Who knows what a man in his forties—with a mustache that immediately catches your eye—had to do with English soccer. More than just his tuft of hair. More than his friendly-looking gaze at first glance. But that’s not the point: the man in question was a football coach—American football, that is. It’s been six years since Ted Lasso became coach of Richmond AFC, a team in the English Premier League, in a decidedly unexpected turn of events. And it’s been six years since the series centered on the character created by Jason Sudeikis debuted on Apple TV+, after originating from a series of commercials for NBC Sports many years earlier.
That absurd, out-of-context story quickly became one of the most spot-on TV series centered around soccer—but also one of the most award-winning of all time. Because Sudeikis and his castmates’ ability to lay bare the hypocrisies and behind-the-scenes realities of soccer has been superb. At times it’s even a bit grotesque, but that’s part of the game. This ability has allowed the show to lift the veil hiding the distortions and dark corners of the soccer world, while also delving deeply into what lies beneath the human soul. Because behind a coach is a man who fled to the other side of the world to better understand his relationship with his then-wife; behind a soccer player, there may be taboos or unresolved personal issues. But these can be faced together—not just by kicking a ball or standing side by side.
In the end, it all could be summed up by that “Believe”—the motto hanging above the door to the Richmond locker room—which encapsulates how a team of underdogs managed to achieve the impossible. In other words: becoming a family, much like the community that has followed Ted Lasso over the years and will continue to follow him into the fourth season. An unexpected return, following the end of the third season, that opens up new possibilities, as Ted returns from America once again to coach Richmond—but this time, the women’s team. This showcases another side of a sport often considered sexist and misogynistic, but one that, in recent years, has finally been giving more and more space to its women’s division.
[📸 ©️ Apple TV]
