New Will Ferrell Netflix Series Soars on Streaming After Divisive Reactions

Will Ferrell’s new Netflix series has drawn mixed reactions despite his generally commendable return to sports comedy. The actor’s 30-year career has been defined by an impressive list of memorable characters, including a handful of absurd and unhinged athletic caricatures. His latest effort has him playing Lonnie Hawkins, a washed-up golf legend who’s out to resurrect his glory days with a desperate comeback. Critics panned Ferrell’s performance with a scathing 33% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences argue there are enough laughs to mend the rough patches. Either way, Ferrell’s fans have turned out in droves for The Hawk, according to the viewership numbers.

The series ranked fourth in Nielsen’s streaming top 10 after garnering 999 million minutes viewed during the week of Jul. 13-19. That’s quite a feat — it outperformed multi-season phenoms Criminal Minds, Bluey, and House of the Dragon. Nielsen’s rankings are based on total minutes viewed, which favors long-running, established series over newcomers like The Hawk, which premiered on Netflix on Jul. 16 with ten episodes.

‘The Hawk’ Beats Multi-Season Shows on Nielsen Charts

Top 10 Streaming Overall – Nielsen (7/13/26 – 7/19/26)
Rank	Title	Minutes Viewed (Millions)	Streaming Platform
1	Little House on the Prairie	1,175	Netflix
2	The Big Bang Theory	1,076	HBO Max
3	SpongeBob SquarePants	1,005	Paramount+
4	The Hawk	999	Netflix
5	House of the Dragon	995	HBO Max
6	Ride or Die (2026)	869	Prime Video
7	Bluey	860	Disney+
8	The Last Ship	733	Netflix
9	Criminal Minds	722	Hulu / Paramount+ / Pluto TV
10	Project Hail Mary	699	Prime Video

The list is dominated by originals and syndicated shows; the big winner is Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie, a reboot of the 1974 Western drama, with 1.2 billion minutes viewed. The Hawk ranked higher at #2 on the top ten list of streaming originals, beating I Will Find You, Ride or Die, and The Five-Star Weekend.

The Hawk marks Ferrell’s first lead role in a series, something he’s been wanting to do because it allows him to flesh out characters. The series also reunites Ferrell with co-star Molly Shannon, both SNL alumni . The duo’s chemistry is strong, thanks to their previous collaborations and their strong background in improv.

Will Ferrell Teases Wild Crossovers for ‘The Hawk’ Season 2

Ferrell has dropped hints of cameos if The Hawk gets renewed, teasing a showdown with Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore — Ferrell said both characters are wild cards, but Lonnie would easily get the best of Happy by getting under his skin. Ferrell is also hoping for a proper crossover with Owen Wilson’s golf-centered Apple TV comedy series. It’s not so far-fetched since they all work in the same circles, and Wilson’s brother Luke is also in The Hawk. Ferrell has also pulled off hilarious cameo fests before, in Anchorman and Anchorman 2.

Ferrell is playing to his strengths in The Hawk with an over-the-top performance and a heaping dose of slapstick. He’s said the show is a refreshing change of pace after a string of comedy films, allowing him to play a character “for longer than 90 minutes in film,” and he was also a hands-on contributor in the writer’s room, developing all of the characters and their story arcs. He’s said Lonnie is perhaps the most narcissistic character he’s ever played, worse than Run Burgundy or Deangelo Vickers from The Office. If you’re familiar with his filmography, you know that’s quite a claim .