Ferrell is frequently associated with sports comedies. He covered basketball in Semi-Pro, auto racing in Talladega Nights, youth soccer in Kicking & Screaming, male pairs figure skating in Blades of Glory, baseball in Ferrell Takes the Field, and pickleball in Pickled — so it was only a matter of time before he got around to golf.
What’s unique about this one is that it’s Ferrell’s first foray back into scripted television since his star-turning days on Saturday Night Live, where he first became a household name.
Not much is known about the plot of the new show, though a good guess is it has something to do with the golf project Ferrell was developing in 2023, as reported by Deadline. That project, which the Hollywood site reported on exclusively, centered on “a professional golfer who becomes the face of a controversial new league competing with the PGA.”
Will Ferrell is starring in GOLF, his first ever scripted comedy series! Ferrell will play a fictional golf legend in the 10-episode comedy, which he co-created with Ramy Youssef and Josh Rabinowitz and is executive produced by Rian Johnson. pic.twitter.com/sCjwmaWus9
— Netflix (@netflix) May 15, 2024
This obviously has echoes of the PGA’s real-life heated rivalry with the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf League. Many PGA golfers have been outspoken in their views and critiques of LIV Golf — due to the human rights abuses of the Saudi monarchy, which funds the new venture.
This led to LIV golfers firing back at their PGA colleagues, raising their own criticisms and defending their move to a new league.
If this all sounds like great fodder for a Will Ferrell comedy, clearly he thought so too. The casting of Youssef is also spurring interest. Ramy Youssef has been in high demand following his breakout Hulu show Ramy and his role in last year’s Oscar winner Poor Things.
In his stand up comedy, and on Ramy, Youssef is known for his take on being a Muslim American born to Egyptian immigrant parents. Whether this means Youssef will be playing a golfer from a LIV-esque Middle Eastern country remains to be seen, but his pairing with Ferrell is certainly highly anticipated.
It brings to mind some other memorable pairings for Ferrell in his sports films — such as alongside Sacha Baron Cohen in Talladega Nights, and Jon Heder in Blades of Glory.
As for further details about GOLF, Netflix posted to X/Twitter a headshot of Will Ferrell with the caption that he’ll be playing “a fictional golf legend in the 10-episode comedy, which he co-created with Ramy Youssef and Josh Rabinowitz and is executive produced by Rian Johnson.”
Details past that are anyone’s guess, but coming from the comedic auspices of Will Ferrell and Ramy Youssef, Netflix is more than likely to have another hit on its hands with GOLF.
