When TV networks put out a show that reaches critical acclaim, the two things that come to mind for them are how long can we keep the show going, and how can we replicate that style of show for future success.
We have seen it with similar TV show styles like how ‘The Office’ paved the way for shows like ‘Parks and Rec’ and ‘Abbott Elementary.’ Now, we are getting a similar spin from Apple TV. The company continues to churn out hits like ‘Severance’ and ‘Shrinking’, but it is arguably known best for being the home to ‘Ted Lasso’.
This show brings to life a character that was introduced in English Premier League (EPL) commercials a decade prior, as Jason Sudeikis plays coach Ted Lasso. He is an American who coached American football and has been hired to be a soccer coach in England with no real knowledge of the sport.
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It turned into a classic TV show that ultimately mixed a feel-good story with sports. Apple TV is back with another show of the same formula, but this one leaves the pitch and heads to the links.
‘Stick’ follows Owen Wilson’s Pryce Cahill as we find him after his pro career fizzled. The trailer explains that Cahill had a full mental breakdown on the course and never recovered. Now, he is coaching golf when he hears someone at the driving range. If you play golf or have been to the driving range, you may have heard the sound. The pure ping when someone is sending golf balls into orbit, and way further than everyone else. Wilson approaches the golfer and details a plan to be his coach for the Tour.
Here is more on ‘Stick’, and if it is a true story, and who is involved in the show.
MORE: How to qualify for the U.S. Open golf championship
Is ‘Stick’ based on a true story?
Showrunner Jason Keller said that a true story inspires the premise of the show, but albeit loosely. He told Esquire in an interview that the story was inspired by his father, who was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Keller doesn’t expound on whether his dad was discovered in a unique way or if he discovered a player.
He switched the story to golf because you can truly come out of anywhere. This is what executive producer Ben Silverman said of the sport switch.
“You can come out of nowhere and be a participant,” Silverman said. “There is no PGA draft. There is no collegiate runway. There is no true path to arriving on the PGA Tour other than excellence in your play and the renewal of your qualifying card to get into the Tour. [There’s the] possibility that you literally could come from the back of a muni range into a Tour event in the course of a summer if you play your way there.”
What is the TV show ‘Stick’ about?
‘Stick’ is expected to be a “feel-good” sports-centric TV show. It follows former golfer Pryce Cahill – played by Wilson – who is down on his luck. He got the nickname ‘Stick’ during his pro career, but had a mental breakdown on the course and never recovered. It sounds like getting the yips in baseball.
Cahill is also going through a divorce, but finally gets a spark of inspiration. He is giving a golf lesson when he hears someone absolutely obliterating the ball at the driving range. This is where he finds Santi Wheeler – played by Peter Dager – a teen with a great golf swing. Cahill look to take Wheeler under his wing and wants to coach him to the Tour.
‘Stick’ cast
Here is a look at the main cast from ‘Stick’.
- Owen Wilson – Pryce Cahill, a former golf star who had a mental breakdown on the course and coaches a prodigy he finds
- Peter Dager- Santi Wheeler, the golf prodigy that the trailer shows has an incredible drive.
- Judy Greer – Amber-Linn, Cahill’s soon-to-be ex-wife
- Mariana Trevino – Elena, Wheeler’s mom
- Lilli Kay – Zero, a possible love interest of Wheeler
- Marc Maron – Mitts, seen to be insulting Cahill at a bar, but then the two hang out and coach Wheeler together so the exact relationship is unknown
- Timothy Olyphant – Clark Ross, a possible former rival of Cahill’s who questions his coaching of Wheeler
