We’re now weeks away from the season two premiere of Apple TV’s Ted Lasso, and if you still aren’t convinced to watch the treasure of a series, I’ve got you covered with a list of all the reasons why it should be the next, immediate thing on your list. This will be spoiler-free as you deserve to go into this series without knowing how the story will unfold.
I wasn’t being hyperbolic when I said Ted Lasso is 2020’s Unexpected Treasure. I’m also not being hyperbolic anytime I tell someone that I think this show saved me and brought back my inspiration to write during the pandemic. And I didn’t even think I needed saving, but isn’t that how anxiety and depression works? You think you’re fine, you think you’re okay, you’re trudging along during a global pandemic where we’re all seemingly in the same boat, and then you start watching a show like Ted Lasso and realize you were far from fine.
But that’s a story for another day and not one you all want or need to hear. In short, Ted Lasso came in like a warm blanket on a cold, stormy day, and I haven’t looked back since.
This show is special. This show is unbelievably beautiful. This show is exactly what a lot of us have needed, and I’m fully convinced that even the most jaded of souls will find comfort in the heart this show is full of.
Yes, Ted Lasso is a show about soccer, and as you’ve probably heard all over social spheres by now, it’s wholesome, and it’s inspiring, but be forewarned, this is a show that’ll also make you cry. It’ll make you cry for an abundance of reasons, but never ever because it’s trying to harp on unnecessary drama. Spoiler alert: no one dies. Everything will be okay.
1. THE MESSAGE
There are so many inspiring messages throughout the show, and I don’t even want to give any examples of them because again, for those who haven’t watched, you deserve to be hit with them in the unexpected moments they’re delivered through. It’s part of the beauty.
However, the reason it all works is because this is a show that never forces anything down your throat and that’s a detail I still don’t understand how they’ve mastered. One word has immeasurable power, and it’ll be the lodestone in trying times.
All the locker room talks. All the glorious, quiet moments. There’s not a moment on this show that isn’t speaking straight into someone’s soul, and that’s where its strength comes from. It’s a show that’s trying to help, and it’s a show that’s trying its best. It’s a show that’s touching on the parts of us we might have lost because of anxiety or depression.
As an English major who’s so used to dark stories, heavy emotions, and just a lot of dense text, Ted Lasso, in its simplicity, touches on every aching human feeling in such a way that it proves the world always needs more happiness.
When kindness or happiness in media is frequently written off as a cliché, this series latches onto it in order to boldly emphasize that it’s the one universal language we can all understand. And that’s just it–we all need this show because we’re all going through something that likely makes us feel alone or unseen.
Maybe you feel like people don’t take you seriously, or perhaps, you’ve lost someone or something that defined you. Maybe you feel lost or afraid of something. Maybe people see you as one thing, but you’re really another, and in every way, Ted Lasso effortlessly encourages us to look into the parts of us we might be too terrified to show the world.
It’s a show that isn’t afraid to allow its characters to be vulnerable, and it’s a show that, most importantly, lets its characters fill the space other writers rely on the plot for. And because of this, the plot becomes more intriguing than it could have been if the characters weren’t taking the front seat.
I, a woman who’s never had any interest in soccer, am suddenly so invested in soccer; it’s actually unbelievable.
2. THE PERFORMANCES
When you watch Ted Lasso, one thing becomes perfectly clear, no other actor on this planet could have embodied their respective characters as brilliantly as this cast does. In short, they are each as perfect as it gets, and dare I say, born to play these characters.
It ultimately comes down to the fact that there are so few words that could be said about the sheer excellency in every performer, but at the end of the day, if each of them weren’t as good, the series would not be as great as it is. It wouldn’t even come close. Pay close attention to the performances in the first episode and watch how impeccably they each continue to evolve week after week. It’s masterful in indescribable ways.
3. THE CHARACTERS
We all have characters we profoundly adore and who will stay with us for years to come. The best kind of characters become a part of us, but also, while we see versions of ourselves in them, we also see versions of people we know. And then sometimes, on truly rare occasions, characters feel so real that even though they’re fictional, their presence alone is inexplicably comforting.
The characters on Ted Lasso aren’t all likable and aren’t meant to be, but they’re complicated, beautiful, and incredibly relatable regardless, and that’s where its strength comes in.
I guarantee you’ll not only find at least one character to connect with but you’ll be invested in each of their journeys because the arcs written for them are so riveting it’ll be hard not to care. As mentioned above, the characters drive the stories on this show—the plot takes a backseat, and that’s how it should be because in life, who we are and who we help matters more than how we got to work or how our day panned out. And while those are crucial details, the series doesn’t shy away from letting its characters find themselves first.
There is not a single character on Ted Lasso who isn’t going through something, and the show gives them the time to do so. It lets them get into the driver’s seat and figure out what gear is necessary to start off with. It allows them to mess up, it allows them to keep trying, and in due time, it allows them to succeed.
4. THE FRIENDSHIPS
I love everything about this show, but the friendships might be my favorite thing because the series emphasizes the fact that needing people isn’t a weakness; it’s a strength. And after the kind of year we’ve all had, we know just how damaging loneliness and isolation can be. We know what it’s like to miss people, and we know what it’s like to feel paralyzing sadness because we need a hug or a shoulder to cry on.
Human beings were never meant to be alone; if we were, something tells me we just wouldn’t be on this earth. We wouldn’t exist. We are meant to be surrounded by people, and we are meant to do our best in order to inspire their very best to come through. We are meant to laugh with people, learn with people, cry with people, and we are meant to love.
The friendships on this show aren’t conventional. They aren’t all full of sweet words or kind gestures, but the loyalty is unmatched, and the ardent adoration is heavily present even when it isn’t overtly displayed.
And because I know this is something I always look for when starting a new series, Ted Lasso doesn’t pit its women against each other. Women aren’t each other’s competition; they are each other’s cheerleaders. Again, no spoilers, but the friendships on this show are guaranteed to go down in history as some of the strongest.
5. THE LOVE STORIES
To all my romance appreciating readers who’ve been burned too much and are reluctant to give this show a go, trust me when I say Ted Lasso won’t disappoint on this front. The love stories in this show are strong, and they’re beautiful.
The love stories are just getting started, and they’re here to stay. I won’t say who, but one of the best tropes, “the grump and sunshine,” is featured on this show and guaranteed they’re going to bring all the feels.
And at the end of the day, Ted Lasso is a love letter to humanity.
It’s a love story that emphasizes the importance of kindness and the reverberating, lasting effects on a person’s happiness. It’s a love story centered around parents and children, teammates and coaches, friends, lovers, and even enemies. It’s a love story about a soccer team and its fans. It’s a love story about the people we meet in life, and it’s a love story about what humanity can be when we each choose to be the kindest version of ourselves.
To conclude, I’ve made these types of “Reasons Why You Should Watch X” lists before. This isn’t my first, and it won’t be my last, but Ted Lasso is the only show I’d recommend to everybody.
When I make a list, generally, it pertains to a specific audience. I’m not going to tell my friends who aren’t fans of sci-fi as a genre to watch The Expanse because I know they won’t like it. The same goes for people who don’t typically watch a regency-based period drama. Sometimes, a show caters to a specific audience, which is perfectly fine, but Ted Lasso isn’t that show.
This is a show that’s so vulnerable, raw, hilarious, and universally wholesome that I firmly believe with everything in me that it’s the one show everyone should be watching. Genres have subgenres, and you can’t always guarantee a person would like something just because they typically do, but that’s not the case with this show. In some otherworldly, inexplicable way, Ted Lasso combines everything in comedy while intermixing it effortlessly with drama, and I’m convinced there is some sort of sorcery behind this because I still don’t understand how this show mastered its perfect balance.
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I can also understand that people might not want to pay for yet another streaming service, but give Apple TV trial a chance because after watching Ted Lasso, I can promise it will be worth the 4.99 monthly fee.
Season two premieres on July 23rd, and you’ve still got plenty of time to catch up. Go now. Run free.