Ted Lasso is Apple TV+’s latest comedy that follows an American Football coach by the same name as he embarks on a journey coaching a football team in England. The character of Ted Lasso actually originated from a series of promos called “An American Coach in London,” starring Jason Sudeikis, who also created the character. The promos aired in 2013 when NBC Sports obtained the rights to the English Premier League.
Now, seven years later, Ted Lasso streams on Apple TV+ with new episodes dropping every Friday. It’s one of the best things to come from 2020, which is all the more reason to start watching this show. If you’re a fan of Friday Night Lights and Schitt’s Creek, then Ted Lasso is the show for you.
Here are 10 spoiler-free reasons you should watch Ted Lasso!
1. Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso
The entire cast should be enough to lure you in, because they’re all great. Ted Lasso quickly establishes itself as an ensemble cast before the first episode is even halfway over. However, if none of the names on its iconic roster call to you, let Jason Sudeikis be enough to give Ted Lasso a chance.
His performance as the utterly kind and optimistic Ted Lasso is the glue to all the other building blocks that make this show so great. Sudeikis gives every performance his all, which seems to work well with the rest of the cast. They all work so well with each other that their chemistry is palpable.
But Sudeikis’ rapport with Brendan Hunt’s Coach Beard stands on its own. These two finish each other’s sentences in a way that makes you giggle because it’s so absurd that two human beings could be so intertwined. Coach Lasso and Coach Beard are a 2-for-1 deal, but Sudeikis and Hunt prove themselves with powerful standalone scenes.
Brett Goldstein will make you root for the grumpy footballer with a heart of gold, Roy Kent, mere minutes after meeting him. Juno Temple revives every room she walks into as Keeley Jones. Phil Dunster, Jeremy Swift, and Nick Mohammed are just a few of the other cast members that round out a beautiful world of compelling characters.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans will be pleased to know that Anthony Head appears on Ted Lasso. He plays a character that stands apart from Rupert Giles, so get ready.
There are a million words to be written about Hannah Waddingham’s performance as Rebecca Welton. If Ted and Beard’s relationship is one side of a coin, Rebecca and Ted’s relationship is the other. Rebecca is formidable, intimidating, honest, and vulnerable — whether she likes to admit or not. Without giving too much away, Rebecca somehow manages to make you consider her side of a situation, even when it comes at the cost of someone else’s dreams. That’s a testament to Waddingham’s stellar performance.
2. A Perfect Balance of Heart and Humor
2020 hasn’t been the easiest year, and that may make it difficult for you to turn to a full-blown drama right now. You’re in luck with Ted Lasso. It’s a comedy in the best sense, as in it doesn’t push character-driven plots aside to favor jokes. The show doesn’t race to meet a punchline, because they happen organically. The writing and the cast’s performances lend themselves to this sort of storytelling.
Not only are the jokes so great that you’ll find yourself rewinding the episode to hear them again and again, they’re so great that you’ll end up quoting them to your friends and family. I know I have.
Ted Lasso is sure to keep you laughing, but it’s not afraid to make you cry. There’s a massive emotional shift halfway through the season that will shake you just as it shakes one of the characters. Jokes are an easy way to break ice and connect with people. Just as Ted uses this to his advantage, the show uses humor as a device to wiggle itself deep in your heart without you even realizing it.
This won’t make much sense out of context, but get ready to feel a lot of things about biscuits.
3. Football
If sports are the deciding factor of whether you’re going to turn on Ted Lasso, then rest assured that it does actually show the AFC Richmond players on the field. The wins and losses are important, of course, but Ted Lasso prioritizes what makes a team succeed or fail when they get on the field.
It’s fun to watch Jamie Tartt and Dani Rojas bring life to a football match. But Ted Lasso really succeeds when it tells the stories that impact those celebratory and unfortunate moments. Sports help us believe in people, in underdogs, and Ted Lasso’s AFC Richmond is a beautiful take on that.
4. Optimism and Hope
Ted Lasso is a breath of fresh air that 2020 desperately needs. It’s a welcomed escape from the brutal reality of 2020. A contagious optimism and overwhelming hope that good things can still happen goes hand in hand with the belief in a football team and its wholesome coaches.
Ted Lasso makes everything a little better, even if it’s for the duration of a single episode. More often than not, that feeling sticks with you well beyond the time you spend with the characters. It even brings you back to the same episode for a rewatch or two…or three.
5. Compelling Female Characters
Ted Lasso has some of the best compelling female characters on its show. This is a low bar for a show to reach, because viewers shouldn’t have to beg to see female characters on their favorite TV shows. Fans don’t have to do that with Ted Lasso. In fact, you’re introduced to Rebecca before you even meet Ted. You’re brought into this show knowing Rebecca is the one running things, and you’re never asked to question that. She not only demands but deserves the storytelling’s attention and respect.
As for Keeley, she’s fiercely loyal and eternally optimistic. She pairs nicely with Ted in genuinely hilarious scenes because of this. Keeley could have been nothing but a character’s girlfriend (No spoilers!), but Ted Lasso lets her take up space and craft her own story.
And there are more female characters on Ted Lasso that I desperately want to write about, but I promised no spoilers. You’ll just have to watch the show to fall in love with them just as I have.
6. Amazing Female Friendships
Expanding on the previous point, Rebecca and Keeley’s friendship becomes a cornerstone of the show pretty early on in the season. This isn’t a massive spoiler. Rather, it should be viewed as one of the biggest reasons you should watch this show. Ted Lasso defies tired expectations of women and their relationships by not allowing Rebecca and Keeley to contribute to the problem.
There are a few bumps in the road for them that I’ll leave a mystery for your binge once you finish reading this list. However, you should know that Rebecca and Keeley’s friendship is refreshing in how supportive they are of each other. It’s unfortunate that this is something audiences still have to yearn for in 2020, but here we are.
If you’re looking for women supporting women, Ted Lasso is the show for you. There’s an unforgettable moment of pure encouragement on Ted Lasso Season 1 Episode 4, “For the Children,” that will stay with you. I can’t help but get a little emotional just writing about it. Oh, Ted Lasso Season 1 Episode 7, “Make Rebecca Great Again,” is a treat as well. Seriously, watch this show.
7. Realistic Relationships
There are plenty of relationships on Ted Lasso that warrant your time. There are friendships, work relationships, romantic relationships, familial relationships, and everything between and beyond. This isn’t a feat for Ted Lasso, because these are common features of any kind of storytelling. However, Ted Lasso’s pacing with these relationships feels unique when compared to other TV shows. More so, Ted and Rebecca’s relationship as coworkers is unlike anything I’ve seen on TV in recent years. I don’t want to say too much because there are some surprises you won’t want spoiled.
Ted Lasso follows the natural ebbs and flows of these relationships in a way that fosters character-driven stories. Sometimes relationships end abruptly, but they can grow just as fast. Ted Lasso looks at why these things happen and does a nice job of holding every member of the relationship accountable.
The relationships on Ted Lasso are so interesting because of the show’s dedication to letting each character take up space. In the same way Keeley could have been boxed in, Mohammed’s character Nate could have been overlooked. Instead, the show is better because it values Nate’s presence and his voice.
Ted doesn’t let anyone fade into the shadows. At least he hasn’t yet. He makes sure everyone is seen and heard. Ted is unique in his kindness, and that resonates with other characters in the way they view themselves and their relationships with others. I believe that same thing resonates with Ted Lasso’s viewers as well.
8. England
Since 2020 is leading a lot of us to stay inside, the outside world becomes more appealing. Going outside is a luxury that not everyone can afford nowadays, so a change of scenery is welcome in whatever way we can get it. For example, you can turn on your TV right now and be transported to the United Kingdom just by watching Ted Lasso.
Sure, this may not be all that appealing if you live in England and think you know all there is to be seen. I can guess that you haven’t seen the world, especially England, through the eyes of Ted Lasso. It’s a trip that you don’t want to miss!
9. Length of the Episodes and Season
As per 2020, attention spans aren’t the greatest. That’s no one’s fault in particular, but it’s something a lot of us have to deal with right now. That can make watching a 2-hour movie a feat or a 50-minute episode a marathon. That’s what makes Ted Lasso so great; it basically predicted this conundrum and tailored itself to meet our needs.
The first season of Ted Lasso is only 10 episodes long. The longest episode, so far, is only 33 minutes. The episodes are succinct in that sense, but that doesn’t mean the stories lack in any way. The show utilizes every minute to tell heartwarming stories. That’s just what we need right now.
10. Bill Lawrence
TV fans know the name Bill Lawrence. He is known for creating and writing Scrubs and Cougar Town. This should be a major sign that Lawrence is more than capable of making us laugh and cry, sometimes even at the same time. Bill Lawrence is a co-creator, writer, and an executive producer of Ted Lasso. His passion for telling stories is seen in his work, past and present. Ted Lasso is no exception.
Lawrence is active on social media where he interacts with fans of Ted Lasso. He always meets fans with gratitude and kindness, just as Ted meets others on the show. This is my final chance to beg you to come enjoy this show with all of us. You must give Ted Lasso a chance if you’ve ever loved any of the shows Lawrence has ever worked on.
Ted Lasso is streaming on Apple TV+ now!
