Every football fan and every football betting enthusiast who tries his skills at sports likmes admits that Ted Lasso is one of a kind series. What is interesting is that the series is not only for those who already love football, it is also for those who get to know football and eventually ‘fall in love’ with it.
Great doses of humour combined with 'feel good' moments and some drama situations and all these within the premises of a football field and right at the middle of the football season in England. OK, that is an interesting play for football fans or football bettors, but what's in it for the rest of the viewers who have nothing to do with the sport?
Ted Lasso is a fictional character, but one that nearly everyone would want to meet. A truly positive, empathetic and optimistic person who comes into the lives of somewhat grumpy players of a club that is generally underperforming. He is the embodiment of goodness and kindness.
He has goodwill, he sees everything from its positive side and he has a good fit solution to every problem, even if this is not too obvious in the first place. While this is so superficial, it seems to be getting into the audiences so well, that the character doesn’t look being from another planet!
And the funny thing is that Ted Lasso is like that in a world, where kindness, optimism and empathy are not so frequent characteristics of strong, inspirational and committed leaders. The world of football - at least as we have known it to be - is far from what is depicted in the series.
Although the plot remains true to the competitive nature of the sport, it portrays the whole industry with a pinch of 'fairytale' or even better, with a ‘feel-good’ filter where everything in the end turns out to be ok and everything has a positive point of view.
Another thing that makes Ted Lasso a massive success is that it makes you wonder whether there is indeed the famous Richmond club. Note that this club does not exist in reality! There is no AFC Richmond, but it is so realistically depicted and so vividly given by the script that you really can’t tell the difference with a real club!
But what is also funny in that series, is that while Richmond is not real, they get to play against very real clubs like Manchester City and West Ham United. In fact West Ham has a starring role in the series - being the bad guys, the villains that good old boys at Richmond continuously fight!
And then there is also the excellent cast! Every actor seems to fit exactly the character they’re playing, with Jason Sudeikis giving an astonishing performance and everybody else following pretty much the same pathway.
But what makes Ted Lasso so successful, popular and fun to watch is its ‘feel-good’ atmosphere. The series just makes you feel better, it uplifts you and it certainly makes you look at everything in a more positive and optimistic way.
It is cheerful and enjoyable, while at the same time it has a lot to tell about human relationships, friendship, family and work-life balance. It is one of a kind… Ted Lasso is one of a kind.