Filled with typical Will Ferrell hijinks, 'The Hawk' has some heart but feels a bit dated

Review score: 6/10 

Where to watch: Netflix 

Episodes: 10 

Content rating: TV-MA

Parental guidance: There's sex, strong language, and alcohol use. The show leaves little to the imagination, and I wouldn't recommend anyone under 18 watch the show.

After being introduced to NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights, ice skater Chaz Michael Michaels in Blades of Glory, and news anchor Ron Burgundy in Anchorman, I knew to expect typical shenanigans from Will Ferrell as pro golfer Lonnie Hawkins when seeing the first trailer for The Hawk. What I didn't expect was some of the warm moments within the 10-episode show on Netflix. From a son trying to remove himself from his father's shadow to a professional athlete somewhat becoming more aware of what's more important in life, the overall show feels typical, has some laughs, but still feels like something that might have been more popular in 2005. Stuffed with adult humor and vulgarity, here’s a look at Will Ferrell’s latest project we (sort of) interviewed him about when he stopped at WRAL in June.

The washed-up professional athlete returning to greatness is a trope-filed formula, and it’s no different with the character Lonnie ‘The Hawk’ Hawkins. After an embarrassing performance in his last appearance at Pebble Beach in the U.S. Open years ago, Lonnie dreams of clawing his way back into the spotlight in today's world after falling into obscurity. As he's doing this, his surname remains a talker in the golfing world because his son, Lance Hawkins (Jimmy Tatro), is poised to take his father’s place as a favorite in the sport of professional golf.

While plotting his path to redemption at the beginning of the show, Lonnie’s longtime supportive partner and caddie, Old Henry (Keith David), suffers a medical emergency during a game and ends up dying. Despite this moment, Lonnie is locked in to winning his match to make progress in qualifying to enter the U.S. That’s why he insists, “[Old Henry]’d want me to keep playing” while feigning being distraught about the loss. If this doesn’t tell you Lonnie is more concerned with himself, he loots his dead caddie’s corpse while riding in the back of an ambulance and tries to play it off to the paramedics that the stolen items belong to him.

As the show progresses, it becomes more apparent how selfish Lonnie is; fueled by tunnel vision on securing a significant PGA win, ‘The Hawk’ is obsessed with winning to the point his family, including his partway-divorced and foul-mouthed wife, Stacy (Molly Shannon) is not a priority to him. This is apparent as Lance, who is also fueled by success, desires his father’s approval and presence after spending years being made to feel less important during Lonnie’s golf career. This has made Lance desire to separate his name from his father’s, stand out on his own, and to the fill the void Lonnie’s absence in his son’s life has created.

The show has some moments; however, the overuse of strong language feels like a method for the writers to get cheap laughs. They also rely on silly dialogue exchanges between characters, such as arguing what menu item is the most delicious at various well-known restaurant chains (which sometimes feels like advertising), and moments when Will Ferrell shows his physical comedy—thrusting into a sand bunker in anger, suffering a hand injury ahead of a high-stakes virtual golf tournament, and getting his hand stuck in a pickle jar. There are many jokes centering on genitalia and other body parts—which will appeal to those with an immature sense of humor.

The cast and characters that seem to balance each and play off each other’s energy, but most seem to be flawed. This includes Stacy as she’s trying to become successful in her own right by selling an adult drink brand to the professional golfing world while exploiting her son's and estranged husband’s connection to the sport. She’s navigating her own path while dating a boyfriend (David Hornsby) who is a void-filler for Lonnie as she and her husband go through the divorce process. 

Lonnie’s replacement caddie, Sam (Fortune Feimster) plays into Lonnie’s ridiculousness while dealing with her own side drama involving a mystery man who is following her around in search of money she owes him. Sam seems to be a perfect match for Lonnie’s over-the-top demeanor and even feeds into his centering his sights on being the PGA Tour great he once was, though she learns where her place really is in Lonnie’s world.

Other characters who play into the immaturity of the humor, including golfer Golden Fisk (Luke Wilson) as he antagonizes Lonnie and Lance’s endeavors to win the PGA Tour. And then there's Anton with the PGA Tour board (Chris Parnell), who is trying to hinder Lonnie’s comeback attempt because the jaded golf official is motivated by a past wrongdoing by Lonnie and what I felt was a randomly-inserted origin story twist.

The show doesn't try to re-invent comedy but instead relies on dated jokes for easy laughs throughout the show. This can be enough for some audience members, but the average viewer will likely demand more.

I expected to just see 10 episodes of penis jokes and a non-stop swearing fest; however, there were some warm moments, though not as warm, fuzzy, and feel-good as moments seen in the comedy Ted Lasso. The Hawk presents relatable struggles the characters experience. For example, Lance is very much tortured over the lack of presence and expressed love from his father. This leads the junior ‘Hawk’ to make destructive decisions, including some that mean personal life-upending and life-threatening consequences.

Lance comes to terms with this over the course of the show. Despite the heart-to-hearts he has at times, The Hawk is a comedy, and so Lance’s character development is coupled with his own toned-down, cocky gym-bro version of behavior that rivals his father’s eccentric way of life. At a few points in the show, Lance reconnects with Crystal, a childhood friend and daughter of Old Henry. They begin to bond over having fathers who put them second and how they can work through it so as to not allow their deprived paternal love rob them of their self-esteem and importance.

Even Lonnie gets his moment to show growth when he expresses genuine love for his family, albeit eclipsed by his love for golf. The latter is explained with a story from his childhood when his mother gifted him his first three golf clubs. Lonnie even appears to have regrets about being the reason his marriage is headed toward divorce. But ultimately, Lonnie’s character remains mostly unchanged in terms of development, though he’s seemingly less selfish by the show’s end.

To be clear: despite some warm moments that feel counter to the type of humor in the show, I don't mean to portray The Hawk as anything deeper than it is: a raunchy romp meant to get cheap laughs.  The show feels like it would have great success if released before 2010 alongside movies of that time period, including The Hangover, Step Brothers (also starring Ferrell), and Grandma's Boy.

After this review, I’m sure you can conclude this show is not for anyone under the age of 18. However, I know there are parents who are okay if their teenager watches mature content. Just know that this show has sex, violence, language (including a once-uttered slur that is offensive to the LGTBQ community), and dialogue some viewers could find off-putting.