Netflix was the first of the big streamers to become moviemakers. After releasing Beasts Of No Nation in 2015, Prime Video were right behind them in 2016 and others followed suit. Since then, they’ve all gathered some star power, with names such as Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, Millie Bobby Brown, John Cena and Mark Wahlberg becoming regulars. Wahlberg’s first Netflix original was five years ago – and if you didn’t catch Spenser Confidential then, now is the time.
He plays the Spenser of the title, an ex-cop back on the streets of Boston after a jail sentence but who is pulled back into the crime that put him away. All he wants to do is earn his truck driving license and move to Arizona to put some distance between him and his ex. But he can’t walk away when a couple of former police colleagues are murdered, especially as he sniffs a cover-up. So, with some help from his old boxing trainer Henry (Alan Arkin) and his roommate Hawk (Winston Duke), he gets back to solving crimes, exposing the truth – and acquiring the bruises and scars to prove it.
We’re on buddy-cop crime mystery territory for what turned out to be Wahlberg’s fifth and last collaboration with director Peter Berg. While Wahlberg has since been mixing it up with a variety of films for both streamers and the big screen, Berg has concentrated on TV projects, most recently this year’s American Primeval, Netflix’s brutal western mini-series.
The majority of his films with Wahlberg were actioners based on real life, but Spenser Confidential is a long way from that, concentrating more on a humour which is beefed up by a handful of salty supporting characters. The action is still there, but this time it’s designed to entertain, with Spenser beaten up so often it almost becomes a running gag in its own right. His partnership with Hawk and their inevitable banter give Wahlberg and Duke the opportunity to forge a sparky on-screen partnership that helps drive the story along.
Spenser Confidential was also the last appearance in front of the camera from Oscar winner Alan Arkin, who plays trainer, Henry, in his customary curmudgeonly style, but with a twinkle never far from his eyes. He’s only in a few scenes but the part fits him like a glove, allowing him to bring an earthiness to the film.
Alongside him in the colourful supporting cast is Marc Maron, in a role that has his name written all over it. As Wayne Cosgrove, a reporter on The Boston Globe, he’s cynical and world weary but his principles remain intact and he’s trying to shine a light on wrongdoing. He gives Spenser the vital clue he needs to crack the case and, although we only see him in a couple of scenes, he leaves an indelible impression.
Having started out as a stand-up comedian, Maron is also a writer, an award winning podcaster and, more recently, a prolific actor both on TV and in movies. After the success of last year’s taut thriller, The Order, he’s due back on the big screen later this year as record producer Chuck Plotkin in the much-anticipated Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, alongside Jeremy Allen White, Paul Walter Hauser and Jeremy Strong. Currently he’s immersed in the world of golf in Apple TV+ Plus’s sports comedy Stick. And, after a first season that garnered an 82% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s been greenlit for a second outing.
Owen Wilson stars as Pryce Cahill, an ex-pro golfer whose career came to an abrupt halt 20 years ago. Emerging after the breakup of his marriage, he’s working in a sporting goods store and places his future in the 17 year old hands of golfing prodigy Santi (Peter Dager), who is seriously in need of a coach. The combination of sport and the show’s good hearted tone has prompted comparisons with Apple TV Plus’s big hitter, Ted Lasso.
And, just like Bill Lawrence’s affectionate look at football, it’s a show that depends very much on the chemistry between its cast. For Stick, the relationship at the centre of everything is the one between Pryce and Mitts, his long-term friend and former caddy, played by Maron. Essentially the comic relief, he always has a great gag for any occasion and the actor’s immaculate timing means his dry, sarcastic lines are delivered to perfection. The big laughs all come from him and, while Wilson is no stranger to comedy – and certainly has his moments in season one - he’s the straight man, with the dramatic side of the narrative falling in his shoulders. And he produces some really tearjerking moments.
There’s no word yet on when filming starts for the new season, nor when it’s likely to arrive, although next year looks a good bet. The script is under wraps as well, but there’s been hints of a backstory about Mitts’ late wife and it sounds like a natural. If the past year has been a busy one for Maron, 2026 could be a hole in one!
Spenser Confidential is on Netflix in the USA and the UK.
All episodes of season one of Stick are on Apple TV Plus in both the USA and the UK.
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