Ted Lasso: The Sunny Side Optimism We All Crave After 2020

2020 was a lot of things. The only thing people seemed to agree on was that it was not “fun” or “happy.” While we were being pulled apart along political lines, forced to face the ugly truth that is racial injustice, locked inside with calendars filled with canceled plans, all while worrying about the pandemic, the world was feeling a little grim. In the middle of the longest year on record, Apple TV+ did the unthinkable and released a show that was just what the doctor ordered. On August 14, 2020 Ted Lasso premiered on the streaming platform, and while this fish-out-of-water sports show written and set in a pre-pandemic world does not offer any solution to the aforementioned challenges, it is the antidote to the cynicism, frustration, and anger that enveloped many of us after the clapping from rooftops and international live streamed concerts stopped, and we were still stuck indoors, away from family, and out of work during a Presidential Election.

Ted Lasso is set in Richmond, England where the vindictive owner of the Richmond Football Club, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), decides to hire an American Football coach to manage her club in hopes that it will crash and burn to spite her ex-husband. Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) is just the man for the job. He is annoyingly optimistic, infuriatingly idealistic, and unbelievably good-natured. Rebecca and Ted’s juxtaposition and the push-and-pull of their relationship becomes the driving force of the series. Ted tries his damndest to befriend Rebecca by instituting practices like “biscuits with the boss” in an attempt to form a solid union to drive the team to success while Rebecca does her best to avoid him and secretly sabotage his success.

The cast of characters in this show was so brilliantly created to play off each other and share many sides of the human experience. We have Coach Beard, the perfect counterpart to Ted Lasso’s coaching strategy. Nate, the timid gaffer who was the punching-bag for bullies until Lasso comes in and recognizes his leadership potential. Of course we are served with rival footballers, the nearing-retirement captain Roy Kent and the young superstar Jamie Tartt. Their personalities and egos crash hilariously on and off the field. We are gifted with immigrant players Sam Obisanya and newcomer Dani Rojas who remind us that these men are getting to live their childhood dreams by playing a game professionally. The show would not be complete without my personal favorite, Keeley mother freaking Jones! The lioness of the show. She is the “cool girl” and has a magical capability to connect with anyone and everyone! And finally we have Higgens, Rebecca’s morally-conflicted accomplice in sabotage. He is played by Jeremey Swift, who we loved as Spratt in Downton Abbey, and serves as the conscious-litmus-test for Rebecca’s schemes.

Mainly, this show lassoes (I can’t believe I used that either) the audience into rooting for Ted and his team to defy the odds and succeed on the field. Ted Lasso is not a perfect man (Exhibit A: his mustache), but he is the embodiment of what society deems “good.” He is the man we hope our children will grow up to be: kind, thoughtful, faithful, and wins over his toughest critics not with manipulation, but with his genuine spirit. He sees the best in people, is true to his word, and “walks the walk.” It’s his consistent optimism and compassion that lead to his biggest personal challenges. Cynical people are led to believe that nobody can be this good-intentioned and genuine, so they resist his pesky optimism and good-cheer. It would be quite exhausting to be married to a man like Ted Lasso, and he has to face this through his separation and divorce in the series. But it is hard to imagine a better man to father a child, or a team. He quotes Walt Whitman in a later episode, “Be curious, not judgmental.” This is the leadership and relationship style Ted brings to all things from coaching to his divorce.

Another theme that was major in 2020 was the idea of changing directions, being adaptable, and finding our callings. While we were all working remotely or just plain losing our jobs, we were forced to reassess our paths – because let’s face it, what else was there to do; heck, that’s why I’m writing this blog in the first place. Disney+ released a movie with Pixar on Christmas day called Soul that followed a Soul and a man around as they sought out her spark. That movie explores the differences between a spark and a purpose. But whatever you want to call it, we get to see Keeley grow into a business woman as she endeavors to become more than “someone famous for being almost famous.” Roy faces similar concerns as he approaches the end of his football career. Keeley asks his niece why she loves Roy, and in the long list of reasons he’s great, “he’s a footballer” did not come up once.

tl;dr: There is something for everyone in Ted Lasso! Heck, Beard used chess as foreplay before Netflix gifted us with the sexy chess show, The Queen’s Gambit. It’s the reminder we all need that we can do great and unexpected things if we just believe – and work together. It may seem that we have more differences than we do commonalities, but that is no barrier for deep and caring relationships. It’s a hilarious series that will give you a show-hangover, make you miss live events, envy the extreme football fandoms of Europe, and have you counting down the days for season 2!

Katrina Peed