I have written quite profusely about the books and genres I love to read. When it comes to movies or television, it is much the same. I love anything science fiction and/or fantasy (I have watched and rewatched every permutation of Star Trek created), and beyond that I steer towards mystery shows. What can I say, I grew up watching Star Trek with my dad and Murder She Wrote with my mom and, BOOM, my life long watching habits were set. Seriously, turn on any episode in any season of Murder She Wrote and I can tell you who the victim and murderer are within the first five minutes. I should probably be embarrassed about that but any reader of this blog already knows that I am a complete nerd.
What I don't watch (or at least very rarely) are comedies. This drives my drives my husband crazy when he just wants to watch something light and I suggest Criminal Minds, Picard, or that new show, Severance. He (my husband) is always talking about sitcoms and comedies that he loves and that I need to watch and I just smile and nod or sit for a scene or two and then go back to reading my book.
For the past year my husband has been gushing about Ted Lasso. It is one of the best shows he has ever watched, I will love it, I need to watch it, blah, blah, blah. I won't lie, I pretty much ignored him and forgot about it. Not that I am anti-sports, because I am an huge follower of professional tennis and there are some amazing sports movies that I have watched more than once. But a comedy about an American football coach that moves to England to coach a professional soccer team doesn't sound that interesting.
Well as famed author and family therapist, Virginia Satir, stated "Our biggest problems as human beings is knowing that we don't know." Side note: If you have never heard of Virginia Satir, she is a fascinating person who was a child prodigy that taught herself to read at age three, but by the time she was a teen one of the few fields open to females was education. Eventually her interest in family dynamics led to her becoming an esteemed family therapist.
I know that I went off topic a bit there so back to television. My husband has been talking about the series, Ted lasso, for MONTHS!!!!! I am not going to lie, I probably started to say no out of pure stubbornness, but eventually I caved. We had just finished watching the most recent season of Star Trek Discovery and he asked if I wanted to try Ted Lasso and I said "sure". Honestly, I figured I'd humor him by watching the first episode and then I would stop hearing about the weird soccer/football show.
You have probably already guessed that I ended up LOVING Ted Lasso and we watched both seasons in a single weekend. Before I tell you why Ted Lasso is so amazing let me give you a quick origin story. You may be surprised to learn that Ted Lasso began as commercial. The character was co-created by actors, writers, and comedians, Joe Kelly, Brendan Hunt, and Jason Sudeikis and then used by NBC sports in a series of videos in 2013 and 2014 to promote their coverage of the Premier League. The videos went viral, Sudeikis loved playing the character, fast forward several years of Hollywood wheeling and dealing, and Ted Lasso premiered on Apple TV on August 14, 2020.
Now that you know how Ted Lasso began, let me get into what sets it apart from other shows. You've heard the term "feel-good" but I don't know if it has ever been more applicable then when used to describe Ted Lasso. The show should be a train wreck. Lasso is basically Pollyanna with a stache and you would think that alone would make it too unbearably saccharine to even watch. Sudeikis's performance of the persistently positive Lasso is nuanced and sincere. At first glance Lasso may seem to have rose colored glassed staple-gunned to his face, but the superb writing and Sudeikis's brilliant performance lead to a much more nuanced character. We see the cheerful, let's just "BELIEVE" and "we can do it" Lasso, but there is also the Ted Lasso who is heartbroken over the breakup of his marriage and suffers severe panic attacks. It is this earnest depiction of serious issues such as mental illness intertwined with the humor that takes Ted Lasso from mediocre to exceptional television.
It takes more than a title character to make a show stand out, though. As phenomenal as Sudeikis is as Lasso, it would not be nearly as good without a fantastic supporting cast. First among these has to be Lasso's assistant coach (and one of the co-creators of the show), Brendan Hunt aka Coach Beard. Lasso's assistant football coach and best friend goes all in with Lasso and heads across the pond to coach soccer. Coach Beard's sardonic attitude is the perfect foil to Lasso's relentless positivity and the interplay between the two is delightful to watch. Almost as good as the dialogue is Beard's stoicism and sporadic delivery of side line wisdom and one liners. As a librarian (and a nerd) I love that Beard is this quirky dude who is always reading books and randomly demonstrating his vast knowledge of random subjects. This is probably a good thing, since Lasso is not up on the rules of football across the pond.
I love the entire cast of Ted Lasso. Hannah Waddingham just won her first emmy for her role as Rebecca Welton, owner of AFC Richmand. Waddingham's character, who only became the owner of the team after a nasty public divorce is brilliant, funny, strong, and an amazing inspiration to all women who watch the show not just her goddaughter and Keely. I cannot express how wonderful it is to see a leading female character on television who is sexy, smart, and interesting who is not barely out of high school. Hollywood has a long tradition of allowing men to age and continue to land starring roles, while female actresses are relegated to grandma roles when they are barely over thirty. Ted Lasso actually shows two female characters who have relationships with men younger than them. Isn't it strange how the majority of people barely bat an eyelash when they see an older man with a younger female, but vice versa and we instantly question it. Ted Lasso really tackles this issue head on and and celebrates women for their individuality and strength and intelligence. This isn't just Rebecca, but extends to Keely, Mae, Julie Higgins, Jane, Dr. Sharon, Sassy, Nora, and even Phoebe.
Speaking of Phoebe, I can't write about the show Ted Lasso without discussing her uncle, the surly and foul-mouthed Roy Kent. Brett Goldstein, who won the best supporting actor emmy alongside for his role in Ted Lassobegan as a writer on the show. After working on several scripts, Goldstein felt that he understood the character of Roy and was capable of bringing him to life. Luckily, Sudeikis and the rest of the casting crew agreed and Goldstein got the part, because it is impossible to imagine anyone else playing Roy Kent. I am not going to lie, Roy is my favorite character. He is sardonic, tough, and I already mentioned foul-mouthed. Underneath that rough exterior, though, he is a total softy as exhibited by his relationship with his niece, Phoebe. You know that I am a librarian and a sci-fy/fantasy nerd so my favorite scene is after Coach Lasso gifts all of the players with books and Kent receives A Wrinkle in Time. It seems like an odd choice until he is reading it to Phoebe and he realizes that Lasso wants Kent to be a better leader of the team. Wow, my bookworm heart melted into a puddle around my toes.
So, you may be one of those people that reflexively avoid Ted Lasso because of the Emmy wins, the hype, your nagging spouse etc. Don't give in to your inner contrarian! Watch Ted Lasso, I promise that you will not be disappointed. It is a show that will make smile, laugh, cry, and want to be a better human being.
