Ted Lasso Season 2 is almost here! So now is as good a time as any to revisit some of the best moments from Season 1 of the Apple TV+ series. These moments made us laugh, cry, or laugh until we cry. They are all standouts in a show filled with standout moments. It’s difficult to narrow this list down to just 20 moments. We could have easily made it much, much longer. For now, take a look back at Season 1 of Ted Lasso with us as we revisit 20 of our favorite moments in chronological order.
1. Ted Wants to Know Nate’s Name (Season 1 Episode 1)
Ted showing basic human interest in getting to know Nate may seem like a weird place to start this list, but if you’re familiar with Ted Lasso, then you’ll know it’s the perfect place. This moment of kindness is one that shakes up Nate’s how world just as much as it does ours. This is a show in which this level of kindness isn’t out of the ordinary. It’s actually commonplace to treat others the way you want to be treated. What a great way to introduce us to Ted and the series (and start this list)!
2. Rebecca Reveals Her Plan (Season 1 Episode 1)
The reveal that Rebecca wants Ted to run AFC Richmond into the ground to get back at her ex-husband Rupert is so juicy and unexpected. You know that a twist is coming, but you can’t quite put your finger on it until Rebecca allows you to do so. Hannah Waddingham plays Rebecca with her cards so close to her chest for most of the season that when she drops them just a bit to pull Higgins in on her plan, you’re taken aback. It’s the perfect catalyst for the rest of the season. It’s also an excellent reveal when you’re binge-watching because it makes you want to find out what’ll happen next.
3. Ted Tells Sam To Be a Goldfish (Season 1 Episode 2)
Being a goldfish has become a mantra for fans of the show, all because of this moment. It happens so early in the season that you don’t think much of it until it starts to become a major theme in Ted’s coaching style. It lets the players cut themselves slack, and it reminds us that it’s okay for us to do the same for ourselves. It’s uplifting, just like Ted Lasso.
4. The Origin of the Biscuits (Season 1 Episode 2)
The final moments of Episode 2, “Biscuits,” are so wonderfully shot by the episode’s director Zach Braff. It’s that direction that scored this episode an Emmy nomination, in fact. All the moments come together with Trent Crimm’s voiceover about how Ted found a way for even Trent to believe that he can turn AFC Richmond around. That paired with the reveal that Ted bakes the biscuits himself is a one-two punch to Rebecca’s master plan. It also makes us love Ted even more, which I didn’t think was possible.
5. Keeley Brings Rebecca a Present (Season 1 Episode 3)
There are plenty of moments to pick to appreciate Keeley and Rebecca’s friendship. The time Keeley brings Rebecca a cactus is a good place to start as it is the beginning of everything. It’s the first time the two women connect without Rebecca’s ulterior motives explicitly getting in the way. They discuss the unfair advantages that men have in the press, and Keeley has nothing but compliments to pay Rebecca. Though, Ted Lasso knows how to pull at our heartstrings. They’re practically experts because this scene becomes all the more upsetting when it hits you that Rebecca only cleaned up a mess she created and used Keeley as a pawn in it.
6. Roy Reads to Phoebe (Season 1 Episode 3)
There is no shortage of great Roy Kent moments in Episode 5, “Trent Crimm: The Independent,” but the final scene with his niece Phoebe is too perfect for words. He’s reading her A Wrinkle in Time, with fun socks and an ice pack on his knee. That picture alone tells us more about Roy Kent than Roy has said on the show thus far. He’s clearly fond of his niece, he likes fun socks so he can’t be all that grumpy, and his knee isn’t as strong as it used to be. Most importantly, he read the book Ted gifted him. That means he’s warming up to Ted and his coaching style. Roy is the toughest domino to get to fall, but once he does, everything changes.
7. Keeley Helps Rebecca on the Red Carpet (Season 1 Episode 4)
Now, this is the moment where Rebecca truly starts to see Keeley as a friend. Being on a red carpet is already a vulnerable thing, but it’s something that Keeley’s done a million times before. It’s not like that makes it any easier to have men point cameras at you and shout, but Keeley learned how to make it work for her. She shares her secret with Rebecca, and a sisterhood starts to form between them. Keeley is able to take away all of Rebecca’s nerves, and help her feel and look as confident as ever. I love them so much!
8. Keeley Takes Accountability (Season 1 Episode 4)
A lot of Season 1 is about accountability. Keeley gets a crash course in it from Rebecca in the women’s loo. That conversation changes everything for Keeley. It allows her to finally break off her relationship with Jamie, and start to look ahead. To do so, she has to take accountability for the way she hurt Roy’s feelings earlier in the night. This moment could have felt cheap or redundant. Brett Goldstein and Juno Temple are so good that it doesn’t even cross your mind that it could be anything else. And with this moment, a ship is born with a single nod.
9. Meetings in Parking Lots (Season 1 Episode 5)
If the spark ignites between Roy and Keeley with a nod, then the ship sets sail with their meeting in the parking lot at the end of “Tan Lines.” There’s that saying that when one door closes, another one opens, and that is true for this interaction. Unfortunately, the beginning of Keeley and Roy means the end of Michelle and Ted. Brett Goldstein, who wrote this episode, really comes for us with this scene. Ted and Michelle started their romance after randomly meeting in an empty parking lot. Now, the stars align in such a way for the same thing to happen for Keeley and Roy. What can I say, I’m a hopeless romantic. It helps this scene is only elevated by Celeste’s “Strange.”
10. Practice (Season 1 Episode 6)
In Episode 3, Ted says, “That’s when sports and art combine, as far as I’m concerned.” That applies to Ted Lasso as a whole, and it applies to the way the show reframes Allen Iverson’s “Practice” speech. It allows the show to tie in historical moments in sports in a way that impacts these characters and their stories, beyond the incredibly jokes. Plus, this speech fits perfectly in an episode that highlights semantic satiation.
11. Sam Invites Rebecca to the Ritual (Season 1 Episode 6)
Sam Obisanya is too pure for this world, and if anyone believes otherwise, they’re wrong. His heart is made of pure gold, and he’s never done anything wrong in his entire life. Sam always tries to make everyone feel like a member of the team, including Rebecca. Their friendship is so unexpectedly wonderful, and it all starts in the scene when Sam asks Rebecca to come to the ritual with the rest of the team. Rebecca shows great resistance to attending with everyone but Sam. Who can blame her? Why would you ever want to hurt Sam’s feelings? Furthermore, this scene gives me one of my favorite lines from the season when Sam says, “I like the idea of someone becoming rich because of what they gave to the world. Not just because of who their family is.” HE IS TOO SWEET.
12. The Teams Makes Their Sacrifices (Season 1 Episode 6)
This scene in which Richmond makes their sacrifices to appease the lost spirits in their treatment room is an obvious pick for this list. It balances humor and heart as only Ted Lasso can. It lets us get to know basically every player on the team in a new way than ever before. This scene follows through on threads like Higgins’ elderly cat Cindy Clawford. It’s all so good. Not to forget, it’s one of the first times Rebecca chooses to align herself with her team without any ulterior motive.
13. Karaoke (Season 1 Episode 7)
Hannah Waddingham sings in this scene. Did you expect me not to include that on a list of best moments? She’s incredible at everything she does, truly. Not to mention, it’s simply fantastic that Roy sings along to “Let It Go” in the background. This scene at the karaoke bar is one where we get to see Rebecca be herself unapologetically for the first time all season. With the help of Sassy and Keeley, Rebecca is stepping into her own again. As that’s happening, things start to become a little too much for the man who seemingly always has it all together. Ted suffers a panic attack that affected so many fans because of Jason Sudeikis’ realistic portrayal of something so many people live with every day. This moment carries a lot of weight, and that’s why I love it so much.
14. The First Diamond Dogs Meeting (Season 1 Episode 8)
The Diamond Dogs are the gift that keeps on giving. It’s yet another way that Ted Lasso takes a place that usually flourishes on toxic masculinity (the locker room) and turns it into a place where grown men can examine their thoughts and feelings. They catch each other on biases and defenses and encourage each other to feel all the things, no matter if society wants them to act or feel a certain way. On top of all of that magic, the Diamond Dogs is an excuse to get Nate, Higgins, Beard, and Ted (and occasionally Roy) in a room together. It’s endlessly fun to watch those characters bounce off of each other.
15. Keeley Jones, The Independent Woman (Season 1 Episode 8)
I can’t help but include plenty of Keeley and Roy’s milestones on this list because they’re that great. This moment is especially pivotal because it’s when they both decide to let the past go and look ahead to their future. Roy pushes down his hatred for Jamie with an excellent line: “Cause I like you more than I hate him.” Through it all, Keeley bops around the press room reminding Roy that she’s an independent woman who deserves the best. It’s simply the best.
16. Ted Challenges Rupert at Darts (Season 1 Episode 8)
The moment that Ted challenges Rupert to a game of darts is easily one of the best from the entire first season. This is the hero versus villain showdown that could have easily happened later in the series, but Ted Lasso is all about believing in the good guys. Ted goes up against the physical representation of the antithesis of everything he stands for and he proves Rupert wrong. He catches Rupert in his judgemental ways through a winning display of curiosity. You get so swept up that you find yourself cheering with Rebecca, Mae, and the rest of the locals at The Crown & Anchor when Ted says, “Barbecue sauce.”
17. Rebecca Apologizes (Season 1 Episode 9)
Rebecca goes through quite the transformation throughout the first season. It’s stunning to watch Hannah Waddingham navigate even the smallest of Rebecca’s complexities. Rebecca’s apology tour that ends with Ted is a culmination of a lot of personal work that Rebecca completes in just ten episodes. We all know that “hurt people hurt people,” and that provides some extra clarity to Rebecca’s actions. But, there’s a built-in skepticism that comes with living in a world that tends to operate on negativity far more often than it does the opposite. That’s why when Rebecca takes accountability for her actions and apologies to Ted, there’s some part of me that believes Ted won’t forgive her. Once again, Ted Lasso challenges the norm in favor of a world where people are good and kind.
18. Nate Gets a Promotion (Season 1 Episode 10)
If anyone deserves promotion by the end of the season, it’s Nate the Great. Nate’s promotion is a fantastic way to kick of a rather tense season finale. It’s a moment of complete unity for AFC Richmond as they rally around their newest coach in celebration. This moment shows how close this group has grown and how quickly that has happened. Plus, it’s so wonderful to have Rebecca there, in the locker room, with the rest of the team to share the news with Nate. Nate’s promotion is a reminder that hard work does pay off when the right people believe in you and when you believe in yourself.
19. Roy Freaking Kent (Season 1 Episode 10)
Roy Kent is a legend who won the Champions League with Chelsea FC eight years ago. The first season of Ted Lasso sees him grappling with the hard truth that he has reached the end of his tenure on the pitch. This final match against Man City is Roy’s last hurrah, and he ends things on his own terms with an incredible save against Jamie. Roy gets to walk off the pitch to a chant that’s followed him around for more than a decade. He holds it together until he gets to the locker room. During an incredible moment of vulnerability, Roy tries to push Keeley away, but Keeley sits beside him and lets him lean on her. He’s not alone in this anymore. And suddenly, I’m crying again.
20. Way to Make That Extra Pass (Season 1 Episode 10)
It’s no secret I’m a Jamie Tartt fan. Though that extra pass made Man City win and sent Richmond to relegation, it shows how much Jamie has grown. Jamie could have easily made the winning shot, but he doesn’t. Actually, it was probably harder for Jamie to make the extra pass with what he knew was waiting for him after the match — his father’s wrath. This moment directly contrasts the scene in Richmond’s locker room where Ted reminds his team to feel everything and be happy that they aren’t alone. He says, “Because I promise you, there’s something worse out there than being sad, and that is being alone and being sad.” Ted (and Beard) then go the extra mile to make Jamie feel a little less alone and a little safer with a note and tiny, toy army man.
What are your favorite moments from Season 1? Let us know in the comments below!
Ted Lasso Season 2 premieres Friday, July 23, 2021, exclusively on Apple TV+.
