The Hawk

“The Hawk” is sentimental and juvenile — that isn’t a criticism — its pee and poo and erection jokes delivered with great vigor. There are, of course, the sort of improvised passages that have left their mark on a quarter-century of film comedy, so that now and again a scene spins into irrelevance, as if life were just a series of skits — and maybe it is — but this does tend to be funny and what we come for, after all.

What redeems The Hawk, both the show and the character, is the genuine earnestness that underlies this goofball’s delusional and raunchy bravado.

Suffice it to say, this is a comedy with the nutritional value of a jelly doughnut. .... It’s a show to be watched while drinking beer and belching out loud. Judged in that way, it’s a winner.

It's stuck between two worlds, and the characters aren't unique or compelling enough to keep the show running.

It probably establishes a new baseline representing the absolute minimum number of laughs it would be possible for a television show featuring Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon, Jimmy Tatro, Fortune Feimster, Chris Parnell and David Hornsby to generate.

Amid the random parts stitched together to fill 10 half-hour episodes (which are actually 30 minutes or less, thank God), there are intriguing patterns.

The script offers half a bad idea, which Ferrell and co are tasked with turning into comedy gold through sheer comic exuberance. With so little to work with, and with Ferrell’s ability to perform miracles now on the wane, it never works.

Will Farrell may have found his comedy partner in Fortune Feimster. He plays a golfer struggling to make a comeback and she’s the caddy he enlists from a Walmart parking lot. Their continual repartee is the best thing about this series. Actually, Farrell has tamped down his tendency to go over-the-top with this character. There’s still plenty of his signature style, but he never becomes obnoxious. Experienced comedy director David Gordon Green may be part of the reason. He’s kept the energy up, while allowing for some tender family interactions: Molly Shannon is also somewhat restrained as the wife with Jimmy Tatro as his son, who’s also competing against his dad in the golf finals. There are some genuinely funny moments, some juvenile humor and some gags that fall flat. As a result, it’s not a riotous comedy, but an occasional amusing series. NOTE: Green actually directed the first ep of “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” which I enjoyed a lot more.