Ted Lasso Season 1 Review

Ted Lasso (2020-)
Season 1 - 10 episodes (2020)

Watch Ted Lasso on Apple TV+
Created by: Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Bill Lawrence
Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Nick Mohammed, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Phil Dunster
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer

Plot
American college football coach Ted Lasso heads to London to manage AFC Richmond, a struggling English Premier League football team.

Verdict
This is such a wholesome show, and that's a credit to the writing. This isn't saccharine or juvenile. This is a show that is somewhere between a workplace comedy and a drama. Ted is a mid-westerner that truly cares. He wants to help everyone he meets. This show doesn't make him dumb, something other shows often do in this situation. Ted is sharp and aware but caring, dedicated, and goofy. It's difficult not to like him. He's up for a challenge which is part of what lands him in this coaching situation. With such a fun character, and his positive attributes, he's also a very effective coach. There aren't many shows like Ted Lasso, and even fewer shows that create such a great character and such solid scripts around him.
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Review
This is an adult version of The Office. Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) is a Michael that is self-aware. Ted is specifically wholesome and optimistic. He cares, but the show never plays off his demeanor as some kind of joke or gag. The writing is really good. Jokes are subtle, and this shows loves a good wordplay. Almost from the beginning I really liked Ted. He's smart. Too many shows would take this premise and make him stupid and unaware. Ted wants to make an impact on others. He loves coaching.

The series is based on a character Jason Sudeikis portrayed for a soccer commercial in 2013.

Brendan Hunt, Jason Sudeikis, Nick Mohammed play Coach Beard, Ted Lasso, Nathan

That's why Ted decides to coach soccer with no prior experience. He knows that his job is to build the players and let them play. He's a mentor that uses a lot of unique metaphors. He goes out of his way to greet and include people. We see that when he greets clubhouse attendant Nathan (Nick Mohammed). No one ever recognizes Nathan and Ted remembers his name. There's no pretentiousness with Ted, and it's fun to see how he deal with conflict. There's no What Ted doesn't know is that the owner hired him to fail. What the owner doesn't know is that Ted isn't one to give up.

The first season is certainly building to the team's standings at the end of the season, but there are plenty of subplots with the team and coaching dynamics. Ted's first hurdle is being a coach that doesn't know anything about soccer. Undeterred, he slowly wins people over including aging star Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein). We see plots build for multiple episodes and that makes the payoff so much better. Ted has an impact on those around him. He's the kind of person where everyone he meets is instantly is his friend. I've seen many of characters like this, but they often aren't as self-aware as Ted. That prevents the comedy from being one note. Shows like The Office eventually flanderized Michael to the point where he would make very stupid decisions just for the joke. Ted Lasso doesn't do that.

Brett Goldstein plays Roy Kent

If the world was more like Ted, what a world this would be. This show had a lot of buzz and for good reason. The decisions this show makes are atypical. Not many shows try to straddle the line between comedy and drama. This show feels realistic to a degree. Coach Beard, Ted's assistant, certainly feels like a typical comedy staple. He says very little and is part of many one off gags. It's not a negative, it's a balance. For the gags this show has, there are also subplots about divorce, relationships, and getting older. This show threads a needle unlike many others, and the character of Ted is the center. I want to know and be friends with someone like Ted Lasso.

There's a question of how to end a television series. I don't like shows that end in a cliffhanger with the nature of streaming, binging, and cancellations. Ted Lasso ends well. We conclude the season's story, but get a glimpse of what season two could be. The series does have a second season.