Chances are, Stick is the sports comedy that you’re probably sleeping on the most.

That would be a shame, because Pryce Cahill is almost guaranteed to make another questionable decision before Season 2 arrives.

The series follows Owen Wilson as Pryce, a former professional golfer whose career fell apart after a meltdown.

(Courtesy of Apple TV)

With little left to lose, he puts his future behind Santi Wheeler, a troubled 17-year-old golf prodigy played by Peter Dager.

I know that a golf comedy probably doesn’t sound like an obvious weekend binge if you don’t spend your free time checking leaderboards.

It’s warm, prickly, awkward, and funnier when it lets everyone behave like adults who haven’t learned enough from past mistakes.

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Pryce Cahill Is a Disaster With Charm

Pryce Cahill walks into Stick carrying divorce, career shame, grief, and the tired face of a man who has been arguing with himself for years, and that’s what makes him interesting.

Wilson could probably play this sort of character half-asleep and still land the jokes, but he gives Pryce more sadness than you might expect.

(Courtesy of Apple TV)

His easygoing charm keeps slipping into panic whenever Pryce realizes just how badly he may have wasted the best years of his life.

The show does not ask us to admire him blindly, thank God. 

Pryce can be selfish, impulsive, and weirdly persuasive in that way people get when they are trying to sell someone else a dream they also need for themselves.

He sees Santi’s talent, but he also sees one last chance to crawl out of his own wreckage.

That selfish streak keeps the character from becoming too cute. A squeaky-clean mentor would have been death by sports-speech.

(Courtesy of Apple TV)

Pryce is messier than that, which makes him much easier to watch and much harder to fully trust.

Santi Keeps the Story From Turning Too Sad

Santi Wheeler could have easily become another angry teenage prodigy we’ve seen a dozen times before.

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Santi feels like an actual teenager, complete with the attitude, insecurity, and occasional terrible judgment that come with it.

He’s got the swing, the temper, the fear, and that very specific teenage talent for making every adult in the room feel personally responsible for ruining his day.

Fair enough, honestly. Sorry, not honestly. Fair enough, though.

(Courtesy of Apple TV)

Pryce is not exactly the adult I would hand my future to without checking references.

Santi’s ability gives the story momentum, but his uncertainty is what makes you care about him.

He needs guidance, sure, but who the hell would trust a washed-up golfer with big promises and the emotional stability of a busted shopping cart?

Pryce and Santi need each other, but neither knows how to say that without making the room awkward. That is where Stick gets fun.

Their bond consists of stumbles, getting irritated, saying the wrong thing, trying again, and occasionally making you want to yell at both of them.

The Ensemble Saves It From Golf Therapy (Courtesy of Apple TV)

Stick would get repetitive pretty quickly if everything revolved around Pryce and Santi.

Luckily, the supporting cast gives the series plenty of room to breathe.

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Mitts has the energy of someone who has known Pryce for far too long and has the stories to prove it.

Maron does that grumpy, bruised loyalty thing so well that even his complaining starts sounding affectionate after a while.

Elena may be my favorite counterweight in the group.

(Courtesy of Apple TV)

Treviño gives her warmth without making her soft, and she does not let Pryce float through the story on swagger alone.

She watches him like a woman who’s seen way too many men with big plans and zero accountability.

Zero brings another charge to Santi’s world, while Amber-Linn keeps Pryce’s past from turning into some vague sad cloud.

Timothy Olyphant brings rival energy, turning golf into a mess of old beef, bruised egos, and grown men acting like teenagers. This is beautifully embarrassing.

You Don’t Need Golf Knowledge to Care (Courtesy of Apple TV)

The golf premise might scare off casual viewers, but Stick does not ask anyone to become a PGA scholar.

You do not need to know which club somebody used or why one shot made everyone squint like they were solving a tax crime.

The sport gives the show shape, while Pryce, Santi, Elena, Mitts, Zero, and Amber-Linn keep it from feeling like homework with clubs.

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What helps is that every swing connects to something personal.

For Santi, golf is pressure, possibility, and a chance to become more than whatever people expect from him. 

For Pryce, it’s where everything went wrong and the only place he still knows how to speak fluently.

(Courtesy of Apple TV)

That contrast gives the series its best rhythm. Pryce wants to help Santi, but he keeps dragging his own damage onto the course.

Santi wants a future, but trusting Pryce means trusting a man who already fumbled his own.

The golf becomes the language these people use when saying the truth out loud gets too uncomfortable.

And yes, there are sports-comedy beats you may recognize: training, rivalry, road-trip chaos, emotional blowups, the whole messy buffet. 

The difference is that Stick has enough edge to keep those beats from feeling too polished.

The Golf Looks Legit, Which Helps A Lot (Courtesy of Apple TV)

Sports TV can lose viewers fast when the athletic part looks fake.

Stick did its homework. PGA of Ontario says golf consultant Nathan Leonhardt trained Dager virtually before a brutal three-week program in British Columbia.

That effort shows. Santi has to look like someone Pryce would bet it all on, and the golf needs to feel real, not like random swings on pretty grass.

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The show also throws in real golf stars like Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley, Max Homa, and Wyndham Clark.

Those cameos are a fun treat for golf fans, but they are not the whole meal.

(Courtesy of Apple TV)

The better win is that Stick treats the game with enough care without making non-golf viewers feel locked outside the clubhouse.

That balance is tricky. Too much detail, and casual viewers tune out; too little, and sports fans start throwing tomatoes.

Stick mostly avoids both.

Season 2 Makes This the Perfect Catch-Up

Apple later confirmed that Stick Season 2 premieres on November 4, 2026.

That gives Season 1 a nice binge advantage. Season 2 is also adding Rhea Seehorn, which is one of those casting choices that makes me sit up straighter.

(Courtesy of Apple TV)

Apple confirmed Seehorn is joining the new season alongside the returning cast, and if Stick gives her someone sharp, funny, or dangerous to play, we may be in for a treat.

Are you rooting for Pryce, or should someone confiscate his decision-making privileges before Season 2?

Drop your thoughts below and follow TV Fanatic for more Apple TV recommendations.

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