2 d. ago Unless you're a golfer, Owen Wilson's new comedy Stick doesn't make the cut, writes CHRISTOPHER STEVENS

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: The gods of television are cruel. No sooner do I confess my loathing for golf than they send a ten-part comedy series about the game.

Politics

3 d. ago In a miserable world, we should be grateful for the zen stylings of Owen Wilson

The staple of Noughties comedy is making his TV series debut with Apple TV+’s ‘Stick’. And thanks to Wilson’s laidback, shaggy charm, it avoids the cloying sentimentality of ‘Ted Lasso’, writes Ed Power

Politics

3 d. ago Stick review – Owen Wilson is utterly charming in the Ted Lasso of golf

This solid comedy-drama features the ever-watchable Hollywood star as a washed-up pro given a shot at redemption when he mentors a teen prodigy. It’s pleasant, feelgood TVI’ve never met a golfer in real life. I’ve always assumed I’m the wrong demographic – perhaps in terms of age, or class or at least tax bracket – or perhaps my lack of athleticism is so aggressive that it has prevented me from becoming friends with anyone with even the mildest sporting proclivity for all my life. Instead, I have essentially taken Mark Twain’s word for it that golf is a good walk spoiled, and gone about my days.Now, however, I think golf may be the spoiler of a good new comedy drama. Stick, it’s called – a deadening name – and it stars Owen Wilson as washed-up golf pro Pryce Cahill. He had a televised meltdown during a tournament at the peak of his career (“He triple-bogeyed his entire life”) and is now reduced to selling golf kit, giving lessons to rich old ladies and hustling for cash in bars. He ...

Politics

5 d. ago Jason Sudeikis honours ‘incredible’ uncle and Cheers star George Wendt in moving tribute

The Ted Lasso actor said his uncle was ‘as fun and kind and as warm as any character he played on television’

Politics

7 d. ago Stick: Owen Wilson’s charmingly funny golf drama is as feelgood as Ted Lasso

It’s easy to forget the Hollywood star is also an Oscar-nominated writer and highly subtle actor. He’s perfect in this gentle, humane tale of a washed-up sportsman trying to regain his mojo as a mentorGolf is – apologies to fans, the ground is gonna get a little rough – inert material for TV and film. It’s not explosively combative like say football, either American or actual. In golf, players interact with the environment, not each other. There is no time pressure. Physical adjustments are minute, the airborne ball impossible to see. For casual spectators, the experience mostly amounts to watching a middle-aged man shuffle above a tiny ball, like an emperor penguin sitting on an egg. The sound of even a world-beating putt is a soft plop.However, a lack of basic knowledge brought me late to Friday Night Lights, a show that became one of my favourites. I’d like to avoid making that mistake with Stick (Apple TV+, from Wednesday 4 June), so let’s see. Wisely, the show isn’t aiming at F...

Events

1 week ago Sex up the sexting! Why text messages are the hot new boom area in TV shows

What makes for a believable texting – or sexting – exchange? And why has this suddenly become so crucial for a character’s credibility? We meet the teams who agonise over writing lines that only appear on screen for secondsIn the final episode of Ted Lasso’s second season, Ted sends a text to his ex-wife that reads simply: “Knock, knock.” Nothing too unusual about that you might think, but what is strange is that it appears to be the very first message he’s ever sent the mother of his son. Stranger still, she has never previously texted him either. The blank white space above and below their messages reveals that the characters share zero messaging history.It’s a problem that used to plague TV. Why is the first message Emily in Paris has ever received from her boyfriend: “Hey, how is Paris?” When Rebecca accidentally sends a text to her crush instead of her best friend in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, why is their history blank when we saw him text her about a housewarming party a few episod...

Culture

2 w. ago Cheers star George Wendt's hidden Ted Lasso link as fans spot eerie tribute

Actor George Wendt, who starred in the beloved Cheers TV series, has passed away at the age of 76, and he has a famous Ted Lasso nephew he's sadly leaving behind

Politics