Stick is Apple TV+’s blatant attempt to follow up on Ted Lasso’s success. Like it, Stick is a sports dramedy that follows a washed-up, middle-aged, well-meaning man in pursuit of collective greatness. But despite their obvious similarities, Stick finds its footing and quickly becomes its own funny, moving, and irresistibly charming thing. This has a lot to do with the core characters, a group of people who can’t be any more different, and yet who connect in meaningful ways as they spend time on the road and on the course. Their chemistry and character arcs more than make up for the lack of an original story. The entire ensemble cast is great, but it’s the adults of the group—Wilson, Marc Maron, and Mariana Treviño—who give the show depth as they explore loss and grief in relatable ways. Stick sometimes feels too optimistic, but never too weepy.
"It’s a solid and satisfying effort with the potential for a multi-season run."
— Richard Roeper
"Stick is a little too wary of poking at its own emotional underbelly... Wilson’s charisma nonetheless forms a solid enough foundation to make the enterprise worthwhile."
— Alison Herman
Pryce Cahill was headed for golf greatness when an on-course meltdown derailed his career. Now struggling to stay afloat, he goes all in to mentor Santi—a teenage phenom with immense potential—and maybe save himself.
Former pro-golfer Pryce Cahill (Owen Wilson) is at the lowest point of his career when he discovers Santi Wheeler (Peter Dager), a teen phenom who can hit hole-in-ones with his eyes closed. Pryce assembles an unassuming entourage and takes Wheeler on the road to greatness.
Anyone else think Dager is Timothée Chalamet and Mark Eydelshteyn’s long-lost triplet?
Stick benefits from an expert ensemble led by Owen Wilson; without its charming cast of characters, it’d be one of the many sports stories that simply banks on the unexplained greatness of its prodigy.
