Ted Lasso
Cast:
Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso), Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca Welton), Juno Temple (Keeley Jones), Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard), Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent), Phil Dunster ( Jamie Tart), Jeremy Swift ( Leslie Higgins)
Ted Lasso (Sudeikis) is an American Football coach with a thick midwestern accent gets hired to coach the soccer team of A.F.C Richmond in the UK. No surprises there, he’s been established and widely lauded for his coaching style, infectious optimism, and winning streaks. What he lacks, however, is any and all knowledge of soccer. Why, then, does he get hired to coach a mediocre soccer team that could use all the help it can get? You’ll need to watch the series to uncover that, and it’ll undoubtedly be worth your while.
The premise of the show stems from a series of 2013 NBC Sports promos, in which Jason Sudeikis played a clueless American football coach who suddenly becomes the manager of a prestige London soccer club, thereby highlighting the network getting U.S. television rights for the upcoming Premier League seasons. Sudeikis played an unpleasant, loud character completely unfazed by his lack of knowledge of the sport. The creators of the show have done a complete 180 from that, casting him in warm, glowing, and loving light. He’s a thoughtful, empathetic individual who just wants his players to be the best version of themselves, on and off the field. He cheers their successes, lifts them up when they’re down, and dances with them to celebrate their wins. His positivity rubs off on everyone he meets, from the owner of the club to the indifferent captain of the team and even the timid errand boy.
Although it’s a comedy about sports, Ted Lasso’s true ingenuity and originality lies in the way it portrays human emotions and relationships, and how it resolves conflicts. There’s no untoward, TRP grabbing drama, but refreshing adult maturity and level headedness. We see plenty of this in Rebecca, the owner of the club who’s a strong, independent woman but very much human with her faults and insecurities. Played beautifully by Hanna Waddingham, Rebecca is on her own journey of finding herself and crossing paths with Ted proves to be beneficial to her in more ways than one. Brett Goldstein plays Roy Kent, the sullen captain of the team who’s brilliant but deteriorating. Phil Dunster is a perfect Jaime Tart, a supremely talented member of the team who’s in over his head about himself and thinks he can treat everyone else like the dirt on his cleats. Juno temple is a delight to watch as Keeley Jones and keeps all eyes on her when she’s in the frame.
Jason Sudeikis strikes the right chord with his Ted Lasso, never overdoing his enthusiasm and adding just the right number of shortcomings to his character. This is a sports dramedy like no other and is easily one of the most uplifting and joyous series you can feast your eyes on right now.
Disclaimer: The above review solely illustrates the views of the writer.