Kindness is making a comeback.

April 21, 2021 12:29 AM

Ted Lasso. Season 2. July 23.
posted by ellieBOA (83 comments total)

I. Cannot. Wait.

But is Jaime going to turn up in it?
posted by rednikki at 1:36 AM on April 21, 2021 [3 favorites]

I don’t want to ger my hopes up too high and just be disappointed, but you can’t deny that this is an incredible exchange:

Rebecca: ”There’s this chap I’ve been seeing, John...”
Ted: ”STAMOS?!”
posted by gkhan at 3:40 AM on April 21, 2021 [5 favorites]

This makes me so happy! July!

By the way, I want to make sure that everyone has seen their adorable skit at the SAG awards.
posted by merriment at 4:20 AM on April 21, 2021 [16 favorites]

"We don't calls them unlucky. Coach, what do we call them?"
"New York Giants."

heh heh
posted by From Bklyn at 5:15 AM on April 21, 2021 [4 favorites]

Thank goodness. My only question about the Super League nonsense was if it would affect S2 of Lasso.
posted by nubs at 6:18 AM on April 21, 2021 [1 favorite]

Ted Lasso stood against the Super League because he thinks all leagues and clubs are super.
posted by i used to be someone else at 6:37 AM on April 21, 2021 [19 favorites]

Ted Lasso is the redesigned AppleTV remote of TV shows. It looks great and I can't wait to get my hands on it.
posted by gwint at 6:51 AM on April 21, 2021 [9 favorites]

I love how Apple dropped this during their "Special Event." Like they know they've spent a ton on AppleTV content, and despite some critical praise none of it has really broken through to the mainstream... OH THANK GOD WE HAVE A HIT GOTTA PROMOTE THIS NOW
posted by Tomorrowful at 6:53 AM on April 21, 2021 [2 favorites]

I need this. For some reason starting in 2016 I found myself unable to continue watching any depressing or dystopian shows. I was watching things like Mr. Robot, Handmaid's Tale, Westworld, just about anything on any streaming service and then one day I just couldn't do it anymore.

Then, over the last year, I've been unable to watch anything violent. It used to be if I wanted to watch something I'd just put on an episode of The Sopranos or a war movie. I can no longer do that.

The result is there's hardly anything on. Eight million streaming services filled with crap. There's some food shows and a bunch of climbing documentaries or maybe I'll watch an old sitcom or whatever but there's not a whole lot of gentle, fun shows.

Life has gotten a lot harder. I need kindness.
posted by bondcliff at 7:00 AM on April 21, 2021 [57 favorites]

^ This is us in our house, too, definitely. We have been so thankful for Ted Lasso (which is actually the Ted & Rebecca show, watching the first season for the 7th or 8th time, you really start to notice how the editing implies a different narrative focus than the show's actual, overt framing--this show is as much about Rebecca's journey as Ted's).

Very excited for season 2, this show is sublime.
posted by LooseFilter at 7:22 AM on April 21, 2021 [6 favorites]

Thank you for this news! I’ve watched the first season twice now, with my kid and her husband. When things got really hard in January we started re-watching it and saw the last episode last week.

bondcliff, I feel your pain. I have started watching Superstore on Netflix. I can’t even handle that in large doses. I have found the Worn Stories non-fiction series charming and sometimes moving. It feels weird to college documentary because of the way they illustrate various stories but anyway, that has been super soothing.

All that said, I am counting the days to season two of Ted Lasso. I absolutely need more of that gentle humor and kindness. And also moments like the painful overhearing of Jamie‘s dad ripping him a new one because he had acted like a true team player. Just so good. I’m sure we will see Jamie again.
posted by Bella Donna at 7:24 AM on April 21, 2021 [2 favorites]

DANI ROJAS! DANI ROJAS!
posted by jquinby at 7:24 AM on April 21, 2021 [25 favorites]

merriment, thank you so much for that link to the lovely SAG skit. It was great.
posted by Bella Donna at 7:29 AM on April 21, 2021 [2 favorites]

So, this is good? Because in our house we find white male entitlement very painful to watch. It certainly seems to be about an arrogant American white guy? But it's not? Are there any women in it? Does it pass the Bechdel test? I don't mind violence but I am not about shows that are just men filming stories written by men and starring men that are about men and their man things.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:31 AM on April 21, 2021 [1 favorite]

(This is why a lot of what Apple TV+ produces seems to be uninteresting to us. It all seems very, very male centred. Just look at it all.)
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:32 AM on April 21, 2021

That’s a really good question and I will say that the relationship that develops between the girlfriend of a player and the team owner, a woman, is a big part of what brought me back every episode. Also, Ted is not arrogant. He’s annoying at times for his optimism and his unwillingness to see things in a realistic way. There are absolutely arrogant men (and one woman) in the show but he’s not one of them. He has other flaws but mostly, he is super kind. The show is, of course, a fantasy. It is a comforting fantasy and I have enjoyed the first season very much.
posted by Bella Donna at 7:37 AM on April 21, 2021 [14 favorites]

It seems Mathowie noticed something interesting in the credits of Apple’s livestream.
posted by sleeping bear at 7:38 AM on April 21, 2021 [7 favorites]

🙄 Why Keeley and Rebecca's friendship on 'Ted Lasso' is important
posted by Space Coyote at 7:39 AM on April 21, 2021 [7 favorites]

The women on the show are just as important, if not more important, than the male characters. So I wouldn't say it is male entitlement at all given that two of the main characters are female.

Ted Lasso has flown under the radar, probably because it is on Apple+ but the buzz picked up during Covid when people ran out of things to watch. For me it was a joy to watch as a KC native there's a ton of hidden KC references throughout it. I started watching it for that, but stuck with it and it is actually a really wholesome comedy that has depth. I expect, like a lot of these shows, for it to really find its footing with the second season. It really has an Office feel to it in that I can see it becoming something I can't stop binge watching.
posted by geoff. at 7:48 AM on April 21, 2021 [4 favorites]

Are there any women in it?

Yes, several, of a range of ages, including two of the principal characters, both of whom have complex arcs.

Does it pass the Bechdel test?

Yes, and not just in the most minimal way, though not every episode.

I am not about shows that are just men filming stories written by men

2 of the 10 season 1 episodes were directed by MJ Delaney. 4 of the episodes were written by women: Jane Becker, Jamie Lee, Leann Bowen (a woman of color with "FTP:ACAB — ABOLISH ICE" in her Twitter profile), and Phoebe Walsh. Could it still be better on that score? Absolutely, and I hope season 2 is.

I will not pretend that it is a politically perfect show for everyone. It is not. But it is a show that is far, far more thoughtful, kind, introspective, and gentle than you would think a show about a male professional soccer team in England could possibly be. If that seems worth a try, then try it. If not, okay.
posted by jedicus at 7:49 AM on April 21, 2021 [23 favorites]

"It certainly seems to be about an arrogant American white guy?"

Not sure where you're getting that impression from. Ted Lasso is not arrogant.

"Are there any women in it?"

It's about a men's professional football team, but two of the main characters are women.
posted by jonathanhughes at 7:49 AM on April 21, 2021 [3 favorites]

So, this is good?

Yes, surprisingly so! I cautiously fired it up when it launched, I mean it was birthed from a series of adverts for soccer on NBC so my expectations were way low. But I found myself smiling so hard I almost couldn't believe it.

It certainly seems to be about an arrogant American white guy? But it's not?

Ted is definitely not arrogant. If anything, he's unfailingly humble and polite, and firmly acknowledges that he doesn't know a whole heck of a lot about the game he's been chosen to coach.

There is an arrogant British white guy, but he has an actual character arc beyond just being annoying.
posted by schoolgirl report at 7:50 AM on April 21, 2021 [6 favorites]

Is there a way to watch this on a pc or android device? I have an Apple TV+ login trial given to me specifically so I can watch this show, but no Apple devices. I could not find an Apple TV+ app in the Play Store
posted by AugustWest at 7:51 AM on April 21, 2021

AugustWest: PM sent.
posted by geoff. at 7:53 AM on April 21, 2021 [1 favorite]

AugustWest: https://support.apple.com/guide/tvplus/welcome/web has a whole listing of ways to watch, including on PC.
posted by Tomorrowful at 7:53 AM on April 21, 2021 [4 favorites]

Thank you.
posted by AugustWest at 7:54 AM on April 21, 2021

One of the things I love about Ted Lasso is that the show is a gentle, funny, positive demonstration of non-toxic masculinity. There are a few examples of toxic masculinity on the show, but their character arcs are generally about overcoming it, with some getting further than others, admittedly.

And the show is empathetic toward those characters. Without wanting to spoil anything: by the end of the first season we understand a big part of why the most toxically masculine character is the way he is, and we're left with a glimmer of hope for him as maybe he starts to understand that about himself.

The only truly unrepentant toxic man on the show gets only one episode of significance, and while he won't change, the show focuses instead on a woman he hurt (emotionally) and her ability to lean on friends in order to move on from him and the damage he inflicted.
posted by jedicus at 7:58 AM on April 21, 2021 [21 favorites]

OK, thanks y'all. I believe we'll give it a shot at some point!
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:06 AM on April 21, 2021 [2 favorites]

One last note: Lasso himself is not perfect. He is occasionally angry. He can be sad, even depressed. He can struggle with difficult, emotionally negative experiences. But he gets back up, apologizes for snapping at someone when he was in a bad way, and generally models dealing with life's struggles in a positive, kind way.

I think I will say this: it is not a perfect show for everyone. But I think it is damn near a perfect show for straight white men.
posted by jedicus at 8:06 AM on April 21, 2021 [6 favorites]

Not going to lie. I cried a lot during season 1 of Ted Lasso. It's like a stress relief valve that's been allowed to open having built up with the whole not having a Billy Lawrence show on the air for a good five years.

Probably going to cry a lot during season 2.

One thing I'm looking forward to is the sports psychologist is going to provide conflict of someone who isn't going to be won over by Ted's folksy gestures and charm while his gaffes are just going to rub her the wrong way. It'll be interesting to watch that arc during the season and I can't wait to see how the writers let him handle it.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 8:06 AM on April 21, 2021 [5 favorites]

It says something that the pandemic, in the main, started with Tiger King and is ending (hopefully) with Ted Lasso. Talk about your bookends.
posted by jquinby at 8:09 AM on April 21, 2021 [8 favorites]

And yes, jedicus. Ted Lasso is like the man I would want to be if I could tear down my personality and reconstruct it from scratch. He lives authentically and he lives it fearlessly. He probably knows that everyone thinks he's a joke. He probably knows shit's going to hit the fan. But that line:

It's all about believing that everything is going to work out in the end. Exactly as it's supposed to.

That he can have almost unwavering faith in that notion to me is exactly the kind of person I want to be.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 8:10 AM on April 21, 2021 [7 favorites]

("We don't calls them unlucky. Coach, what do we call them?"
"New York Giants.")

(I thought he said "Jets," not "Giants," but it doesn't actually matter, I think.)

--

seanmpuckett, "Ted Lasso" the show was 2020's box of expensive chocolate: I devoured the first couple, and suddenly realized I had to pace myself or they would be gone too soon -- and I needed that kindness to last a long time.

Ted Lasso the character is more optimistic and honest than I am, and I'm not ashamed to say that he's a good role model for me in 2021.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:29 AM on April 21, 2021 [10 favorites]

The villain of Ted Lasso is toxic masculinity.

I think the show does an excellent job of showing how nobody is immune from its stain on the world. There are men drowning in it, and women destroyed by it, and a culture that worships it and perpetuates it.

The only main characters we don't see struggling against it are those who have fully submitted to it.

It's really beautiful that we've been given a show that proposes a way out of toxic masculinity. For all that people perceive Ted as a kind of wise fool, we are shown his struggles with negative male energy.

And yet, it all comes back to kindness and compassion, and that's an honest and simple message I think everybody needs right now.
posted by rocketman at 8:33 AM on April 21, 2021 [28 favorites]

Shout out to Fanfare: if you want to talk over the first season with us MeFites, here’s the link to season 1 discussion.
posted by Monochrome at 8:36 AM on April 21, 2021 [2 favorites]

My wife and I really enjoyed season 1 and are looking forward to the second for all the reasons outlined by others above. The scene I keep coming back to is the one where (EXTREMELY VAGUE SPOILERS) one character admits they have wronged Ted; as that person explains what they've done, it cuts back and forth between their face and Ted's and you can see him cycle through a series of emotions - shock, disbelief, disappointment and anger - before coming around to empathy and forgiveness, all without Jason Sudekis saying a word. It's a great bit of acting, and I'm tearing up a bit just thinking about it.

More than one plot point throughout the season - storylines which would spiral out into greater conflicts and more negative consequences for everyone involved on other shows - is resolved via a sort of deus ex machina in the form of Ted's willingness to forgive people and move forward.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:01 AM on April 21, 2021 [5 favorites]

The Ringer: Ted Lasso the sitcom … seriously rules. The series has no right to be as good, funny, and moving as it is. And yet I devoured all 10 episodes in a single day while frantically messaging my editor in disbelief that this is one of my favorite new shows. As far as TV productions go, this might as well be Leicester City winning the Premier League.

There is a good interview/discussion between Patton Oswalt and Jason Sudekis about S1 here.

It's not a perfect show, but it is a humane show in a way that we don't get much of. It explores toxic masculinity, but in a very different way than shows like Breaking Bad (where the problem of Walt's toxic masculinity gets overshadowed by the power fantasy for most of the audience).

For me the critical scene is the game of darts against Rupert, for understanding who Ted is. He's a relentlessly curious fellow who is also mostly optimistic and who is also willing to be vulnerable. They were smart to give Ted his own personal struggles in S1, lest he be too much. I'm hoping for more time for the non-white characters (Nate and Sam and DANNY! ROJAS!), as well as for Rebecca and Keeley. And maybe that Sassy Smurf is present for more than an episode. I would like some further resolution on the Jaime Tartt arc as well, but maybe there isn't room for it.

I guess what excites me is that the show was very good out of the gate, and it feels like there is lots more room to explore with these characters. Little nervous that the foil for Ted this season appears to be a woman of colour, but I feel like it has earned some trust on that score.
posted by nubs at 9:14 AM on April 21, 2021 [4 favorites]

DANI ROJAS! DANI ROJAS!

FUTBALL IS LIFE!
posted by rocketman at 9:20 AM on April 21, 2021 [13 favorites]

Yeah, the darts scene was great, too...a total flex on Ted's part ("You know, Rupert, guys have underestimated me my entire life...") while he attempts to impart some wisdom to an arrogant fool, without it turning into a macho overreaction or an attempt to humiliate the guy.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:24 AM on April 21, 2021 [6 favorites]

And the fact that Rupert is played by Anthony Head (aka Giles from Buffy TVS) still just amazes me. I didn't recognize him until the darts game.
posted by nubs at 9:34 AM on April 21, 2021 [5 favorites]

Mrs. Regular and I watched Ted Lasso with our daughters (both soccer players, 10 y.o. & 13 y.o.) last year and found it to be just lovely. In addition to functioning really well and consistently within the kinder, gentler universe created by its writers, season One's story was hopeful. Its scope simple but somehow not "basic," Ted Lasso gave our family a lot to talk about in terms of ethics and character- what it means to have character, what it takes to build character, and the role of the individual in community. So stoked for Season Two & so optimistic that more "kind" content like this will start to gain traction in the world. (And don't get me wrong, I love grit and grime and horror content, too. And I hate most sitcoms. But Ted Lasso is up to something different, unique and maybe even important: essentially non-violent, humanistic storytelling.
posted by Bob Regular at 10:05 AM on April 21, 2021 [2 favorites]

They were smart to give Ted his own personal struggles in S1, lest he be too much.

I feel like this is one of the big things that makes the show work: showing us that Ted has his own problems, like with his marriage and that sometimes he fucks up or acts out in anger, all helps to keep him from becoming a caricature. But more importantly, all that shows us that Ted isn't just like this. That is, sure being kind and good and forgiving are part of his fundamental nature, but that's not all it is. He's making an active choice to be all those things, every single time. He's not just the wise, saintly fool floating through the story and lifting other characters up. He has his own struggles, and there are times where he falters. That makes it so, so much more meaningful when you see him making the kindest choice, when you see him actively choosing optimism and love.

It's often taken as a given that "good" characters are boring, but I think Ted Lasso proves that to be untrue. Ted is good, and watching him choose to be good, and how that impacts the people around him, is compelling storytelling. Plus it's a hell of a catharsis.
posted by yasaman at 10:29 AM on April 21, 2021 [28 favorites]

Loved Ted Lasso season 1. By the way, if you are wondering if there's anything else good on Apple TV+, I highly, highly recommend Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet, created by some of the folks behind It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Amazing show. Dickinson is pretty good too.
posted by grouse at 10:34 AM on April 21, 2021 [3 favorites]

One of the things that stood out to me with Ted and his marriage, is that I can honestly empathize with his wife. I am not a good person and sometimes, when I'm stressed or angry or hurt, I just want to be allowed to drop my guard and be the shitty person I truly am in private. If my partner was a person like Ted, it would be damn near impossible for me to ever let that icky person out and let her have some air. And if she doesn't get air, you know she'll take it at the worst possible time. And as a result, I can see how you would resent the hell out of the person that forces you to keep your Pollyanna Positive face on at all times.

You can see it in their interactions and you can see how hard she struggles with being overwhelmed by his kindness. Sometimes you just want to be hurt or mad and not be jollied out of it. Sometimes you just want to reveal in the bad and I can see how Ted would make that very, very difficult to do without guilt.

I'm glad they showed that side of him and their marriage and made it clear she's not a heartless harpy who doesn't get him. She gets him and loves him but his love language isn't hers anymore and sometimes people just need to walk away.

It's such a wonderful show and has such depth to it. I'm so happy that there's another season.
posted by teleri025 at 10:42 AM on April 21, 2021 [12 favorites]

I love Ted Lasso for all the reasons people have outlined above so well.

bondcliff, I think you’d like Detectorists. We just finished watching the final episode this week, and I was genuinely sad there were no more, even though I thought it ended perfectly. Like TL, it is a kind, gentle comedy: anti-toxic masculinity and pro-people being good to one another. The focus is on two men who are best friends, but the main women characters in the show are generally strong, multifaceted characters who often do not hew to gender expectations.

I look forward to filling the Detectorists gap with season 2 of Ted Lasso.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:44 AM on April 21, 2021 [10 favorites]

If you have kids under say... 14, Home Before Dark is another great show on Apple. A tween girl running her own self-published newspaper in a small town stumbles across an apparent murder and takes it on herself to investigate. It's got the vibe and rhythms of long arc murder mystery shows but with the actual scary/racy/superdark content very subtly dialed down to kid-acceptable levels.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:50 AM on April 21, 2021 [2 favorites]

During the covid winter, my wife and I wound up watching most of Friday Night Lights and Ted Lasso more or less back to back, and I was really struck by how much the two shows seemed to be in intentional conversation. I liked (most of) FNL, but the show's worldview is extremely small-c conservative and Coach Taylor is very much a figure of traditional masculine authority: he's gruff, he's reserved, he keeps his emotions on a tight leash, he barks at his players, etc, etc. I'm completely convinced that at least part of Lasso's DNA is an attempt to push back at this and specifically show a different way of being a man in a sports leadership position. My best evidence that this is intentional: in the episode (I think it's the one where they have an away game and they're in a hotel?) where Ted gets drunk and does get all barky and gruff, his usual hairstyle droops down into *exactly* the way Kyle Chandler's hair was always done as Coach Taylor.
posted by COBRA! at 11:10 AM on April 21, 2021 [6 favorites]

The darts scene, key to understanding who Ted is, below. This is perhaps the best intro to the character, but also necessarily a spoiler, so you pays your money and you takes your choice.

(For those who need the background, Rebecca owns the team, having gotten it in the bitter divorce from her asshole ex-husband Rupert. As this scene opens, Rupert has just revealed that he's found a roundabout, shady way to get partial control back - at least enough to let him get in Rebecca's face about it and cause her trouble. She is surprised, knocked back a step, and Ted sees this and stands up in a very Ted fashion.)

And now, without further ado, The Darts Game.
posted by Naberius at 12:16 PM on April 21, 2021 [13 favorites]

Does it pass the Bechdel test? I don't mind violence but I am not about shows that are just men filming stories written by men and starring men that are about men and their man things.

Somewhat in contradiction of its name, For All Mankind on ATV+ is a speculative historical fiction about women astronauts. And angry pyromaniac undocumented immigrant women. And gay astronauts, and black astronauts. But also death, Soviet cold war threats, Nazi collaborators, war crimes, toxic masculinity, hippies, moon bases, the dire consequences of wearing a pure oxygen spacesuit, and pointless political maneuvering. Oh and a far too prescient plot about being locked in a small room with other people for months on end while the atmosphere outside your home will kill you (too soon!). Point is there's enough random subplots of in there that I'm pretty certain it passes the Bechdel test, but its also not about women going to the moon to escape from men or patriarchy or anything.

Anyways, glad y'all are excited about Ted Lasso, cuz mostly I'm just sad Foundation didn't get a launch date. Maybe I'll set aside some time to watch it cuz my initial impression was "extended SNL skit about a coach hired for the wrong kind of football" and I've had just about a lifetime's fill of the Will Farrel genre.
posted by pwnguin at 12:27 PM on April 21, 2021 [3 favorites]

Nthing Mythic Quest as another show with a surprising amount of heart, and their quarantine episode was excellent.

My SO really loved Apple’s movie Wolfwalkers.

The Morning Show is not for people who want something happy or uplifting but I found it pretty engrossing and well-acted.
posted by girlmightlive at 12:38 PM on April 21, 2021 [1 favorite]

Maybe I'll set aside some time to watch it cuz my initial impression was "extended SNL skit about a coach hired for the wrong kind of football" and I've had just about a lifetime's fill of the Will Farrel genre.

I’ve seen various folks, myself included, comment this past year that the expectations you get from initial impressions of all the characters — from Ted the goofy American football coach to pretty much every character connected to the team — are subverted, often in multiple stages. You’re handed caricatures, make the assumptions based on those, then have them consistently, and with internal logic, broken apart into full-fledged verisimilitude in the most delightful fashion. I went from “I guess I’ll give the first episode a shot” to binging it all and happy-crying in a single day.
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:26 PM on April 21, 2021 [6 favorites]

If you can see Ted Lasso, you can see Wolfwalkers.

You really, really ought to see Wolfwalkers. If it doesn’t win the Academy award for animated feature, there is no justice. Soul was a fine, even excellent movie, but the artistry and heart of Wolfwalkers are second to none. The work Cartoon Saloon does with 2D animation is nothing short of astounding.
posted by bouvin at 1:41 PM on April 21, 2021 [3 favorites]

It reminded me of Steven Universe. Both shows are about a male (uh, sort of) character who resolves conflict through talking about their feelings.
posted by tofu_crouton at 2:21 PM on April 21, 2021 [2 favorites]

You really, really ought to see Wolfwalkers. If it doesn’t win the Academy award for animated feature, there is no justice. Soul was a fine, even excellent movie, but the artistry and heart of Wolfwalkers are second to none. The work Cartoon Saloon does with 2D animation is nothing short of astounding.

MeFi’s own Jesse Thorn did an episode of Bullseye last month with the Cartoon Saloon folks and it was great and made me want to watch all of their stuff.

Also I love Ted Lasso and have watched it at least four times through, so this news is very exciting.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 3:12 PM on April 21, 2021 [1 favorite]

rocketman: The villain of Ted Lasso is toxic masculinity.

I have tried to come up with a one-line "sell Ted Lasso to all your friends so they'll watch it and you can talk about it with them" tag and you just gave it to me. I don't have to explain anymore that the show "plays against expectations" or "Ted is sweet and kind but not in a stupid way!" or "Rebecca has layers" - all I need from now on is that line. Thanks!

p.s. it's "New York Jets," not Giants.
posted by tzikeh at 4:40 PM on April 21, 2021 [3 favorites]

COBRA!: ...my wife and I wound up watching most of Friday Night Lights and Ted Lasso more or less back to back, and I was really struck by how much the two shows seemed to be in intentional conversation....My best evidence that this is intentional:

The moment Ted Lasso taped up the sign that says BELIEVE in the pilot mirrors the moment Coach Taylor wrote the word STATE on the board for East Dillon.
posted by tzikeh at 5:19 PM on April 21, 2021 [5 favorites]

It reminded me of Steven Universe. Both shows are about a male (uh, sort of) character who resolves conflict through talking about their feelings.

Same. And I binged watched through the entire Universe Universe for the first time ever this past year as well. More crying and laughing.
posted by Celsius1414 at 5:34 PM on April 21, 2021 [1 favorite]

Basically what I'm saying is 🤩!
posted by Celsius1414 at 5:37 PM on April 21, 2021 [1 favorite]

It scratches many of the same itches that late night reruns of the The Andy Griffith Show used to scratch.
posted by notyou at 6:02 PM on April 21, 2021 [1 favorite]

p.s. it's "New York Jets," not Giants.

I like to imagine that they released multiple versions of the trailer with different teams just to troll people.
posted by Naberius at 7:11 PM on April 21, 2021 [5 favorites]

> It seems Mathowie noticed something interesting in the credits of Apple’s livestream.

iOS developer David Smith probably found the recipe and says it’s tasty.
posted by Monochrome at 10:11 PM on April 21, 2021 [9 favorites]

Aw that's a really nice blogpost Monochrome! I love shortbread, my Scottish nana used to make for us and it reminds me so much of her. I'm gluten and dairy free now so not so easy to have shortbread but really enjoyed that read.
posted by ellieBOA at 11:37 PM on April 21, 2021 [1 favorite]

I mis-heard.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:23 AM on April 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

Like many, I approached this this show with a bit of scepticism and ended up loving it sick. The cast and writing did such a good job subverting expectations.

And today I found out that my cousin and Jason Sudeikis were classmates who used to get each other in trouble all the time in high school.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 2:49 AM on April 22, 2021 [4 favorites]

"Jints" -- TIL!
posted by wenestvedt at 3:17 AM on April 22, 2021 [2 favorites]

I'd never heard of this show till today, but based on the comments above I'm imagining a cross between Friday Night Lights and Parks & Recreation. Is that about right?
posted by Paul Slade at 4:49 AM on April 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

Add a dash of Mr. Rogers' abiding humanity, and you may have a rough approximation. But it really is its own thing.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:53 AM on April 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

If you can see Ted Lasso, you can see Wolfwalkers.
You really, really ought to see Wolfwalkers. If it doesn’t win the Academy award for animated feature, there is no justice. Soul was a fine, even excellent movie, but the artistry and heart of Wolfwalkers are second to none. The work Cartoon Saloon does with 2D animation is nothing short of astounding.

I just saw Wolfwalkers, agree, and posted it on FanFare!
posted by Huffy Puffy at 5:56 AM on April 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

The interview recommended by nubs is terrific. Totally worth watching if you're a fan. Thanks, nubs.
posted by Bella Donna at 6:53 AM on April 22, 2021

"You HAVE to watch this show!"
While I can empathize with people who are just not interested, based on our common understanding of genre TV, the language of enthusiasm for the show is pretty alienating (positive! kind! optimistic!). Who wants to watch that?
My sister-in-law and her wife were visiting for the first time in a while, and enjoying some mutual TV curation. We have some common interests to be sure. Because we have Apple+, Ted Lasso came up. My sister-in-law's wife (which also sounds like a sitcom) has been listening to her brother wax on about how awesome this show is, and now it's thing, and I'm pretty sure she assumes she'll hate it, because her brother loves it. So, while she said she'd give it a try, that didn't happen. And it's possible that the show is a bridge too far for her, which is fine. But when you're watching a sitcom that makes you tear up regularly, it's rough sharing that with folks who might not get it. If you don't get Ted Lasso, I really don't want to know about it.
For me, during this deeply rough year, the show is both transformative and deeply entertaining. The humor is smart, howlingly funny at times, without being mean. The writers have disappeared. The characters are people, not vehicles for gags. Watching the show, you realize what you've been missing with 99% of television.
Still, Julie Nolke says it way better than I.
posted by Carmody'sPrize at 7:19 AM on April 22, 2021 [2 favorites]

DANI ROJAS! DANI ROJAS!

"To be able to do both of those things at the same time? The human body is a miracle!"

(Also: "I want to give away joy for free!")

Watching the show, you realize what you've been missing with 99% of television.

This, it set a new standard in our house and now so much TV just doesn't measure up.
posted by LooseFilter at 7:32 AM on April 22, 2021 [5 favorites]

"Jints"

No kidding! Count me in as a TIL too!
posted by tzikeh at 7:37 AM on April 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

The writers have disappeared. The characters are people, not vehicles for gags

I mean sure but the extended wordplay bits are some of the most self-indulgent TV writer bits outside of Letterkenny.
posted by Space Coyote at 8:39 AM on April 22, 2021 [2 favorites]

some of the most self-indulgent TV writer bits

One of the best jokes along those lines is when Ted tells Sassy "that's a pro move right there. Hey, I'll be your Underhills anytime."

(Which is reference to, of all things, the 1985 movie Fletch. Which tried very hard to make Chevy Chase happen.)
posted by LooseFilter at 12:07 PM on April 22, 2021 [5 favorites]

Or (in the pilot episode) when Ted tells Coach Beard that the "last time I saw eyes that cold, they were going head-to-head with Roy Scheider," to which Beard replies while nodding, "Jaws?"

And Lasso says "No, All That Jazz."
posted by LooseFilter at 12:18 PM on April 22, 2021 [8 favorites]

In the light, fun, heartwarming recent sitcom category, I'd nominate The Unicorn as well. It purports to be about a widower returning to dating life a year after his wife's passing, but that's not really at all what the show is about; it's about funny characters living in small moments together after a very large one. I haven't watched the second season yet, but the first season scratched much of the same itch that Ted Lasso does.
posted by Errant at 1:51 PM on April 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

Jamie: "Cheers."
Ted, as Jamie walks away: "Night Court."
posted by tzikeh at 2:11 PM on April 22, 2021 [6 favorites]

(The movie Fletch is amaaaaaaazing.)
posted by wenestvedt at 7:16 PM on April 22, 2021

It certainly seems to be about an arrogant American white guy? But it's not?

I have likened Ted Lasso to Christopher Reeves’ 1978 portrayal of Superman—but for Ted, kindness is his superpower.

It’s hard to describe without it sounding like a Hallmark movie or something, but every person that Ted interacts with comes away better (and kinder) for the experience.

(And Juno Temple and Hannah Waddingham are fantastic in it.)
posted by blueberry at 7:16 PM on April 26, 2021 [3 favorites]

DirtyOldTown, we watched your recommendation of Home Before Dark and enjoyed it! I was pretty sure I’d read about the real little girl Hilde is based on, and sure enough, it was right here on Metafilter.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 8:11 PM on April 26, 2021 [3 favorites]

From SF author Catherynne M. Valente, a free to read, spoiler-free essay on her Patreon page:

This Better Not Awaken Anything In Me: How Ted Lasso Totally Did Awaken Lots of Things In Me Even Though Absolutely No One Asked It To Go So Hard

I 1000% did not want to watch it when I first heard about it. For all these reasons. It practically says THIS IS NOT FOR YOU, CAT on the tin. In fall 2020 I’d be fucked if I was going to watch American Asshole Goes to Ye Kindly England: Sports Edition...

...The whole process of watching this show is everyone in the show's process upon meeting Ted. First you think this guy is a wanker, and you're just waiting for the garbage shoe to drop and to find out it's all a ruse or a trick or an act because no one is like that, no one talks to people like that, and then we all slowly realize that no, this guy is serious, there is no other shoe because all our hearts are vulnerably barefoot and we were just pretending to have shoes at all, somehow this person is not fucking with us at all and it's terrifying.

Oh NO.

Ted Lasso is like if Mr. Rogers, Bob Ross, Coach Taylor, Leslie Knope, and David Tennant’s Doctor all got together and had a big strange baby. It is a completely formulaic premise that turns around and refuses to follow the formula. It’s wholesome without being boring, kind without being trite, smart without being pedantic, so loving it’ll take your breath away, and gut-bustingly funny. Scripts so tight and hilarious that even one guy just saying his name and the paper he works for is not only a meme but makes you smile each and every time.
posted by nubs at 6:06 PM on April 27, 2021 [16 favorites]

Good lord, nubs, I had to stop reading that essay two-thirds of the way because I can't stop crying, and I have a meeting in fifteen minutes. But I will surely finish it.
posted by gladly at 5:46 AM on April 28, 2021 [3 favorites]

Wow thank you for this thread. Ted Lasso means so, so much to me, as a kind person who was frequently overlooked and ostracized because of it. I spoke about what the show means to me before.

And, holy crap, Cat Valente is like... besides LeGuin, she is IT for me when it comes to authors. I look up to her SO much. so thank you nubs, that link was sorely needed.
posted by FirstMateKate at 9:56 AM on May 1, 2021 [4 favorites]