Stick

I only lasted this long because Owen Wilson's onscreen charisma and likability, but even that isn't enough to keep me around anymore.

The show actually started off well. A total Ted Lasso feel but for golf. Enjoyable. The mother/son combo carried some attitude and annoyance that I expected to simmer down as each episode progressed, but it honestly gets so much worse. The mother comes around a little, but the son gets FAR worse and the show introduces the most INSUFFERABLE character in existence as the love interest / caddy.

Overall, the mother/son and girlfriend just ruined the show for me. They're the most unlikable, ungrateful, disrespectful, self-entitled bunch I've seen in a show... maybe ever... and it really just makes the show impossible to watch.

This show works surprisingly well for what it is. Owen Wilson is always the same character, so you know what you're getting with him. The supporting cast, with one exception, is excellent. The storyline works to connect us to the characters and make us feel something.

BUT, we all know which character has to go. The one who is insufferable. The one who perfectly embodies the group she/they represent. The one who tries to make you feel like you're some horrible person while you're simply trying to enjoy your steak. The one who doesn't feel safe the moment anything uncomfortable happens. The one who can't deal with life and the way other people are.

Because of how annoying that character is, it's hard to get through some episodes.

Owen Wilson carries off this light weight comedy well, he's funny with good timing, plus his character is well written and interesting.

The young golfer is an awfully unlikeable character and his girlfriend (I think) Zero is even worse, they are both grumpy, spoilt people and I'll throw in badly acted.

And that just drags down this show to just being okay, firstly is Zero a boy pretending to be a girl or vice versa, I'm not sure, but more importantly I don't care, she's just a boring sad character, I can't quit workout why they dropped her into the story.

More amusing than funny, with all the best lines going to Wilson, again the golf prodigy and his girlfriend are unlikeable characters without any funny lines, just dull attempts at comments on society.

The show started off promising. Owen Wilson is playing his stock likable lead character well enough, but the supporting characters are going to tank this show fast if something doesn't change.

At first, the stereotypical smart alec teen and the sassy Latina mom are okay, but their shticks quickly wear thin. Both are spoiled and unlikable, and by the fourth episode, I found myself fast-forwarding through most of their scenes since they mostly consisted of Pryce (Wilson's character) begging them for one thing or another. You'll find yourself getting angry on his behalf that he has to beg people he's paid $100k for basic respect and to hold up their end of the contract.

I haven't even mentioned yet the caddy-"Zero" is (her?) name-who is some compilation of every radical woke stereotype wrapped up in one. The identity wouldn't matter if the person was even semi-likable. But she too is insufferable and mean and bratty. (Why does one show need to stack up with so many unlikable characters? Every single character must be mean and snarky and pile on to bully the lowly main character? Why did the writers themselves not get how lopsided and hard to watch that would be for the viewer?)

I will give it a little more time, but I have one foot out of the proverbial door at this point. When I'm having to fast forward scenes of a new show because they're predictable and redundant and frustrating, that's not a good sign. I hope the writers course-correct before it's too late.

Watch it with no expectations!

I don't know much about golf and it's definitely not a sport I follow, but this show really surprised me. Even though golf is the central theme, the real strength of the series lies in the characters, relationships, and little life lessons along the way.

It's light, funny, and easy to watch - I binged the whole thing in just two days. The episodes are short, and the pacing keeps you engaged without feeling overwhelming. It's not a groundbreaking series, but it has heart, charm, and a unique setting that sets it apart from other shows.

If you're looking for something refreshing that doesn't take itself too seriously, give it a shot. It's one of those "feel-good surprises" that stays with you longer than you'd expect.