Ted Lasso: Watching a Warm Hug

Why the Apple TV+ series is one of the most heartwarming things to watch in 2020

by Brendan Smith, Sports O’Clock Writing Team Member

From left to right: Nate (Nick Mohammed), Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis), and Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) (photo credits: The Independent)

How in the world is a show based on a set of commercials released several years ago actually good? Somehow, Apple TV+ struck pure gold with their new series Ted Lasso starring Jason Sudeikis as the titular character.

The plot revolves around Sudeikis’ Lasso, an overly optimistic American football coach who is hired to be the new manager of AFC Richmond, a Premier League club in England. Lasso has no experience coaching soccer and has a severely limited knowledge of the rules of the game. But that plays right into the hands of club chairman Rebecca Welton, played by Hannah Waddingham. Welton, recently divorced from her husband and former chairman of AFC Richmond, wants to drive the club into the ground knowing that the club was the only thing that her ex-husband truly cared about. Welton hires Lasso with the assumption his quirky personality will not mesh with the players and will lead the club to an easy relegation. However, Lasso, along with his assistant Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) and kit-boy Nate (Nick Mohammed), gradually win over the players and create a fun and positive atmosphere at the club.

Ted Lasso has so many great aspects that drives the show forward and keeps the intrigue from episode to episode. The character dynamics are great. The “inner circle” of Lasso, Beard, Nate, and the awkward director of football operations Higgins (Jeremy Swift) is perfection when it comes to character chemistry and produces numerous laugh-out-loud moments. Rebecca, as the show’s main antagonist, slowly begins to recognize the error in her ways when she befriends Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), who is in relationships with some of the players throughout the season. And the characterization of the players is an exact reflection of the personalities you would expect to see within a real Premier League team: there’s the old, angry veteran Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), the young, arrogant superstar Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), and the talented, enthusiastic Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernandez), among others.

Even though the characters are likeable and compelling, the show will captivate you with its heart. In an unfamiliar setting where everyone wants to see him fail, Lasso sticks to his odd analogies and goofy persona to establish his footing in the soccer world and change the minds of his skeptics. Meanwhile, Nate, Rebecca, and Roy display outstanding character growth that is both heartwarming and surprisingly grounded for a show about rich athletes and coaches.

Even if you are not a soccer fan, Ted Lasso is a perfect show to draw you away from all of the negativity in the real world. If you do not want to pay for Apple TV+, don’t sweat it: you can easily watch all ten episodes within the 7-day free trial that Apple offers. All ten episodes are about half an hour each, so it is a great afternoon binge-watching option. And if you do choose to give it a chance, it is guaranteed to be worth it.

(All photos are cited properly. No copyright infringement intended.)