If you like Will Ferrell playing funny, arrogant characters who refuse to admit when they’re wrong, Netflix’s new golf comedy, “The Hawk”, is right up your alley.
In the 10-episode sports series, Ferrell steps back into his most comfortable, familiar role with a golf club in hand, delivering a show that is both ridiculously funny and surprisingly grounded.
Ferrell stars as Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins, once considered the greatest golfer in the world, who hit the absolute peak of the sport back in 2004.
Two decades after a public meltdown ruined his career, Lonnie is now ageing, broke, and living out of his rundown tour bus.
Everyone around him thinks he should accept reality and retire, but instead, Lonnie decides to launch one last desperate comeback to win the final major tournament he needs to secure a golf Grand Slam.
The problem with Lonnie’s plan is that the golf world has moved on without him. His biggest rival on the green is no longer an old-school peer, but his own estranged son, Lance, played with hilarious bro-energy by Jimmy Tatro.
Lance is the hot new golden boy, with corporate sponsorships and backing from Lonnie’s lifelong enemy, Golden Fisk, played by Luke Wilson.
Jimmy Tatro as Lance, Will Ferrell as Lonnie and Luke Wilson as Golden Fisk in “The Hawk”.
Throughout the season, Lance’s storyline provides some of the show’s absolute best moments.
Behind his flashy image and don’t-care attitude, Lance is secretly a deeply vulnerable young man desperately seeking approval from a father who was never there for him.
Meanwhile, Lonnie’s foul-mouthed ex-wife Stacy (Molly Shannon) finds herself caught in the middle. She spends her time trying to protect Lance from repeating his father’s destructive mistakes, all while promoting her own line of alcoholic iced tea on the sidelines.
Lonnie’s comeback gets off to a chaotic start during his very first tournament back. In a shocking turn of events, his best friend, long-time mentor and veteran caddie, Old Henry (Keith David), collapses and dies right on the fairway mid-round.
The tragic moment quickly spirals into dark humour as Lonnie frantically tries to finish his turn at the hole while keeping the officials from noticing that his caddie has passed away.
Yet beneath the humour, Old Henry’s sudden death serves as the wake-up call Lonnie desperately needs, forcing him to face his own mortality and re-examine why he is still playing the game.
An episode later, Lonnie hires a new caddie named Sam, played by Fortune Feimster. Sam knows almost nothing about professional golf, but she knows exactly how to handle Lonnie.
She is unimpressed by his past titles and has no problem telling him when he is acting like an idiot.
The dynamic between Ferrell and Feimster quickly becomes the highlight of the entire series. Feimster steals scene after scene with her quick, natural comedic timing, giving Ferrell a run for his money.
Off the golf course, Sam gets her own backstory as she tries to rebuild her life away from her father, who leads a notorious robbery ring and wants her back in the family business.
Sam, played by Fortune Feimster with Will Ferrell as Lonnie.
Visually, “The Hawk” was filmed across fancy Southern California golf courses and highlights the clash between old-school golf traditions and flashy modern sports culture.
A mid-season highlight is a big match inside a bright, neon golf simulator arena. Instead of a quiet golf course.
While the show starts as a silly comedy, it gradually turns into a sweet story about a father and son trying to repair their broken relationship.
When Lonnie and Lance finally drop their egos and confront their past, the emotional weight feels earned rather than forced.
“The Hawk” isn’t perfect, but it delivers Ferrell’s funniest performance in years, supported by top-tier comic turns from Feimster and Shannon.
The series avoids typical sports movie clichés and delivers a satisfying, warm-hearted finale.
If you’re looking for a bingeable comedy with sharp dialogue, great chemistry, and just enough heart, “The Hawk” is worth taking a swing at.
♦ Rating: *** solid and enjoyable, though not groundbreaking.
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