Pickleball— or retirement tennis, as my friends like to call it—may have already taken over parks, gyms, and country clubs everywhere, so it was probably only a matter of time before it got its own underdog sports comedy. Apple Original Films has released the new trailer and key art for “The Dink,” a new Apple TV comedy starring Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, and Aaron Chen.
Directed by Josh Greenbaum (“Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar”) from a script by Sean Clements (“Workaholics”), the film stars Johnson as Dusty Boyd, a washed-up former tennis prodigy now coaching unruly kids at his father Chuck’s (Ed Harris) suburban country club. Desperate for his father’s approval, Dusty sides with Chuck in his vendetta against the new craze taking over the club: pickleball.
But after Dusty reaggravates an old injury and can no longer play tennis, he turns to pickleball as part of his rehab and, thanks in part to his new partner Candace (Steenburgen), discovers he may actually like it. That leaves Dusty caught between the sport he thinks defines him and the new one that forces him to reckon with his past failures, including his childhood nemesis, Andy Roddick, who plays himself.
Produced by Ben Stiller (“Dodgeball”), “The Dink” also stars Patton Oswalt, Chloe Fineman, Chris Parnell, Aaron Chen, Roddick, and Stiller. Producers include Stiller, John Lesher, Rob Paris, Mike Witherill, and Johnson.
“The Dink” premieres globally on Apple TV on July 24, 2026.
