Skip To Content

    15 Reasons Why "Ted Lasso" Is The Show That Will Get Us Through 2020

    This show is the warm hug we all need this year.

    2020 has been...a lot, to say the least. And sometimes the best way to cope with stressful times is some comfort television.


    Enter Ted Lasso, the most comforting show of the year. If you haven't checked it out yet, here are just a few reasons why you absolutely should.


    1. To start, it has a really fun premise: Ted Lasso, an American football coach, is hired to coach a Premier League soccer team in London despite having no relevant soccer experience.


    You might be wondering, Who on earth would allow this? but the show explains it in a way that makes total sense.

    2. It's based on these hilarious commercials that NBC made when the network started airing Premier League games, starring Jason Sudeikis as Ted and Brendan Hunt as his assistant coach and bestie, Coach Beard.

    View this video on YouTube

    Hunt, like Sudeikis, also reprises his role as the not-quite-as-talkative counterpart to Ted on the show. The writers changed Ted's character a bit for the show, but the mustache, accent, and lack of soccer knowledge remain intact.

    3. One of the show's creators and executive producers is Bill Lawrence, the man behind Scrubs and Cougartown.

    ABC / Getty Images / AppleTV+

    Scrubs was a rare comedy in the sense that it was funny and whimsical but could also make you blubber like a baby. This is something Ted Lasso also pulls off really well, oftentimes in the same scene.

    4. The writers of the show have some serious comedy chops.


    The men and women in the Ted Lasso writers room have written for shows like Scrubs, Saturday Night Live, Key & Peele, Dear White People, Rick and Morty, and Crashing. Zach Braff (aka J.D. on Scrubs) also directed one of the episodes.

    5. Sudeikis gives a terrific performance as Ted.


    Ted is unflinchingly optimistic and basically a teddy bear of a human, and without the right actor, that could become a little annoying after a while. We all know Sudeikis is funny from SNL and films like We're the Millers, but he perfectly balances Ted's bubbly nature with his moments of personal turmoil.

    6. The entire ensemble is perfectly cast, to be quite honest.


    Hannah Waddingham, whom you might recognize as Septa Unella (the "Shame!" nun) from Game of Thrones, plays Rebecca, the owner of the soccer team that Ted is hired to coach. Watching her try (and fail) not to warm up to his charms is equal parts funny and heartwarming.

    7. The plot manages to be surprising, despite having a fairly predictable premise.


    There are a lot of TV shows and movies about sports out there, a lot of workplace comedies, and a lot of fish-out-of-water stories, too. Ted Lasso blends all three genres into something new.

    8. Are you a sports lover? Great! Have you never watched sports in your life? Doesn't matter! Ted Lasso will win you over either way.


    If Parks and Rec were about soccer instead of local government, it'd be Ted Lasso.

    9. Its hopeful, feel-good vibe is the perfect 30 minutes of escapism that we need right now.


    After watching an episode of Ted Lasso, you'll feel as if your TV just gave you a hug and good things are possible again.

    10. But despite its overwhelmingly positive tone, the show doesn't shy away from sadder moments that help keep it grounded.

    Two of the main characters go through difficult divorces, and one of the team's star players deals with the fact that his aging body can't keep up with the demands of professional soccer.

    11. In just one season, the characters undergo full arcs that still leave room for them to grow in later seasons.


    Nowhere is this more apparent than with Nate (Nick Mohammed), who goes from a shy, bullied equipment manager to assistant coach, and Roy (Brett Goldstein), who realizes that it's not the worst thing in the world to tell someone your feelings. Without spoiling too much, Nate's locker room speech to the team (and Roy's reaction) in Episode 6 is a season highlight.

    12. The show's humor has a little something for everyone, from slapstick to witty dialogue to puns to full-on dad jokes.

    13. If that's still not enough to entice you, the show has what is destined to become one of the greatest ships in television.


    They haven't been in my life for long, but I would do anything for Roy and Keeley.

    14. And in a show about a men's sports team, the two female leads, Rebecca and Keeley, are complex and intelligent and have their own dynamic that's independent of whatever the men are doing.


    Their friendship has a classic opposites-attract dynamic, and both characters bring out the best in each other. They push each other to be more confident and ambitious in all aspects of their lives, and you just love to see it.

    15. The show has already been renewed for a second season, and the Season 1 finale set up at least two more seasons.


    If you become immediately obsessed with the show and feel like you need the next episode ASAP, don't worry! More is on the way.

    You can watch the whole first season of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+ right now.

    TV and Movies


    Newsletter signup form