Ted Lasso was the first big success for Apple TV+. The type of show that reminds people this streaming service exists, an important skill in the over-saturated media landscape. Despite that triumph, there have been very few attempts to copy the program’s winning combo of sports cliches and sentimental comedy. If Apple TV+’s Stick is anything to go by, that’s likely because the balance is too hard to pull off.
Stick subs out soccer for golf and Jason Sudeikis for the equally charming Owen Wilson, but keeps much of the same Lasso spirit. Wilson plays Pryce “Stick” Cahill, a rudderless former pro who can’t seem to get out of his own way. Pryce’s chance encounter with a young prodigy named Santi (Peter Dager) leads to him taking the teen under his wing. Before long, Pryce and Santi along with Santi’s mother, Elena (Mariana Trevino) and Pryce’s friend and former caddy Mitts (Marc Maron) are on the circuit. Cahill promises to make Santi a star, but it’s clear that he also sees his own redemption in the kid.
It’s an interesting dynamic to center your series on, but Stick sells the relationship short. Wilson holds up his end of the deal, playing Pryce as a well-meaning guy who just wants another shot at life. Dager’s Santi is less sketched out. He’s a temperamental teenager with daddy issues, which makes his crash outs at Pryce a real drag. At least he isn’t stuck with terrible one-liners about “pronouns” and the “good ole days” like Maron’s Mitts. A character clearly designed to be a loveable curmudgeon who grows less likable with each stale joke. It’s not all lackluster, though. Trevino’s Elena is a delight, and the later addition of Lilli Kay as Zero adds some needed energy to the show’s sluggish sports story.
By far my biggest issue with Stick is how shamelessly it attempts to tug at your heart-strings. Every character on the show seems to have at least one tragic element to their backstory. The focus on trauma as character motivation isn’t unique to this series, but it feels unearned here. Maybe it’s the tendency for the writing to settle into platitudes like, “Sometimes we just need to take the swing.” Or perhaps it’s just a general lack of investment in the characters. Either way, the work is not being done for those tender moments to land.
Even with the bottomless charisma of Owen Wilson, Stick struggles to make the most of its promising cast. At its best, it’s a cheesy bit of inspirational television. Unfortunately, the series often settles for mawkish appeals to your feelings instead. Maybe it will correct these problems in the recently announced second season? I won’t be finding out. This is one show better left off the course.
Stick is currently streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes release on Wednesdays.