What I know about golf is limited to Tiger Woods and "Caddyshack." But the second season of "Full Swing" has me hooked. It's a reminder that when it comes to documentaries, sometimes ignorance is bliss.
Now streaming on Netflix, "Swing" follows players through the four majors of 2023 and the Ryder Cup. Golf fanatics already know who came out on top. I didn't, which made the drama fresh and exciting.
The competition alone may not be enough to draw in viewers who think watching grown men try to get a ball into a hole is about as thrilling as changing the batteries on a remote control. But these eight new episodes have a couple other things going for them. Last year's tour played out during a battle between the PGA and LIV, a rival tour financed by the Saudi Arabia government, and the filmmakers lean into the tension that was created. The game is also crowded with colorful personalities like Tom Kim, the 21-year-old phenom who exhibits both goofiness and grit. He's a lot more entertaining than most of the stiffs in "Break Point," the tennis docuseries in which the star players rarely let down their guards.
The antics in "Swing" may not convince nonplayers to invest in a set of clubs, but they're more engaging than seeing Rodney Dangerfield disrupt the pretentious Bushwood Country Club for the umpteenth time.
Also this week...
'Jeopardy!'
Emily Sands, a project manager from Chanhassen, has made it to the final nine in the game show's latest Tournament of Champions. She bested her quarterfinal opponents in an episode that aired last week. If she wins the semifinal round that airs Friday, she'll move on to the finals and have a chance at the $250,000 prize. The fact that Sands has gotten this far is impressive since she only made the tourney by doing well in a wild-card competition. 4:30 p.m. Friday, KARE, Ch. 11
'Ali Sultan: Pop Jazz & Blues'
Sultan, one of the Twin Cities' most polished stand-ups, filmed his latest special at the Comedy Room at Sisyphus Comedy Cub, an intimate setting that allows the comedian to show off his crowd work. Those not from Minnesota won't get his digs at Coon Rapids, but they're sure to relate to his clever takes on white guilt and "cat people." Thursday, YouTube
'Hannah Gadsby's Gender Agenda'
"The last time Netflix brought this many trans people together was for a protest," Gadsby says near the top of this comedy showcase, clearly referring to the controversy surrounding David Chappelle's "Closer," the 2021 special that sparked outrage from many in the transgender community. This concert, taped in London, gives transgender comics more exposure. The best of the bunch is DeAnne Smith, a Canadian-American talent who gets a lot of mileage out of a routine on nipples. Netflix
'Boarders'
Bullying is as vicious as ever in this six-part dramedy, which premiered last month in Europe. Creator Daniel Lawrence Taylor has created a fictional boarding school that's less than inviting for five Black students from a financially challenged background. They might as well be staying in the house from "Get Out." The characters are a little too one-dimensional, but Taylor has a lot to say about tokenism and the power of social media. Tubi
