American football coach, Ted Lasso (Sudeikis), is hired as the new head coach of England's Premiere soccer team the Richmond Greyhounds. Lasso knows nothing about soccer and isn't concerned about winning. The fans are irate.
This is all part of the plan of new owner, Rebecca Welton (Waddingham). She won the team in her divorce from Rupert Mannion (Head), and since it is the only thing he truly loves, she wants to destroy it, with the reluctant assistance of Director of Football Opperations Leslie Higgins (Swift).
Lasso and his best friend and assistant coach, Coach Beard (Hunt), work on winning over the team and ignoring the naysayers. They include gruff team captain Roy Kent (Goldstein), egotistical star Jamie Tartt (Dunster), newcomer Sam Obisanya (Jimoh), enthusiastic Dani Rojas (Fernandez), and kitman Nate Shelley (Mohammed). Can Ted make an impact on the team and Richmond?
This Apple TV+ show works as both a comedy and a sport show (without showing too much of the actual soccer matches).
The Good:
There are so many things to love about this show: the folksy charm of Ted, anytime Hannah Waddingham sings, the relationships (Ted and Beard, the Coaches and the team, the team, Rebecca and Keeley, the fans at the pub), the Higgins family, etc.
The casting is great and everyone, including the recurring characters and guest stars, work well alone and as part of the ensemble.
The writers enjoy call backs to previous gags and sequences (the last episode of season 1 mirrors the first episode, along with numerous other instances). They also enjoy pointing out the cuktural differences between Americans and thr British, including soccer/football terminology.
The Bad:
Too much swearing. It gets a little preachy at times (more than expected in a sports comedy). I don't love Season 3: Zava (although there are good moments with and about him), Keeley's story for a few episodes, etc. I don't hate Season 3, but I also don't love it.
Other Comments:
-I love the cast. The players are fun, especially Cristo Fernandez as Dani Rojas and Toheeb Jimoh as Sam Obisanya. But I love all of the players
-Sam Richardson is fantastic as Edwin Akufo. While he only appears in 3 eposodes, he is memorable and hilarious. In 2023 he won the Primetime Emmy for Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for this character.
-They have recurring theme songs for Jamie Tartt, Roy Kent, and Sam Obisanya. Dani Rojas sings his own song (which is repeating his own name in song)
-I was nervous about trying this show because everyone loved it and I worried it wouldn't match the hype. But my worries were in vain: I loved the show and binged the whole series in a week. I don't love everything about every episode, but as a whole I enjoyed it.
Ted Lasso (2020-2023)
Creator: Bill Lawrence
Starring: Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca Welton
Jeremy Swift as Leslie Higgins
Phil Dunster as Jamie Tartt
Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent
Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard
Nick Mohammed as Nate Shelley
Juno Temple as Keeley Jones
Sarah Niles as Dr. Sharon Fieldstone
Anthony Head as Rupert Mannion
Toheeb Jimoh as Sam Obisanya
Cristo Fernandez as Dani Rojas
Kola Bokinni as Isaac McAdoo
Billy Harris as Colin Hughes
James Lance as Trent Crimm
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