Started July 16, 2026 · Returning Series · Based on 1 season, 10 episodes through July 16, 2026 · TV-MA
Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins was once the best golfer in the world, but he has spent years chasing a return to the PGA Tour. After his caddie dies during a minor tournament, Lonnie hires Sam, a stranger he meets in a Walmart parking lot. Lonnie wants one last major title so he can finish golf’s Grand Slam, while his son Lance tries to escape his father’s shadow. The ten-episode comedy mixes loud jokes, sex, drinking, family fights, and a messy sports comeback. Sam is openly lesbian, and her friendship with Lonnie becomes one of the show’s main relationships. She improves his game and later saves his life, so the queer character is more than a background role. Stacy runs her own hard-tea business and often controls the family fights, while several episodes joke about men, women, gay people, and diversity programs. The show also gives a brief message that same-sex love is acceptable, but the main story stays focused on golf, fame, father-son hurt, marriage, gambling, and forgiveness.
Community feedback
Was our 50% Woke rating accurate?
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Hawk.
Woke representation / casting
The show gives a major supporting role to Sam, a lesbian caddie played by Fortune Feimster. Sam stays with Lonnie through much of the season and saves his life in the finale. The wider cast includes black actors Keith David and Aida Osman in supporting roles, which fits a modern American setting. The identity emphasis is clear through Sam, but the whole cast is not built around representation.
38%
Woke political dialogue
Several episodes use short identity-related exchanges. Lonnie says that love is love when he jokes about his son having a boyfriend. Sam says she is a lesbian, and Lonnie later says he would celebrate a son who loved another man. The PGA board also jokes about women, undesirables, diversity programs, and changing sex. These lines are usually crude or comic and do not become a long political speech.
41%
Identity-driven story themes
Sam’s friendship with Lonnie is one of the season’s main relationships, and the show presents her lesbian identity as a normal part of its hero. Sam changes Lonnie’s game and life, then saves him during the finale. Stacy also runs her own drink business and often takes control while the men act selfishly or foolishly. The main story still centers on golf, family, marriage, gambling, and fame.
42%
Western institutional / cultural critique
The show makes the old golf board mock a woman joining it and call women and other people “undesirables.” The story gives Stacy her own drink business and lets her defend Natalie after Lance cheats. Male golfers are often shown as crude, selfish, or weak, but Lonnie is also praised and rewarded. Another scene says men have always had it toughest. Gender conflict is used for jokes and relationship drama, not as a sustained attack on Western institutions.
33%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The Hawk is an original comedy about fictional golfers. It does not adapt established characters, source material, or real historical events.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
The separate X pass found one small MAGA account claiming that the show sets up a “DEI” love interest. The post had about 40 views and no pickup, so it shows no broad public backlash. Other online criticism focused on weak jokes, pacing, and awkward promotion. Right-leaning praise that the show is not woke is approval, not backlash.
8%
Creator track record context
Harper Steele has a strong public record of trans-rights work and speaking about LGBTQ issues, with a stored score of 68/100. Rian Johnson has a stored score of 68/100 for support for wider casting and social issues. Will Ferrell has a stored score of 16/100, and most listed directors and writers have little activist history. The mixed record gives this factor a middle score.
42%
Production
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