TV Talk: Golf gets pop culture moments with ‘Stick,’ ‘Happy Gilmore 2,’ ‘Steel Links’

With the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club coming up June 12-15, golf is in the zeitgeist locally — but there are also multiple national programs with golf themes coming this summer, beginning this week with Apple TV+’s “Stick” and continuing in July with Netflix’s “Happy Gilmore 2.” Invariably, both invoke the name of Western Pennsylvania golf legend Arnold Palmer.

‘Stick’

Now streaming its first three episodes — additional episodes drop weekly on Wednesdays through July 23 — Apple TV+’s “Stick” is another attempt to be the next “Ted Lasso.” But it’s not clever enough, nor are the characters distinctive enough, to fit that bill.

Created by Jason Keller (“Ford v Ferrari”), the series stars Owen Wilson as former pro golfer Pryce “Stick” Cahill, who’s now a down-on-his-luck Indiana golf instructor in the midst of a divorce from his wife (Judy Greer). Pryce even hustles barflies with his best friend (Marc Maron) to pay off debts.

Pryce finally starts to allow himself to dream again when he meets a 17-year-old golf prodigy, Santi (Peter Dager), and arranges to train him and take him on the road, competing, learning and laughing along the way.

“Stick” is an attempt at a feel-good comedy. But it’s not super-funny, most plot turns are predictable and still the series moves at a glacial pace.

‘Happy Gilmore 2’

It’s been more than 29 years since the original “Happy Gilmore” arrived in movie theaters, and now Netflix has made a sequel, due on the streaming service July 25.

The original film’s stars Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen and Chris McDonald reprise their roles, joined by Benny Safdie, Ben Stiller, Marcello Hernandez and more, working from a script again written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy.

So far, Netflix hasn’t revealed much about the plot of the sequel film.

WQED’s ‘Steel Links’

Of local golfing note, new one-hour documentary “Steel Links,” produced by New Jersey’s Shore Road Productions, debuts at 9 p.m. June 10 on WQED-TV. Former Pirates second baseman and Gibsonia native Neil Walker hosts and narrates the program that’s a celebration of the U.S. Open’s history at the Oakmont Country Club and a tribute to the city.

Interviewees include former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher and hip-hop star Wiz Khalifa, who grew up in Pittsburgh.

WQED declined to make a screener of the program available for review by this column’s deadline.

Pitt film to HBO awards

When writers for the first season of “The Pitt” interviewed her about her work, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine associate professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah showed them her short film, “In Good Hands,” which explores themes of racial bias and equity in a children’s hospital ER.

That movie, inspired by Owusu-­Ansah’s memoir and her experiences working in the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh ER, is one of five films selected to compete for the HBO Short Film Award at the American Black Film Festival on June 11 in Miami.

The winning entry will receive a $10,000 prize and automatic qualification for the Academy Awards short film category.

“In Good Hands,” written by Yasmine Crawley and produced by Pittsburgher Carl Kurlander (“St. Elmo’s Fire,” “Saved by the Bell”), stars Chanell C.J. Harris in the lead role of Dr. Asante, “a pediatric emergency physician navigating the challenges brought on by her last patients of the shift: a white boy unfamiliar with a Black female doctor, and an African American teenager caught in a dire situation with law enforcement,” incidents drawn from Owusu-Ansah’s experiences.

Kurlander said the film’s story came to his attention as a finalist in the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Creativity PITTch Film Competition.

Tony Awards

To try to boost ratings, Sunday’s “78th Annual Tony Awards” (8-11 p.m., CBS, Paramount+) will include a reunion of the original cast of “Hamilton” timed to the show’s 10th anniversary. Performers will include Ariana DeBose, Daveed Diggs, CMU grad Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Stephanie Klemons, Lin-Manuel Miranda, CMU grad Leslie Odom Jr. and Phillipa Soo.

Current Broadway shows that will be featured in performance on the Tonys include “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Dead Outlaw,” “Death Becomes Her,” “Floyd Collins,” “Gypsy,” “Maybe Happy Ending,” “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical,” “Pirates! The Penzance Musical,” “Sunset Blvd.,” “Just in Time” and “Real Women Have Curves.”

Prior to the main telecast, Goldsberry and Darren Criss will host “The Tony Awards: Act One,” a pre-show (6:40-8 p.m.) on free streamer Pluto TV.

Renewed

The CW renewed “All American” for an eighth and final season.

Acorn TV renewed Jane Seymour’s “Harry Wild” for a fifth season.

Return dates

Apple TV+’s “Slow Horses” returns for its fifth season Sept. 24. … Netflix’s final season of “Stranger Things” releases in three tranches of episodes at 5 p.m. Nov. 26, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. … The next “Knives Out” movie, “Wake Up Dead Man,” debuts Dec. 12 on Netflix.

Channel surfing

Shaler High School grad Trish Adlesic (“A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting”) produced “Law & Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay’s documentary about her mother, Jayne Mansfield, titled “My Mom Jayne” (8-10 p.m. June 27, HBO, Max). … Ncuti Gatwa exited “Doctor Who” in the recent series finale, seemingly to be replaced by Billie Piper, who previously played companion Rose Tyler in the long-running franchise. … Beginning this fall, syndicated game shows “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” will stream episodes the day after their linear premieres via Hulu, Peacock and Hulu on Disney+. … Jeremy Renner posted to Instagram Monday that Pittsburgh production on season four of “Mayor of Kingstown” wrapped this week. The season will premiere in October.