Variety TV critic Alison Herman gives a lukewarm verdict on "The Hawk," Netflix's golf comedy marking Will Ferrell's first turn as lead of a scripted TV series, concluding it never lives up to expectations. Despite years of anticipation and clear echoes of Ferrell's beloved "Talladega Nights," the ten-episode series arrives well after Apple TV's similarly themed "Stick," starring Owen Wilson, had already covered comparable ground more effectively, leaving "The Hawk" feeling redundant on arrival.

Ferrell plays washed-up golfer Lonnie "The Hawk" Hawkins as he attempts a PGA comeback while navigating his relationship with his professional-golfer son, played by Jimmy Tatro, with Luke Wilson cast as his composed rival. The project was first conceived in 2023 as a thinly veiled satire of the Saudi-backed LIV golf tour, but writer Ramy Youssef departed in 2024 over creative differences, and the finished version only briefly touches on LIV's politics. Herman notes the show shares striking similarities with "Stick," including a tour bus driven by a gruff older caddy, and argues the Apple TV series, already renewed for a second season, does a better job establishing the fundamentals and appeal of professional golf.