'Stick' Has Even More Heart Than Laughs

Created by Jason Keller

Starring Owen Wilson, Peter Dager, Marc Maron, Mariana Treviño, Lilli Kay, Judy Greer

Photo courtesy of Apple TV+

BY Matthew Simpson Published May 30, 2025

7

If Apple TV+ sitcoms have a through line, it's that they aren't actually at their best when they're funny. That's not to say that they aren't funny — they definitely are — but rather that the laughs seem to come almost secondary to heart. Ted Lasso is probably the best example of this, a hilarious show about leadership and empathy. Mythic Quest, a series about terrible people bound to one another by mutual success, explores finding purpose and community. Shrinking features some of Harrison Ford's best comedic work in decades, but, at its core, it's a show about healing from trauma and grief.  

Stick, the latest series to hit the platform, continues this tradition. The story of a washed-up ex-pro golfer (Owen Wilson) who pulls himself out of a 20-year tailspin to coach a teen prodigy, the series has some big laughs, but it excels when the story focuses on the relationship between the ensemble and the found family that assembles around them.

As the series opens, Pryce Cahill (Wilson) is a sad sack. He's a once-promising pro golfer whose career prematurely ended following a legendary on-camera meltdown at a PGA event, and he now sells clubs in a pro shop and hustles the unsuspecting patrons of various bars with his former caddy, Mitts (Marc Maron). Things change when he meets Santi (Peter Dager) at a driving range. Santi has the juice, repeatedly hitting balls to the end of the range and with great accuracy, and this wakes Pryce up: this kid is special, and, with a bit of help, could be one of the greats. Also, Pryce can make a little money at the same time. 

The series follows an admittedly standard sports story: a wisecracking hustler with a heart of gold and trauma in his past takes on a mentorship role to a surly teen with talent and trauma in his past, and together they set out to conquer the sport, along the way healing themselves and each other.  To put it bluntly, if you watch sports movies and shows, there are parts of this story you've seen before — family trauma and an absent father included.

It would be a mistake to write off Stick as just formulaic, though. Series creator Jason Keller and the cast elevate the series from being a bog-standard version of this story with thoughtful writing, engaging characters and heartfelt performances. Newcomer Dager nails the attitude of a kid with a chip on his shoulder and a ton of talent, and he grows more mature as Santi begins to heal. While Wilson's definitely the star of the show, Santi, in many respects, proves to be the most important character, and his relationships with Cahill, his mother Elena (Mariana Treviño) and love interest Zero (Lilli Kay) all feel very genuine. 

Maron remains one of the best at playing a lovable grouch, and while the writing often reduces Mitts to delivering sage advice at crucial moments, he's so good at it that we can excuse the trope. He does get his own side plot as well, and it's fun to see him react to just about everything that goes on around them.

Treviño has some great moments as Santi's mother, a woman of passion and intelligence whose life was derailed by a deadbeat husband, and she plays the role of the adult in the group very well. Additionally, Killi Kay has an engaging screen presence as the more radical youth in the cast. A lesser series would use them as an excuse to rail about "wokeness" or some such thing, but once Zero introduces themselves as using they/them pronouns, there are only a few moments of old men adjusting before everyone rolls with it, just as it should be. 

The series is Wilson's, though, and fans of his fast-talking style will be rewarded with laughs, but it's the vulnerability of the character that draws us in and keep us invested. While the Pryce at the start might not be the most sympathetic, Wilson imbues the character with layers that show he wasn't always this way, and when he rekindles his love of the game, he becomes easy to root for. He has plenty of chances to fail, but every time he mans up to become the father figure Santi needs, it feels great.  

That is the secret to Apple's success with shows like this: heart and connection. As these characters ramble around together from tournament to tournament in an RV, stopping for barbecue and tourist attractions along the way, the found family unit's bond grows, as does our desire for them to succeed.

Stick might not be the most original series, but it joins the ranks of Apple TV+ series that rise above being only funny. It's about connection and finding purpose, and how we're all better off surrounded by people who love us.

(Apple TV+)

Latest Coverage