Will Ferrell has done his fair share of sports projects in the past, so there shouldn’t have been any worry when it was announced he’d be developing a golf comedy series for Netflix. The only problem with this is that it took some time to be released, with the original creators dropping out over creative differences, and that’s always a sign of where a show is headed. The truth is, The Hawk, weirdly enough, isn’t boring, but it’s entertaining enough to keep you sticking around for the 10 episodes, which are thankfully only roughly 30 minutes each.
There’s no arguing about it, but Ferrell easily has the most standout comedic roles, and unfortunately, Lonnie “Hawk” Hawkins isn’t one of them. When we start this show, we learn that Lonnie is a man who loves nothing more in his life than golf. He used to be in his prime and is now looking for a comeback. What should make The Hawk an interesting comedy show is that Lonnie’s fight for his comeback isn’t as simple as just wanting to be in the spotlight, but he also has a son, Lance (Jimmy Tatro). He’s the talk of the town in the golf world and is currently playing on the PGA Tour.
The first few episodes of this are great because you can see that for Lonnie, having this comeback isn’t just about having this great story or being in the spotlight, but he can’t stand having his son be better than him. It irritates Lonnie that people have started calling Lance “The Hawk” when that’s his name. He’s protecting his title and his legacy, and to him, Lance is just another opponent, despite his comparisons to “LeBron James and Bronny.”
When it comes to Lance, he also pretends that he’s happy to spend time with his father, which makes it clear that he never really had that chance when he was younger. Lonnie didn’t teach him everything he knew about golf, but Old Henry (Keith David), Lonnie’s only friend and previous caddie, did. The truth begins to unravel, and we learn that Lonnie’s making his way to the PGA Tour is taking a toll on Lance. His father, who is long past his prime, is working his way to steal his spotlight and ruin his life.
It’s all a very captivating backdrop to base your show around, but everything about this storyline feels one-dimensional and predictable. It doesn’t take a PhD to see how exactly the show is going to wrap itself up. The Hawk also ends up feeling quite repetitive, as it continually shows us how self-centred and selfish Lonnie is and how this has affected his relationship with his family, but not once does it feel like there’s depth in this show’s writing.
Understandably, it’s a comedy show, but even in that aspect, The Hawk fails to have many laughs. When a comedy show fails to make you laugh and also fails to have you invested in its characters, what else does it have to offer?
After the death of Old Henry in the first episode, Lonnie gets a new caddie, Sam (Fortune Feimster), whom he finds in a parking lot. They build their relationship over the course of the series, but for a strange reason, Sam has her own storyline that involves her being chased down by a mysterious figure, which leads to a crime subplot. Hawk is already a show that struggles in all areas with the drama, comedy, and even the sport itself, as they break rules for the story to flow. To include a subplot that’s almost as forgettable as the show feels like self-sabotage. The chemistry between Will Ferrell and Fortune Feimster is genuinely brilliant, but it is just not used to its full capacity.
There’s a version of The Hawk that exists somewhere which still had Ramy Youssef attached, and I can only assume that it would’ve been better than the final product we ended up with. Will Ferrell has always delivered laughs throughout the years and is likely one of the few actors that you can guarantee will make you laugh, but unfortunately, The Hawk doesn’t work as well as it should have with all their priorities being in the wrong places.
Continue Reading…
On Netflix now / Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon, Jimmy Tatro, Chris Parnell, Fortune Feimster, Luke Wilson / Created by Will Ferrell, Harper Steele, Chris Henchy / Netflix
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
