Ted Lasso: The Show We All Needed

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“Ted Lasso” seasons one and two are streaming on Apple TV+.

Jack Mezey, Managing Editor, Online

Ted Lasso is one-of-a-kind. I’m talking about both the character and the show. 

Jason Sudeikis plays the lovable, kind, and enthusiastic American football coach, who is hired to coach British soccer club A.F.C. Richmond by its owner, Rebecca Welton, who wants the team to fail. She gets the club in her divorce with her ex-husband, who was in love with the team and is determined to make it fail to spite him. But Ted Lasso wins her over by the end of the season, and she starts doing everything she can to help Lasso and Co. get the struggling team back to the Premier League. 

Season Two just wrapped up on October 8, with a third season confirmed by Apple TV+ and writing already in process. Production is set to start in January 2022.

There are no talks of “Ted Lasso” moving to a different streaming service, as Apple TV+ is enjoying its immense success and surely keeping the producers very happy. If you don’t have Apple’s streaming service, get it. Or take advantage of the free trial and binge the show in a week. Find a way to watch the show. 

“I think the storyline of the show is fantastic, and the sarcastic humor really brings the laughter,” Benjamin Hoppe ‘24 said. 

“Ted Lasso” is the show the world needs right now. No, it’s not a drama about the Cold War or something informative like that. But it is a show about kindness, accepting people, and staying positive. At the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic and less than a year after one of the most brutal elections in history from a political division standpoint, it provides an hour of laughs and positivity for a world that, judging by the news every day, is in dire need of some. 

“They hit their timing right,” US History Department Chair and Film Studies Teacher Colin Douglas ‘06 said. “Had the show been released at a different time, it probably wouldn’t have been as popular. People needed a feel-good show.”

“Ted Lasso” set the record for the most Emmy nominations for a new comedy series with 20. Of those nominations, seven converted into wins. 

The show itself won the Outstanding Comedy Series and three other awards. Jason Sudeikis won Outstanding Actor In A Comedy Series. Brett Goldstein won Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series for his portrayal of the gruff but lovable player turned coach, Roy Kent. And last but certainly not least, Hannah Waddingham won Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series for playing Rebecca Welton, the owner of the team.

These awards are a testament to just how great “Ted Lasso” is. From the writing, to the directing, to the acting, the show is simply the best thing on TV right now. 

“The show does a good job of building drama and addressing important topics while still remaining optimistic,” Douglas said.