Since its launch in 2007, Apple TV has brought up the rear when it comes to successful streaming services. According to Statista, just 19% of American households are subscribed to it, compared to Netflix’s 78%.
For years, Apple’s original movie and TV releases had fallen relatively flat. That is, until “Ted Lasso.”
According to Parrot Analytics, at one point “Ted Lasso” had 44.5 times more demand than the average Apple TV original. It is,
without a doubt, the platform’s best original production.
The show is based on a series of 2013 National Broadcasting Company (NBC) TV commercials about Ted Lasso, an American
football coach, who is hired to coach Tottenham Hotspur, a top English Premier League soccer club. Despite knowing next to nothing about the sport, Lasso’s sunny personality endures as he makes the most out of his short time with the club (he is fired after about six hours on the job).
The next commercials follow him through a stint as a pundit at NBC, and then finally, as he goes back home to the States as an avid soccer fan.
Seven years later, Lasso returns as everyone’s favorite football-turned-futbol coach in the show, which is based on the same premise, with some variance.
“Ted Lasso” is centered around the titular character, a former coach for a Division II football team in Kansas who is hired by AFC
Richmond, a fictional English Premier League soccer team. He travels across the Atlantic with barely any knowledge of the beautiful game, but dives right in with an unwavering optimism that is a welcoming contrast to the harsh, occasionally toxic environment of a traditional men’s soccer team.
It’s a simple premise that opens the door to so much — the potential twists and turns of the show’s plot are endless, which entices
viewers before they even press play.
Further, the show’s writers masterfully created a varying array of characters such that anyone can find a part of themselves in
the show.
Lasso’s optimism is arguably what has made the show so popular. It isn’t suffocating or irritating — it’s wholesome and comforting, especially during a global pandemic (season one was released from August to October
2020).
His assistant coach, Coach Beard, offers an interesting divergence from Lasso’s persona. Beard is understated and doesn’t speak much, but his knowledge and compassion are apparent in his toned-down, thought-out actions.
It’s revealed early on that Rebecca Welton, the club’s owner, hired Lasso hoping his lack of experience would drive the club into the ground to spite her ex-husband, who cheated on her and smeared her name in the notoriously vile British press. She becomes more conflicted as Lasso makes it his mission to become friends by bringing her homemade biscuits each morning in a small light-pink box.
Other main characters include Roy Kent, the team’s captain, Jamie Tartt, the team’s best player and worst teammate, Keely Jones, his girlfriend at the beginning of the show and Sam Obisanya, the new fan-favorite defend-er-turned-midfielder who needs to up his confidence.
As the story progresses, viewers are introduced to more and more players, and the prospect of getting to know each and every
one keeps the audience engaged.
The genius of “Ted Lasso” lies in the clear, desirable development that takes place through each season. Every character evolves and progresses, which, in turn, leads to the heartwarming growth of the team as a whole.
The lighthearted, joyful show is ultimately able to masterfully incorporate themes like mental health, grief and loss, protest, divorce and gender-based double standards. The writers navigate these topics while preserving the optimistic air that first attracted viewers, an increasingly important ability in a time rife with complaints about the over-inclusion of such themes in media.
Viewers come to genuinely care for and empathize with the show’s characters. They feel conflicted when Sam has to decide
between continuing to build his community in Richmond or leaving to play in Africa, his home continent. They are angered when Rebecca is slandered amid an adultery controversy, even though she was the one whowas cheated on. They feel heartache when
Ted’s wife and son leave Richmond after their first, and probably last, visit to see him.
The show even turns non-sports fans into rabid Richmond enthusiasts, even though the club is a fictional one. Viewers desperately want Richmond to perform well enough to avoid relegation from the Premier League, the process in which the three worst-per-forming teams each year are dropped down to the next-lowest tier of English soccer.
“Ted Lasso” offers interesting commentary on the idea that optimism and positivity can’t exist without obliviousness — at first glance, Lasso’s consistently positive attitude seems like he’s falling directly into dangerous patterns of ignorance. But, as exemplified in a scene near the end of the first season, Lasso is exactly the opposite. He’s clever and aware of his surroundings and manages to give an incredible amount of love and support to the people around him without compromising his interests or identity.
It’s a show whose draw is a simple, comedic premise that becomes a vehicle for discussing so much more, all while preserving the joyous nature that drew viewers in the first place. ♦
