I’m on maybe my 7th rewatch of the show (maybe more - I haven’t kept count). It has become my comfort zone, my source of optimism in this dark, depressing world. I never expected to like this show. I’m not a sports person and I’m a hardened cynic so cheerful, positive shit normally grates on me. Mostly I find this sort of feel good stuff to be cringe worthy and before I watched and based on what I heard of Ted Lasso before I watched it, I expected to spend my viewing time rolling my eyes.
I was happy (and flabbergasted) to be proven wrong.
I don’t understand why I love this show so much. How did they create such a heartwarming show without being trite? Why does it make me feel so happy and content? Is everything else so bad or is Ted Lasso just unique?
My usual MO when it comes to shows i like is “horrible people being horrible” its always sunny, succession etc. So i was surprised at how much i loved the show. It Can be rewatched to eternity…
I worried that if I keep thinking I’m going to start finding faults, but I keep watching and I only find more reasons to love it!
I think what Ted Lasso did differently is show a bunch of “damaged” characters, what I mean is chrs with obvious flaws. And then showed a transition. Almost each chr is dealing with crap, and the writers did an AMAZING job weaving it together.
Ted was the fish out of water at the start, Beard was his anchor. Rebecca was being vindictive from the start, but slowly realized it was holding her back. Then you got Jamie, Roy… all obvious. But Nate was the surprise for me. Nick played that chr so damn well.
Anyways, starting a show with an underdog is nothing new, but pretty much every chr had their demons, and somehow continued forward. And really great writing made it come together.
Also, I am from KC, and like the BBQ references, so take this with a grain a salt.
I sea (salt) what you did there
I think the reason that the wholesome content doesn’t come across as trite is because its main source (Ted) is depicted as a flawed man with positive goals. That effusive behavior on his part is a coping strategy that he has used to try to deal with his traumas, and while it may have had some success, it has also arguably harmed him and damaged his relationships. It isn’t saccharine to us because we can see that it isn’t something he is, but something he does. And because it is an action of his, as he grows and develops as a character, we get to see him changing his behavior to match his new understandings (e.g., his epic conversation with his mother).
If you’re anything like me, it’s because the second you start watching, you feel like you’re surrounded by friends. I was so lonely and sad when the series ended. I felt like I had lost my support network.
My parents and I watched it together and we were devastated at the end. It has been years (maybe even decades) since any of us felt like we were losing friendships at the end of a show, but this one made us feel that way.
I am probably gonna date myself, but the last time i was this sad, but still content because i thought they brought a show to the perfect close was Dawsons Creek in the early noughts 🤣🤣
Mucho, much joy! I’d like to give joy away, for free!
Futbol is life, and also death, but, also, futbol is just futbol.
