On Aug. 14, 2020, “Ted Lasso” made its debut onto Apple TV and has since gone viral. AFC Richmond coach Ted Lasso, actor Jason Sudikens, embraces his role as a former American football coach with silly goofy sayings and catchphrases while adapting to the England lifestyle by learning the sport of soccer– football. After season one’s success with a rating of four and a half stars on Rotten Tomatoes, season two made its debut on July 23, 2021 for a return.
The endings of “Ted Lasso” season two makes the show worth the return. The writers do a good job of setting everything up for the following season, making the audience wonder… what’s next?
“Season one had a true-to-life ending [after fighting relegation in the Premier League, AFC Richmond was] being sent down to the second tier division, Championship. It was unexpected and not a classic fairytale ending, but it was the right way to close season one because it set season two perfectly up. I believe season two’s ending did an even more phenomenal job of setting up the next season because we got to know the character’s circumstances better,” said sophomore soccer player Braden Ulsas.
The second season, although drama-filled, has its moments of filler episodes that didn’t have much to do with the plot. This is due to the fact that only one season was intended. The show was originally supposed to only be a NBC broadcast advertisement for the Barclays Premier League (now Premier League). After the idea of a show was pitched around, it passed a couple years later and was only intended to last one season. Episodes covering the behind the scenes of assistant coach and Lasso’s best friend Beard’s life in ¨Beard After Hours¨ as well as spreading cheer in a Christmas episode in ¨Carol of the Bells¨ were two episodes that were good but made viewers wonder “how does all of this fit?”
“I thought that season one and season two were different because of the storyline. Season one did a better job with keeping the story aligned, but season two had more of an emotional impact on each character. I really like the humor of the show as well,” said Ulsas.
The character arcs showed a risk that one of the writers, Bill Lawrence, was willing to take. Characters in season two also went through personal battles as well as conflict within each other. Romances embellished, diminished, and rekindled The cliche love-triangles escalated more development than anger however. For example, when Roy Kent (ex-AFC Richmond player) and Keely (supermodel/team publicist) start dating, it allows for Roy’s character to become more sympathetic while maintaining his no-nonsense attitude. This is surprising due to the fact that Keely’s ex Jamie Tartt (current Richmond AFC player) is being coached by Roy Kent.
“It’s rare that soccer shows are ever realistic and detail oriented, but ‘Ted Lasso’ not only did a good job focusing on little things, but was very funny, emotional, and fun to watch, “ said soccer player, junior Nathaniel Fields.
In season two, the show got more of a “Star Wars” vibe with certain characters turning over to the ‘dark side’ like Darth Vader. Many characters are represented as ‘evil’ , when they tend to wear darker clothing, and past unresolved trauma gives way to the characters true intentions.
“One of my favorite characters, Nate, going from a humble groundskeeper completely flipped as an assistant coach in ways I wouldn’t have expected and Ted Lasso showed a much more emotional side of himself which made him more relatable,” said Fields.
Overall, the show is definitely worth the watch if you are into sports of any kind, comedy, and drama. If you manage to stick through a few rough patches in season two, it is very rewarding for a great ending, leaving you hanging for season three. I’d give the show 4 out of 5 stars. “Ted Lasso” Season 3 is set to premiere in August 2022.
“I first came to the show expecting a good laugh and I stayed due to the character,” said Nelson.