Soccer with a lot of heart: 5 reasons to watch Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso aired in August 2020, coming across as a warm hug during dark times. The Apple TV+ series has been nominated for an Emmy in several categories. Jason Sudeikis essays the titular character in the role of an American football coach from Kansas city, given the charge to manage the British soccer team, AFC Richmond in the Premier League, without any prior experience. It also stars Juno Temple, Hannah Waddingham, Brendan Hunt, Nick Mohammed, Jeremy Swift, Phil Dunster and Brett Goldstein with a host of interesting recurring characters. 

This heartfelt comedy with its serious moments just might be what you need, so here are five reasons why this series needs to be your next binge-watch:

Drips with eternal optimism

Coach Lasso drips with a never-ending supply of optimism, something which his team doesn’t relish, even when the odds seem to be against him as everyone is rooting for his failure. His team might be immune to his charms in the beginning, but Lasso turns that around, winning almost everyone to his side, even the owner of the team cause *clears throat* no spoilers. Ted Lasso revives hope in everyone as he uplifts the team without caring for winning or losing. 

Not only football/soccer

It is not just football. Sure, the series might be based on the premise of a coach of a British soccer team but it is more than the sport. Now, we are not discouraging sports enthusiasts but this show might be the common ground between the two factions. 

Character-driven

Each of the characters brings something to the table and most of them have a great arc that will make you root for them from the very beginning. They have been given a strong storyline which allows them to grow throughout the ten episodes. Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent, the broody, absolutely pessimistic captain of the soccer team will make you cheer for him and hug him. Both Juno Temple as Keeley and Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca, the owners of the team, are an absolute delight to watch on screen. 

Amazing relationships

Ted Lasso depicts realistic relationships, be it romantic, platonic, in the workspace or on the field. The friendship between Keeley and Rebecca, Ted and Coach Beard are literal goals (pun intended). Even the romantic relationships are explored so beautifully, as toxic exes are cut out and normalises marriages that run their course without any hard feelings. 

The writing

One of the best things about the show is its writing. It is the backbone of this series and if it didn’t have a strong frame, the series would have faltered and ultimately fallen like a run of the mill slapstick comedy. The combination of sharp writing with witty dialogues and scenes where you don’t understand the direction they are going in along with great acting make the series an endearing and engrossing watch. 

The series is slated for a return for its season two on Apple TV+ on July 23.