Top 11 Moments from Ted Lasso Season 1

In the golden age of television, in a year where both television and sports have been changed forever, came one of streaming’s best comedies, Ted Lasso.

Available to binge in full now on Apple TV+, the half-hour comedy stars Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Brendan Hunt, and Juno Temple as a motley crew, navigating the soccer business in the ultra-competitive English Premier League.

Originally developed by Sudeikis and Hunt for NBC Sports’ promotion of the Premier League’s coverage, the character Ted Lasso was set up as a fish-out-of-water, a college football coach crossing the pond from the American Midwest to coach a proper (fictional) football club.

Expanding on the bit, Ted Lasso creates a backstory for Lasso, the football club he’s hired to coach, as well as many of the team’s players and staff.

What transpires along the course of the season’s ten episodes will have you missing this year’s postponed Olympics, and leave you wanting to become an English soccer fan.

Fair warning for those of you who haven’t binged, there are spoilers ahead, but if you’re one of the lucky ones who have seen the first season, we’re diving into some of the top moments.

1. Ted Knows Nothing About Soccer (Season 1 Episode 1)

In a scene expanded on from one of the initial NBC Sports promos, Coach Ted Lasso faces the British media for the first time. The press is throwing Ted questions hard and fast.

From the get-go, Ted sets himself up as an ill-prepared new manager for the club, fumbling with the most fundamental rules of his new sport (remember, halves, not quarters and tie games are acceptable during the season!).

By the conclusion of the televised conference, we’ve established that though he may have found success at the college football level back in the States, it’s going to be an uphill battle for Ted and the Richmond club.

Hey, he may not know what relegation means, but at least Ted knows the goalie’s the guy with the “Mickey Mouse Hands.”

2. Ted Brings Biscuits (Season 1 Episode 2) 

Rebecca’s nefarious plot to decimate her ex-husband’s beloved football club with the help of an incompetent team manager is foiled once she finally meets Coach Lasso. Ted, determined to win his boss over and to make her feel like a part of the team, weasels his way into a daily morning meeting with Rebecca, complete with morning biscuits.

Rebecca, attempting to stay indifferent to the lovable American, tasks her communications manager, Higgins, with visiting every cafe to try and find where Ted is buying the biscuits in the tiny pink box.

By the end of Ted Lasso Season 1 Episode 2, “Biscuits,” the cracks in her facade start to show because, as we all know, sometimes the way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach.

Not successful in his endeavors, the episode closes on Ted, apron tied around his neck, filling his own tiny pink boxes with homemade biscuits for his boss.

3. Superstitions & Curses (Season 1 Episode 6)

Like many elite athletes, the AFC Richmond players have certain superstitions when it comes to their performance on the pitch, both as individuals and then superstitions for the team as a whole. Ted is unaware of the embargo on the training room due to a longstanding curse.

Human golden retriever Danny is the curses’ latest victim, suffering from a sprained ankle right after his sensational debut.

To rid themselves of the curse (which was caused by ghosts whose spirits were stuck in the training room), the team sacrifices some of their prized possessions, coming together to bond and take back control of their space.

This is also the first time we see hotshot Jamie Tart express essentially any emotion other than arrogance, turning him from an unlikable playboy character to someone we hope to see experience a full redemption arc. 

4. Let It Go (Season 1 Episode 7)

What better way to humanize the ice queen than with one of the most famous songs from a fellow ice queen?

Throughout the first half of Ted Lasso Season 1, we see Rebecca as a cold, unwelcoming woman who is willing to throw whoever she wants to the wolves so that she can get what she wants.

It isn’t until we actually meet her ex-husband that we realize Rebecca is acting from a place of hurt. On an away game trip to Liverpool, Rebecca meets up with an old friend, and the pair goes out to celebrate with the team after they win their match.

After a few too many drinks, and a good pep talk from her girls, Rebecca hits the stage at karaoke, belting out Disney’s Let It Go, marking a real turning point for the character who is finally ready to let her past and her ex-husband’s shadow go.

5. Nate Roasts the Team (Season 1 Episode 7)

The true breakout of Ted Lasso is Nick Mohammed as Nate, the equipment manager.

Having been with the team longer than Ted and his assistant, Coach Beard (we’re not sure if that’s his name or an ode to facial hair), Nate becomes a sort of cheat sheet for the pair of Americans.

As the equipment manager, and as a lover of the game, Nate has a wealth of notes on all of the players, including their strengths and weaknesses. More importantly, he has notes to give the players on how to improve.

To kick the players’ butts in gear, “Nate The Great” performs a roast of the team that even Comedy Central wishes they could pull off, and shy, mild-mannered Nate lights a spark in AFC Richmond that translates to the field.

It’s the character’s, much deserved, step into the spotlight, cementing him as an invaluable asset to the team and to Ted’s coaching staff.

6. Ted’s Hustling (Season 1 Episode 8)

The crux of Ted’s involvement at AFC Richmond stems from owner Rebecca’s desire to get back at her newly minted ex-husband, Rupert.

Realizing that Rebecca is threatened by said ex-husband, and just being the overall, lovable, loyal oaf that he is, Ted makes a wager with Rupert at the local pub. Ted tells the Englishman that he can have control over the team’s starting lineup if he beats Ted at darts.

What follows is what we call in America “getting hustled,” where Ted teaches Rupert to “be curious, not judgemental” and that he was much more than a darts rookie. 

And though Rebecca and Ted had started off on the wrong foot, and Rebecca had hoped Ted would be a failure for her club, this afternoon in the pub marks the turning point for their relationship when she realizes that they are actually on the same team.

7. Keeley and Roy’s Press Conference (Season 1 Episode 8)

After Jamie Tart and his model girlfriend Keeley Jones break up, Roy Kent takes a liking to the team’s media liaison.

When Jamie suddenly comes back into the picture, Roy is thrown for a loop, but after getting some sage advice from Ted, Beard, Nate, and Higgins, he seeks her out again. Roy’s ready to open himself up to finding love, declaring himself a grown man, and he’s no longer upset about Jamie.

Since she has been working with the team on their media appearances, Keeley stages a mock press conference for Roy to declare that over and over again to faux journalists, A.K.A. just her switching from chair to chair in the press room. 

Keely is one of the most intriguing characters on the show. She starts off as the model girlfriend to one of the young players, becomes a sidekick to the team’s owner, gets an actual position with the team, and ends up as the veteran’s paramour. Her storyline in upcoming seasons will be one to look out for. 

8. The Lasso Special (Season 1 Episode 10)

Ted Lasso Season 1 Episode 10, “The Hope That Kills You,” finds AFC at the brink of relegation, with one game left in the season to determine their fate.

Manchester City, home to Richmond’s former star Jamie Tart, is one of the darlings of the Premier League, almost always finishing towards the top of the table, and rarely having to worry about relegation themselves.

To bring something new to the table, Ted goes back to the drawing board and workshop trick plays in the event they get a set-piece opportunity.

When the opportunity inevitably arises, AFC Richmond sets up like an American football offensive line getting ready to throw a hail mary pass. The absolutely absurd play call serves to confuse the other side, resulting in the goal that allows them to tie the game.

Though American football plays won’t really work the same in a soccer match, somehow Coach Lasso’s experience stateside pays off across the pond. 

9. Roy Runs. Fast. (Season 1 Episode 10)

Roy Kent is the veteran striker for AFC Richmond, and though experienced, his age has hindered his success this Premier League season under Coach Lasso. When a scoring opportunity arises in their last game, Roy puts the pedal to the metal and tackles the ball away from his former teammate.

The maneuver takes it out of him though, and he ends up injured and forced to hobble off and into the locker room. In a goosebump raising moment, the entire stadium cheers for their captain, knowing that it may be a career-ending injury.

The scene culminates with the vet sitting contemplatively in the locker room, wondering whether or not he’ll be able to step foot on the pitch ever again. In so many ways it’s like watching your favorite athlete retire, heartstrings pulling at a season that fell short. 

10. Nate Gets Replaced, Temporarily (Season 1 Episode 10)

I said it before and I’ll say it again, Nate is the heart and soul of the AFC Richmond team, and perfectly embodies the spirit of every die-hard soccer fan, wanting what’s best for their favorite club.

Under Coach Lasso, not only is he a valued member of the group, giving pep-talks to both the players and the staff, his efforts are not overlooked, and he gets promoted to assistant manager!

Nate showing up in the morning to do his admin work (washing towels, folding jerseys, etc.) only to find a new equipment manager had completed them all already leaves him feeling like he’s been fired, though the truth is just the opposite!

11. Final Postgame Speech (Season 1 Episode 10)

There’s nothing I love more than when a show throws back to a throwaway line or motif from an episode in the far off past, and you have that “ah” moment in your head.

In the course of a ten-episode debut season, there’s not really a big chance for the show to throw it way back, but the season finale features a post-game speech that performs a nice return to one a heart-to-heart from earlier in the season.

Remember: be a goldfish, and always believe.

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What was your favorite moment from Ted Lasso Season 1? Sound off in the comments below!

Ted Lasso is currently streaming on Apple TV+.

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