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?
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).