Towards the end of 2020, we were neck-deep into Covid and TV shows to binge-watch became commonplace conversation over zooms and on group texts. Always looking for the next great show, I would ask friends, “what are you loving right now?”. I’m picky though. I love a good rom-com, but need a happy story or at least one with a potentially happy ending to binge it. I wasn’t touching Game of Thrones or Handmaid’s Tail and while entertaining, Tiger King was just ok. So when the new year hit, my husband and I had heard one TV show mentioned again and again and decided to take the plunge. Two words…Ted Lasso.
To say I can’t get enough of this show is an understatement. If you haven’t seen it, it’s just a gift. There is so much to talk about with this one and I’ve prepared my top five reasons why you should dive in and be a Lasso fan too.
- It’s happy. And it makes me happy too. This show just puts a smile on my face no matter what. At the end of the long day, we will turn on an episode, and regardless of my mood, I laugh. The writing is phenomenal (caveat, most of the show is not kid-appropriate for the language) and the jokes, while corny are perfection.
- The casting. In my opinion, the Ted Lasso cast is top-notch. Each actor nails their character, and you feel like they could potentially be real people. You want to be friends with them, you want to join them at the local pub for a pint, cheer for Richmond together and eat “biscuits” each morning together to download on your day.
- The shows ability to tackle tough subjects by trying to handle them in a moral and admirable way. Ted Lasso is a funny show don’t get me wrong, but they do tackle some serious subjects. *Spoiler alert* Ted gets a divorce. He is living miles upon miles from his son across the pond and he suffers from panic/anxiety attacks. You see him deal with these things in different ways, but they don’t shy away from this storyline. Instead, they show his reality. They show him dealing with this, they show his loneliness, but they counter it by really trying to find the good in all situations as well.
- The one-liners. Coach Ted Lasso is famous for his limericks, one-liners, and inspirational quotes. They often leave your brain a bit puzzled, but make you laugh in the end. Whether you love soccer or sports in general, these are relatable for everyone and just make sense.
- This show radiates the good I want to see in the world. Every time I see a new episode, I catch myself saying, maybe if everyone watched Ted Lasso there would be a little less conflict out there and a little more grace. Coach Lasso shows grace when his team needs it most. He is there for his players, coworkers, and friends. He teaches humility, perseverance, and most of all kindness. That is in nutshell is something we could all use a little bit more of in our lives.
The other day I had on an old episode of Friends and in the background, the laugh track was running. My son looked at the TV perplexed and said, mom where are those people that are laughing. He had never heard of a laugh track and trying to explain to him sitcoms that included these was hard! But I was puzzled myself. What happened to the shows that made us laugh, that made us happy? That’s what Ted Lasso is for me.
We are two years into this awful pandemic, and I am so glad my family found Ted Lasso. That may seem silly, but it continues to be the bright spot in my day and I am so grateful for a show that seems to be exactly what I need during times of covid and quarantines. For those of you that do watch, am I right? And for those of you that haven’t taken the plunge, I hope I’ve convinced you to dive right in. But if not, I will leave you with this… “You know what the happiest animal on Earth is? It’s a goldfish. You know why? It’s got a 10-second memory.”
Be a goldfish.
