Why is 'Ted Lasso' so popular? Here's why Apple TV+ show resonates with viewers
‘Ted Lasso’ is one of those shows that put Apple TV+ on the map and make no mistake, the show is much more than anyone would have expected it to be. For the uninitiated, ‘Ted Lasso’ is a series produced by Apple’s streaming service and stars Jason Sudeikis as an American football coach who is hired to train a team for the Premier League in the UK.
It is a show that provides you with an unconventional story and good acting. However, there is still a mystery about the show’s success and I am one of those who got really surprised when I saw a perfect rating on the show’s page on Rotten Tomatoes. We don’t know how it works. Yet it does. People can go on social media and type ‘Ted Lasso’ and I can assure you that you won’t be seeing even a single negative review about the comedy series.
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But after watching the show for a second time, I realized why it connected with viewers. One of the biggest reasons for its success has been kindness. Now, many of you would be wondering how kindness comes into the fray. The idea of the show was to lift everyone with kindness.
In recent years, we have seen a lot of dark comedies like ‘Barry’ and ‘Transparent’ dominating the screens and there was a dearth of television sitcoms that unite everyone. And that’s exactly what ‘Ted Lasso’ did.
Originally, the titular character was created for an advertisement on NBC in 2013. That was the year when the network announced that it will be bringing English Premier League back for the American audience. According to a scene on the show, Lasso, while talking to reporters, says that winning games is not the main motive for him. The most integral part of his coaching is to make better versions of all themselves on and off the field.
Lasso is like Mr Rogers of football. He is always optimistic and never shies away from winning hearts by saying really amazing things to people who try to manipulate him. During the course of the first season, Lasso wins over the locker room with kindness. Lasso sees the good even when no one else would even think of looking there. The show becomes really relevant because of all the things that the entire world went through in 2020. Coronavirus took everything away and even the most advanced countries were down to their knees. People were forced to undergo strict lockdowns and weren’t able to go out of their houses or meet their loved ones.
It made everyone anxious and angry. No one ever thought that a time would come where the entire planet will not be able to move outside. They had no idea if they’ll ever be able to see their friends or loved ones when this gets over because there were deaths everywhere. At that time, the only thing that made people forget about all the problems was TV. That’s the reason why ‘Ted Lasso’ worked so well. When the entire world was divided, the show managed to create a world where everything can be solved through kindness and determination.
One of the show’s characters, Rebbeca (Hannah Waddingham), hires Lasso to coach the Richmond AFC so that the team gets finished. She wants the team to be destroyed and never play again. For her, the perfect plan was to hire a coach who knows nothing about the game. She gets successful in doing so, but soon, she realizes that it was wrong.
Lasso dominates her with kindness and wins over. At the end of Season 1, we see Rebecca rallying behind the team and coach. The showrunner Bill Lawrence, who had worked on acclaimed ventures like ‘Friends’, ‘Scrubs’ and ‘Cougar Town’, created a world where people are far more generous and decent than in real life. It also has a dramatic depth. Apart from that, it also covers an important aspect of teenagers where high-school relationships are broken without giving any valid reasons. I mean, come on, this has happened with everyone. We have ended relationships for stupid reasons and years after, we realize how pathetic it really was.
Another reason that it became so successful is Lasso himself. He is going through a hard time because of a failed marriage. His marriage is in trouble and his wife feels that there is no spark between them. But he doesn’t fight with her or tell her how he is working hard to maintain the relationship. Lasso remains calm and tells her that it would be perfect if they separate. He makes the hardest decision of his life with so much calmness and you can’t help but feel sad for him.
Lasso remains decorous in defeats and becomes even more charming while experiencing personal loss.
The show is all about optimism and talks about a world where decency triumphs over jealousy. Some people might get annoyed by seeing how optimistic some characters are, but that’s the essence of the show and just like that ‘Ted Lasso’ wins you over. The show’s success is a testament to how such stories still work and resonate with people. They just want to see good content that can make them forget what’s going on in the outside world.
It shows you that people chose to “be curious, and not judgemental.” With Season 2 just around the corner, we hope that the show doesn’t compromise on the aspects that made the show a worldwide phenomenon.
‘Ted Lasso’ Season 2 returns to Apple TV+ on Friday, July 30.