Why Netflix’s The Hawk Is a Swing and a Miss (Explained Simply)

Heads up: This article contains spoilers for The Hawk.

What Is The Hawk?

The Hawk is a new sports comedy on Netflix about professional golf.

• It is set in the world of pro golf (golf played by paid professionals).
• Will Ferrell plays Lonnie “the Hawk” Hawkins, a washed-up pro golfer trying to make a comeback.
• Molly Shannon plays Stacy, Lonnie’s estranged wife (they are not close anymore).
• The show came out on a Thursday as its first season.

Early in the show, Stacy and Lonnie have a funny exchange:

• Stacy says: “You haven’t been on the tour in seven years, you dickless cunt.”
• Lonnie replies: “By definition, a cunt is dickless.”

That quick, clever joke is one of the only original bits of dialogue in the whole first season.

The Big Problem With the Show

Almost everything else in The Hawk feels copied from other golf shows and movies from the past year.

• Those other golf shows and movies were not very good.
• Because The Hawk copies them, it is hard to enjoy.
• You might only like it if you love everything Will Ferrell makes.

Important: The writer says The Hawk is even worse than the already weak golf shows it copies.

One Fan’s Honest Take

The writer is a huge golf fan and tries to keep an open mind about sports comedies.

• They did not like Stick (Apple TV golf show), but said it had some grit and humor.
• They did not like Happy Gilmore 2, even though the original was brilliant.
• Both of those had more going for them than The Hawk.
• The Hawk was made with Ferrell’s old collaborators Harper Steele and Chris Henchy.
• It copies the two weaker works to make something even worse.

The writer jokes that streaming services should pause golf shows for at least one year as punishment.

Why Golf Is Hard to Show on Screen

Golf is a tough sport to turn into a good movie or show.

• In live golf, many players are on the course at once, so cameras have limits.
• Golf is slow. The writer played a 5-hour round and only swung the club about 220 seconds total.
• To make golf fun for 2 hours or 10 episodes, you need a clear creative idea.

Good golf stories did something different:

1. Happy Gilmore (first one): A wild character enters a world of serious, proper golfers.
2. Caddyshack: A funny look at country clubs with gambling drama.
3. Tin Cup: A romance that mixes golf and love.

Too Many Golf Shows, Not Enough Ideas

Golf got more popular after COVID (the big pandemic around 2020).

• Business people thought: “More golf content!”
• YouTubers did well with golf videos.
• But Hollywood’s golf shows have been disappointing.

Examples:

• Full Swing (Netflix docuseries, 4 seasons since 2023): A real-life golf show like Drive to Survive (which helped Formula 1 racing get popular). It is fine but did not become a big cultural hit because golf is slow and players rarely say interesting things.
• Stick (Apple TV): Owen Wilson plays a struggling former star who mentors a young golfer. It tried character growth. (Marc Maron is fun in it.)
• Happy Gilmore 2: No real plot, just cameos and skits, maybe to help Adam Sandler get a wedding job. The first movie mocked golf culture; the sequel just collected famous guests.

How The Hawk Copies Them

The Hawk rips off these so-so efforts.

• Ferrell’s Lonnie is a rude guy, one major win away from golf’s career grand slam (winning all big tournaments).
• He drinks too much and has a weak relationship with his son, Lance (Jimmy Tatro).
• His wife is mad about credit card debt and family seriousness—a common “divorced wife” trope in golf shows.
• The main Black character is Ferrell’s caddie (Jimmy Walker Jr.), who dies early just to give Lonnie a reason to avoid self-reflection. He is like Chubbs from the first Happy Gilmore, who died after a gator head surprise.

More copycat details:

• Lonnie travels in an RV, like Owen Wilson’s character in Stick.
• He meets new caddie Sam (Fortune Feimster) in a Walmart parking lot; her lack of golf knowledge is a wrinkle like in Stick.
• Luke Wilson appears as the golden boy golfer Ferrell wants to beat.

Nothing feels original.

A Missed Chance to Mock Golf

Golf was easy to make fun of if someone tried.

• Around 2020, half the top golfers left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, a tour funded by Saudi Arabia’s government (a strict, non-democratic country).
• The remaining PGA players are mostly dull and wanted more money after the Saudis shook things up.
• Golf is stuck-up, giving plenty to joke about.
• Ferrell already did this well with Talladega Nights (2006), a funny NASCAR send-up. But here, he does not.

The show hints at critique:

• Lance’s fiancée is a controlling wellness influencer (a poke at golf “WAG” culture: wives and girlfriends).
• They mention LIV Golf briefly, but nothing comes of it.
• Lance has a sports betting addiction and cheats—timely and on-theme.
• In episode 4, PGA bosses try to block Lonnie because his fans are “beer-drinking idiots.” This is odd because the real PGA now welcomes loud drunk fans (like the Phoenix Open). Also, the angry board member just slept with Lonnie’s wife.

A Few Bright Spots

With 10 episodes, the show is sometimes a little fun.

• The ending at Pebble Beach is a nice metaphor for golf’s mental challenge.
• But it takes no risks and repeats what weaker golf shows did.
• Ramy Youssef was attached but left a year ago over creative differences—likely a smart move.

Why Hollywood Should Pause Golf

Golf needs a break from screens.

• Players took Saudi cash to play in obscure places (Riyadh, Westfield Indiana) while saying they wanted to “grow the game.”
• Business folks think the public will love golf if shown it is accessible.
• They force a fake populism (pretend it is for everyone) and make the same bland product.
• These tries should stop until someone has a fresh idea.

Callout: The writer urges streamers to adopt at least a one-year moratorium (pause) on golf programming as penance for how bad The Hawk is.

Summary

The Hawk is a Netflix golf comedy with Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon. Its only fresh moment is an early joke; the rest copies weaker golf shows like Stick and Happy Gilmore 2. Golf is hard to film, and recent Hollywood attempts lack imagination. The show misses a chance to mock real golf issues (like Saudi-funded LIV Golf). Despite a few fun bits, it is unoriginal and overly safe. The writer suggests a one-year break from golf content so someone can eventually do it better.

FAQ

1. What is The Hawk about?
It is a Netflix comedy where Will Ferrell plays a washed-up golfer named Lonnie trying to return to professional golf, with Molly Shannon as his estranged wife.

2. Why does the writer dislike the show?
Because it copies other weak golf movies and shows, has almost no original ideas, and fails to mock golf in the smart way it could have.

3. What are some golf shows mentioned as better (but still not great)?
Stick (Apple TV), Happy Gilmore 2, and the docuseries Full Swing are named as recent golf efforts that had more than The Hawk.

4. What does “moratorium” mean here?
It means a pause or break—the writer wants streamers to stop making golf shows for at least a year.

5. Is there anything good in The Hawk?
Yes, a clever early dialogue exchange and a creative closing twist at Pebble Beach, but not enough to save the series.