Ted Lasso Review: Disarming Enthusiasm and Kindness Wins the Day

There’s a time for kindness and there’s a time for action. For Ted Lasso on Ted Lasso, the Apple TV+ series developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly and based on the character from NBC Sports promos, they are one and the same.

Starring Sudeikis as the titular Lasso, the show is about underestimating someone and expecting the worst, but opening up your heart and allowing a chance at never judging a book by its cover. It’s a resounding message that lands at a time of uncertainty, a beacon of light in darker times, and a running theme for Apple comedies.

There’s an unbridled enthusiasm and genuine kindness that runs throughout the show, where barbed comments and insults are clamped down on with niceties and empathy. It’s rare for such an upbeat show to keep up that level of general goodness, but Ted Lasso does so by showing that niceness doesn’t necessarily leave you last.

It’s all thanks to Sudeikis in the lead and the clever writing on behalf of the writing team. Even when facing defeat and humiliation, Ted meets the challenge with optimism and encouragement, something that could easily feel cheesy and rather empty if done incorrectly; but here, the show uses it as a means of perseverance.

The gradual shift becomes this heartwarming story of how he can break the ice with anyone if he’s given the chance, remembering everything someone says to him.

While some characters certainly work against him behind the scenes, the narrative of Ted being so likeable it’s hard to dislike him becomes this fun and touching look at a fish-out-of-water who rises to the occasion and lifts his team along with him.

Ted Lasso is all about lifting everyone up and giving them a shot.

But there is nuance to this as episodes go on, where all of the groundwork early on comes back to add depth and layers to the characters and their actions, and further strengthens their bonds.

This is where the show truly shines, as some of the hardened characters loosen up a little and some of the sillier ones find some pathos behind their comical dispositions. It gives its cast a chance to show different sides of themselves and grow.

The show doesn’t exactly land big laughs for most of its run (though they do happen, especially later during the season), but it makes up for that by being consistently fun to watch and letting the characters bring the humor through their personalities. There’s a lot of British humor, too, which is a fantastic clash to Ted’s more Midwestern sensibilities.

As a Jason Sudeikis vehicle, Sudeikis, Lawrence, and the team have created a bundle of energy and excitement that ties the show together.

Lasso is kindness personified but with a twist, where it’s not just niceness for the sake of it: it’s part of his generally pleasant atmosphere, about giving a voice to problems through positive thinking and having someone’s back.

While the initial jokes are at Ted’s expense, those soon waver and are replaced by his infectious generosity and enthusiasm rubbing off on the team and his colleagues.

As one journalist mentions early on (paraphrasing, of course), it’s hard not to root for the guy, and a lot of credit goes to Sudeikis for not only nailing the role, but lifting it into a snapshot of someone just wanting to do what’s right.

If it’s not his puns and good spirits, it’s his words of wisdom hidden away in strange platitudes and anecdotes that feel like they lead nowhere, something squirreled away in there to dig into and enjoy.

One particularly clever moment comes when Ted hands specific books to each player to speak to them on some level, and one in particular hits home hard, much to the player’s distress and ambivalence about it.

Because that’s the main draw, at least initially, for conflict: no one trusts Ted Lasso, an American with no knowledge of the sport coming on over and thinking he can turn it all around. Perhaps they are right or perhaps they should all give him a shot, it’s what the show is all about.

The show manages to use this as a jumping off point but knows not to rely on it too hard. It’s mainly a smart way of counting Ted out before he’s even given a chance, and it’s the classic sports underdog story of proving everyone wrong, but in the most polite way possible.

But there’s also an internal struggle, to diminish the football team from the inside, as a revenge scheme that starts out as one-note but gathers up depth and empathy as it goes on.

The rest of the cast is a fantastic set of archetypal characters, with the somewhat bitter veteran captain (a very solid Brett Goldstein), the hotshot star (Phil Dunster), and the shy helper who only needs some courage (a fun Nick Mohammed).

There’s also Brendan Hunt’s Coach Beard, Ted’s best friend and sounding board who is always a surprise when he opens from his shell.

But the women on the show manage to stand out above the men, as they start to stand on their own for the first time in their lives. Hannah Waddingham’s Rebecca, the new owner of the team, has an ulterior motive but manages to become a large part of the show’s heart as she reclaims her life, Waddingham perfecting the balancing act.

There’s also Juno Temple as Keeley, who is a bundle of energy where fun usually follows, but still allows for layers underneath so Temple can stand out. Keeley proves to be a Ted Lasso of her own, continuing that message of helping and kindness.

Ted Lasso, over its ten episodes, remembers to be about uplifting in the face of adversity. It’s an optimistic show that uses its more mean-spirited humor as a means to show that love (in its many forms) conquers all.

As a sports show, the football is that classic underdog story; but as a comedy, it’s a genuinely exciting and successful show that boasts a fantastic cast and a message of hope.

 

Are you excited about Ted Lasso? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Ted Lasso airs Fridays on Apple TV+.

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