US American Football coach Ted Lasso is hired by a Premier League English football team in London, a totally different sport and plenty going on behind the scenes. What could possibly go wrong?
Number of Episodes: 10
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Something that went right though? This whole series was a total joy and on a totally different level to anything I expected from it. Let's be brutally honest here from the trailer I thought the concept was a little bit stupid but I am always pleased to be wrong when it comes to a TV series or a film. Ted Lasso is a true joy of a series and has so many amazing things going for it!
Ted Lasso was an American Football college coach and suddenly recruited as a coach for English Premier League Team AFC Richmond without any experience at all in the very different sport. Might be worth mentioning for those not familiar with football that AFC Richmond are not actually a Premier League team. The thing Ted does not know but we the viewers find out very quickly is that Rebecca Welton is the new owner of Richmond after a messy divorce from her playboy cheating husband. Her plan is to destroy the football club from within as that is the way she can think to hurt Rupert.
When Ted arrives with his assistant Coach Beard and he attempts to get to know the new players with his American charm which does not really go down in the best way. The thing is though it does not take us very long to realise that Ted just happens to be one of the nicest and most honest men ever! He must face a battle to save the team from relegation to the Championship from the Premier League and this is going to be a very tough task considering they have not been doing very well at all this season.
Without getting into any major plot spoilers I feel I need to truly praise a few details and things about the series on the whole. The characters for the players is where we can try and guess which real life footballers they are actually based on. Along with throwing in the WAGs situation along with the press obsession of off the field antics. Not forgetting Ted being chanted at as a "wanker" constantly from the whole crowd and ridiculed by the whole borough of London. Which links me into thinking about the fickle nature of football fans, something else they nailed in the series.
The culture and differences between the UK and the US was something that creates plenty of very amusing moments. Especially when you see Ted's reaction to tea and not understanding it at all. The graphics for the games coming straight from FIFA or similar was something else that made me chuckle at considering that was probably the easiest way to get game footage.
Despite expecting it just to be a truly stupid show, it turns out that it has so much heart and some deep meaningful moments. Within not only football and the relationship between coaches and players to higher management but also with how this links to life. How one person can really impact all of those around them. When that happens though it is essential that it is done in a positive manner. It certainly made me think about different things I have done and how a big focus of coaching is now on developing the person as well as players.
Jason Sudeikis is on another level as Ted Lasso, absolutely outstanding. Essential that he was the heart of the whole show and everything that was good and positive within it. I just felt he grew so much over the ten episodes and we all just want to be friends with Lasso. Hannah Waddingham was a brilliant presence and captures the jilted woman very well, something we have seen so many times in the press with footballers or men in football over the years. Brett Goldstein and Phil Dunster were the picks from the players and both very different characters. The old veteran who was nearly the end of his career and the young hotshot who thought he already had it all and everything revolved around him.
One more scene I really feel like I must mention is the darts scene which was truly on another level. Again forcing you to think about what you actually find out about others and if you really pay attention, or more importantly want to pay attention! Ted Lasso certainly won me over and I already cannot wait for season 2!
