Ted Lasso

Starring: Jason Sudeikis (34 episodes), Brett Goldstein (34 episodes), Brendan Hunt (34 episodes), Nick Mohammad (34 episodes), Toheeb Jimoh (34 episodes), Kola Bokinni (34 episodes), Billy Harris (34 episodes), Stephen Manas (34 episodes), Hannah Waddington (33 episodes), Jeremy Swift (33 episodes), Phil Dunster (33 episodes), Juno Temple (33 episodes), Cristo Fernandez (29 episodes), Moe Jeudy-Lamour (29 episodes), Annette Badland (24 episodes), Moe Hashim (24 episodes), David Elsendoorn (24 episodes), Adam Colborne (23 episodes), Bronson Webb (23 episodes), Kevin Garry (23 episodes), Charlie Hiscock (23 episodes), James Lance (22 episodes), Arlo White (21 episodes), Anthony Head (18 episodes), Chris Powell (18 episodes), Lloyd Griffith (14 episodes), Sarah Niles (13 episodes), Gus Turner (11 episodes), Marcus Onilude (11 episodes), Bill Fellows (10 episodes), Elodie Blomfield (10 episodes), Anna Martine Freeman (10 episodes), Andrea Anders (9 episodes), Katy Wix (9 episodes), Edyta Budnik (9 episodes), Ellie Taylor (8 episodes), Darren Strange (8 episodes), Phoebe Walsh (7 episodes), Keeley Hazell (7 episodes), Tom Cotcher (7 episodes), Mitra Djalili (7 episodes), Ruth Bradley (5 episodes), Kieran O'Brien (5 episodes), Mary Roscoe (5 episodes), Peter Landi (5 episodes), Rosi Lou (5 episodes), Neelam Bakshi (5 episodes), Jardran Malkovich (5 episodes), Spencer Jones (5 episodes), Maximilian Osinski (4 episodes), Jodi Balfour (4 episodes), Martin Bishop (4 episodes), Sam Richardson (3 episodes), Colin Mochrie (1 episode)
Directed by: Declan Lowney (8 episodes), M.J. Delaney (6 episodes), Matt Lipsey (6 episodes), Eric Dunton (4 episodes), Tom Marshall (3 episodes), Elliott Hegarty (2 episodes), Zach Braff (1 episode)
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Sport
2020-2023

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2 - 3

Summary: An American football coach (Jason Sudeikis) takes a job managing AFC Richmond, a struggling English premier league soccer team.

Review:

Tim: What can I say about Ted Lasso? It felt like the perfect television series for the time. You have to remember, the first season dropped in 2020, one of the worst years in recent memory. I won't get into all the issues, as I think focusing just on covid and the worries about dying every time you stepped outside of your house are enough to make it a bad year. Amidst all that negativity, we got this wonderfully happy, positive, inspiring show. It kind of reminded people that it was okay to be nice, that kindness still had a place in the world. It would make us laugh, cry, entertain and inspire over its three seasons. It's a series I truly loved and while it had flaws, it's still one of the most powerful and best comedies I've ever seen.

I'll always be a fan of Bill Lawrence. Scrubs is still one of the greatest comedies of all time- it was consistently hilarious, filled with heart, occasionally tugged at the heartstrings more than you'd ever expect. It introduced unforgettable characters that you fell in love with. Ted Lasso feels very much made out of the same mold. Lawrence is gifted at hitting the right notes in his series and this is another big win. That's really the formula that made this series work. It starts with memorable, likable characters who feel unique, complex, and interesting. You have to care about the characters first. From there, the series needs to be funny. Like Scrubs, Ted Lasso made you laugh- occasionally, uproariously. It's entertaining for a number of reasons, but one is that it's so incredibly humorous. This series also consistently delivered powerful, uplifting messages. It reminded viewers that being kind is important. That you could succeed in a "man's world" of sports while still being in touch with your feelings and caring about one another. It focused on telling stories with heart and emotion, not praising toxic masculinity. This balance is so important- this series is funny, but it's never afraid to get serious. It's that duality- of lightheartedness mixed with authentic emotion that delivers some of the series' best moments.

Speaking of those, this series had several truly iconic scenes- some that I'll never forget and that I've watched over and over again. The first nearly perfect moment is the darts scene. I've watched this numerous times and it's almost perfect in its execution- it's surprising, funny, heartfelt, poignant. It's incredible and was the high point of the first season. Likewise, the "She's a Rainbow" scene with Roy Kent is nearly perfect in every way. Watch that scene to see how they perfectly structure the character moments, timed with the music. It's one of the best executed sequences I've ever seen. It's hard for me not to get a little teary-eyed, watching such flawless execution of such a powerful moment. It's a scene that is hands-down a masterpiece. It's incredible that this series has multiple truly brilliant moments like this.

The cast here was fantastic. Jason Sudeikis is masterful as Ted Lasso. He's obviously in the titular role, but as his character says towards the end of the series, "It was never about me." Prior to this, I was always lukewarm on Sudeikis. He could be hilarious, but there was something grating about him, too. Regardless of who he is in real life, or what else he does, I've always love him for bringing this character to life. Ted Lasso is such a fascinating, incredible study in humanity. I loved his performance. This series is helped immensely by the supporting cast, though. I honestly believe Brett Goldstein is the series MVP. Roy Kent is hands-down one of the best characters I've ever seen portrayed on television. He's gruff, stoic, remarkably funny, and has a heart of gold. Nearly every moment of his screen time is fantastic and I could never get enough of Kent. Goldstein hits all the right notes with his performance and makes him an unforgettable character. Brendan Hunt was consistently funny as Coach Beard. I just loved watching him work in this role. I was always interested to see what he would say or do next. Hunt doesn't get the credit he deserves for his contributions to this series. Nick Mohammad adds an excellent supporting performance as Nate. I felt like they occasionally messed up his character- his arc felt botched at times, although it does come full circle. His consistently sells his performance and gives Nate enough depth that he's someone you could endlessly discuss and debate. Hannah Waddington's performance felt unforgettable. She made Rebecca as important a character as anyone in this series. It felt like her excellent work always elevated this series. Juno Temple was fantastic in the first two seasons- Keeley Jones was one of my favorite characters. I felt like the writers did her a disservice in the third season and it felt harder to remember how important she was in the beginning. Still, Temple brings such great energy to the role, she was always memorable in this part. Phil Dunster also cannot be praised enough for his role as Jamie Tartt. His character arc was one of the best of the entire series. I'm always blown away by a series that can take an unlikable character and redeem them in the audience's eyes. Game of Thrones was famous for this with Jamie Lannister and Ted Lasso does the same thing with Tartt. As the series progresses, he becomes so much of the heart and soul of AFC Richmond. I absolutely adored his character by the end. Dunster's performance is impeccable. Toheeb Jimoh was consistently lovable as Sam. I always win Jimoh had more screen time, as he brought such joy every time he was on screen. Kola Bokinni was excellent, too. Isaac didn't get the screen time of others, but he always made his presence felt. Billy Harris had a few really powerful moments, especially in the third season. Jeremy Swift was such an underrated talent here. He was a continual scene-stealer and it got to the point where you couldn't wait to hear what Leslie Higgins would do next. It would be easy to overlook how wonderful he was in this role, elevating Leslie as a character. Cristo Fernandez has a great smile and he drove Dani Rojas directly into our hearts. Great performance, great character. I was amazed at the journey of James Lance. He took Trent Crimm as kind of a funny, one-note character and by the end of the series, made him feel complex and authentic and fascinating. The acension of Trent Crimm is one of this series' biggest wins- a one-joke character in the first season to one of the best characters in the entire series by the end. That's incredibly rare. I could keep going because there's so many wonderful supporting characters, but I'll just say that this is one of Ted Lasso's biggest strengths- the large and diverse supporting cast who all felt equally important to Ted.

Now, as much as I love this series, it wasn't perfect. The narrative occasionally got choppy. It felt like Nate's character arc was especially fumbled. I love how it ended, but it felt too rushed and not convincing enough. It was almost like they spent two seasons setting up the third and then changed their minds in the third season. Speaking of season three, it was by far the worst of the series. The first half of the series was bloated, confusing, and took the series in really weird directions. Introducing Zava felt like a weird move, but then spending so much time on him detracted from the cast we actually cared about. His character's conclusion felt forced and rushed and it made his entire arc feel pointless. It was like the series just wasted so much precious time with him. Moving Keeley out into her own agency was also a massive miss. She works best as a supporting character and season three focused far too much on her. None of those scenes were especially memorable or entertaining and we were introduced to a bunch of new characters that added nearly nothing to the overall story. I lament how Temple was used in the final season. That being said, I do think the series pulled it together for the finale. It wasn't perfect, but I've seen so many series flame out, I was actually pretty overjoyed at how this series concluded. Far from perfect, but among the better conclusions that I have seen.

In short (I know this review hasn't been short), I loved Ted Lasso. It's a kind, caring, beautiful series that delivered several unforgettable moments and put a lot of good in the world. I love that it became a must-watch series and I had great fun talking with family, friends, and colleagues about it. It was probably the right call to end it after three seasons- the storylines were mostly wrapped up well. I'm sure we will get spinoffs and I'll definitely be there for them. I'll always look back on this series as such a delightful, entertaining experience. It came in one of our darkest periods and it brought much joy and light into the world.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: Scrubs, Community, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Shrinking