Now how’s this for an un-par-alleled delight? Having dabbled in serialised comedy TV a fistful of times over the years, SNL legend and blockbuster comedy icon Will Ferrell is biting the bullet with his own self-created Netflix series, The Hawk. Following the travails of one Lonnie ‘The Hawk’ Hawkins (Ferrell), a fictitious former World No. 1 golfer looking to swing his way back to the top (not in that way) two decades on from his heyday, The Hawk looks — and sounds — like it could be a real hole-in-one from Ferrell. And if you don’t believe us, check out the newly dropped teaser trailer below;
He looks like the natural evolution of Zoolander‘s Jacobim Mugatu. He offers folk ‘Lonnie Juice’. When when he’s not hitting innocent bystanders with his rusty drive, he’s writhing in a bunker trying to dig his ball out of the sand. And his son is our Theater Camp fave Jimmy Tatro. Honestly, Happy Gilmore better watch his six because it feels like a new problematic fave golfer forged in the crucible of sketch television has just arrived. And given Ferrell’s familiarity with sports comedy fare — from Blades Of Glory to Talladega Nights to Semi-Pro — we wouldn’t bet against him delivering the goods with The Hawk… even if it does have an ever so slight whiff of Apple TV’s Stick about it.
The official synopsis for The Hawk — which co-stars the likes of Molly Shannon, Jimmy Tatro, Fortune Feimster, Luke Wilson, and Chris Parnell — reads: “Lonnie Hawkins (Will Ferrell), 2004’s number one golfer, struggles on the back nine of his career to recapture his magic. His body says retire, but his heart says he’s not done yet. His ex-wife and his son Lance, golf’s new golden boy, know he’s through. But with one more major to win to complete golf’s Grand Slam, Lonnie refuses to believe he’s anything other than one stroke away from the greatest comeback in golf history.”
With The Hawk set to make its Netflix debut on 16 July, we don’t have long to wait until we find out whether Ferrell’s latest comedy venture is destined to leave its sports comedy rivals green with envy — or if it’s a load of old alba-dross. Fore!
