Service: Apple TV
Show Title: “Ted Lasso”
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“Ted Lasso” follows the forever optimistic Division 2 football coach learning to adjust to London living as the head manager of AFC Richmond, a Premier League soccer team in England.
Hilarity ensues as the viewer watches Ted struggle to learn a game he himself has never experienced and a culture he has never encountered. The show is a resurgence of classic TV comedy, a truly sympathetic character who is doing the best he can while it seems as if the world is waiting for him to fail as he struggles to overcome the impossible odds. Ted’s hapless antics and misreading of British customs create the perfect storm of amusing interactions for the viewer to observe.
The central draw of the show lies with the characters, each brilliantly created to be an archetype fit perfectly within the universe and the context of the soccer team. Ted Lasso is the incredibly positive but clueless hero in his new position as club manager. However, the viewer cannot help but root for Ted to succeed because he is such a likeable character.
The austere Roy Kent, a grizzled veteran who served as AFC Richmond’s team captain, uses brutal honesty and hardline experience to motivate his teammates. Roy comes across as a massive jerk to anyone on the outside of the club, but his motivation style inspires everyone around him.
Rebecca Welton becomes the owner of AFC Richmond after she divorces her husband, and as ultimate retribution to her husband for cheating on her she seeks to sabotage the club from the inside. She is the catalyst for the story, as she hires Ted Lasso to be the manager in the hopes he would destroy the team with his lack of experience and knowledge. Watching her relationship with Ted evolve as the show progresses creates a heartwarming plot line for the viewer to follow in addition to the nonsensical main story.
In addition to the general comedic genius of the writers, “Ted Lasso” offers several instances of pure dramatic storytelling to keep the viewer invested. Overall, the writing is brilliant, the characters are real and perfect in the context of the overarching narrative and the comedy is hilarious. Anyone with access to Apple TV should immediately put “Ted Lasso” on their must watch list.