point out that likable characters tend to make for likable shows, and nothing Stick is doing on that front is reinventing the wheel. But why would it? As it stands, this might already be the most pleasant trip you’ll take all summer.”
