There’s no question that wealthy men of a certain age love to golf. Something happens in their biology to cause them to yearn spending hours on end standing on grass that’s kept green by tons of water and pesticides. There’s also no question that the top streaming networks are run by those same wealthy men, who can’t stop greenlighting comedies about golf.
Right now, Apple TV+ has already aired its heartfelt golf sitcom, Stick. Starring Owen Wilson and Marc Maron, it’s about a washed-up golf star who gets his spark back when he meets a young kid with spectacular but untrained talent. It’s kind of like the plot of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, but with a happier ending.
According to a new report from Deadline, Stick soon won’t be the only golf comedy starring a Wilson brother. Over on the other streamer, Netflix, Luke Wilson will be part of Will Ferrell’s new golf comedy series. The yet-to-be-titled show will follow Ferrell as a golf legend, and Wilson will play one of his pro rivals.
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There has yet to be any press interviews about the brothers’ very similar projects, but there should be. I mean come on! I’m grateful for all of the original comedy programming that both streaming giants are investing in, don’t get me wrong, but two separate series centered around golfing? And both of them star a different Wilson brother? What, was there a shortage of other white middle-aged actors on hand?
I just want to know about the demographics of viewers that are clamoring to watch comedy programming about a sport I first became aware of because Tiger Woods was doing the run-around with his nanny. What survey data is inspiring these streaming executives to greenlight so many golf comedies?
Maybe I’m being a hater. Maybe this is an attempt to end the male loneliness epidemic, and the Wilson brothers have taken on the mantle of trying to get men to connect with their emotions via one-liners about the slowest sport in the world. In that case, good luck. Otherwise, what’s going on?