Plotlines

Ted Lasso is an absolute masterpiece! I wanted to make that clear before I go any further with anything!

I first discovered the series because of a clip of the darts’ scene in the pub and the now famous words “Be curious, not judgmental!”. Furthermore, I started watching it because this phrase fitted in very well with some of the conversations I was having at the time. So I gave the series a chance!

There are three ways to watch Ted Lasso (four if you take all three together or combine two of them)

Drama

On the one hand, we have Ted, who is practically about to be abandoned by his wife and signs the divorce papers during the series. On the other hand, we have Rebecca, who has already been divorced and is working on a perfidious revenge plan to get back at her husband. Here we already have very good material for a lot of drama, even if a lot of it doesn’t develop in the way we’re used to in series like this.

Then we have Roy Kent and Jamie Tartt, both footballers who have to find their way. Jamie because he believes he is destined for something better and is taking a bumpy path. Roy, because he has already passed his peak and has to prove himself as a coach. Both were once together with Keeley Jones, and anyone who thinks that there is no tension is very much mistaken. All three of them take a more than rocky road and have to overcome a number of obstacles before they reach their destination. Extremely exciting but also dramatic to follow the paths of the three! Here, too, we have plenty of drama, but not in the typical way.

Then there’s Nathan, who has to deal with a completely false sense of fame, fuelled by various posts on social media. It takes him a while to realize that he has to start from the bottom again to get where he wants to be.

However, these are only the superficial characters. The series always manages to bring other characters to the fore, sometimes for just one episode, but sometimes for several, such as Isaac McAdoo, Sam Obisanya (although you are almost one of the top ones), Dani Rojas or Trent Crimm and Colin Hughes.

By drama, however, I also mean the more serious topics that are dealt with! Outing and how the environment deals with it, overcoming obstacles, no matter how small or big they are, overcoming dreams, but also the importance of friendship and team spirit. It’s also always about how personal boundaries are not necessarily overcome but expanded so that character development can take place. (I actually wanted to list characters for whom this applies, but I can’t think of anyone to whom it doesn’t apply, except maybe Rupert and Edwin!).

Football series

Do you like football? The excitement of the games, deep insights into training and what goes on behind the scenes? Then Ted Lasso is certainly something for you, but don’t forget that there’s also a bit of Hollywood involved.

Nevertheless, the football part is certainly not small, even if some rather strange CGI creeps in. But the stadium atmosphere is always quite pleasant and also provides an interesting contrast to all the other things that happen.

But the fans are also highlighted here! What does football mean to them? When the team gets promoted, when they get relegated, and what happens to Mae’s pub when things aren’t going so well? It also shows how you can get the fans involved and, of course, the importance of football. Here, however, I am referring mainly to Baz, Jeremy and Paul and not at all to Rupert Mannion or Edwin Akufo!

Comedy

The comedic element is difficult if not impossible to limit to one person, one place and one part of the plot. Everyone makes their contribution here, including the training sessions, the team and football games. Time and again, space is created so that everyone can show themselves a little, be it, as mentioned above, in a more serious way or just to be funny.

It should also be mentioned that the amount of faecal humour, which was far too much on vogue for a while, is held back or not present at all. Yes, the language in the German dubbing has been toned down a little, but the English and German versions are not exactly squeamish.

They have tried to translate jokes and sayings that only work in English so that they are still funny and make sense, and that works quite well so far.

But why a masterpiece?

On the one hand, the series is incredibly life-affirming, and on the other, it almost always manages to illuminate both sides of the coin. When it points a metaphorical finger at someone, it knows full well that at least three fingers are also pointing at itself.

This view of situations and events is refreshingly pleasant, because nowadays, it rarely takes place. People often point the finger at someone, everyone jumps on it and that’s it!

Another important point is the emotionality of the series and that it is not afraid to show it. Despite all the fun and joy, there is also room for sadness, dejection and characters who fail. But the series doesn’t stop here or leave the characters to their own. No, the fine web of people around this downcast character, even if they don’t like him, is always there to pick him up and build him up again. Even if this sometimes happens in a rather unconventional way.

But that’s also another strength of the series. And when you discover that one of the showrunners is Bill Lawrence, then you understand where this comes from, because he already showed a very good knack for all the things I’ve described in this article with Scrubs (2001).

Characters

But what also needs to be mentioned are the characters! All the characters that take centre stage undergo a development over the course of the three seasons. That alone is worth mentioning these days, especially as it doesn’t just happen superficially, but the changes also bring further changes with them.

But the eponymous character Ted Lasso should also be mentioned again, because the character alone and only the positive aspects would be rather boring and perhaps even annoying at a certain point.

However, Ted Lasso is not always positive, and it soon becomes clear that he also has his problems and is far from perfect. And that’s a good thing! No one is perfect and the other characters add to this assertion. They all make mistakes, behave incorrectly towards others or make the wrong decisions. But they learn from them, grow from them and, as a result of these mistakes, have to jump over their own shadow.

Another important reason why this series is an absolute masterpiece. It is human! In a world where false perfection is “played” over and over again through social media, something like this is exactly what we need!

But the show also teaches us some important lessons, especially by saying “Be curious, not judgmental!”. Another very good example of this is Nate. After his big rise comes a deep fall and instead of getting his old job at Richmond, he has to start at the bottom again as a groundskeeper. Yes, he ends up being an assistant coach again, but still, if you fuck up, you have to pay for it. It’s called consequences, another thing that’s gone completely out of fashion.

Conclusion

Ted Lasso is one of those great feel-good series that we watch for the first time full of excitement, emotion and enthusiasm and then watch over and over again, especially when we’re having a bad time, we’re not feeling well, and we just don’t know what to leave on in the background to make us feel good.

But that would reduce the series a little too much and put it in a pigeonhole where it has absolutely no place. Because of the characteristics mentioned above, it is simply a bit more than the series we usually watch.

And it’s hard to believe, but the series has been extended for a fourth season! Whether this is a good or not-so-good decision remains to be seen. However, so far it seems that we are no longer just in Richmond (Teaser picture on the IMDB profile of the show), but that part of the crew is moving to Kansas. But so far there is only speculation and little to no info (other than the made up ones from some media outlets).

However, the only solid information that already exists is a rough time frame for when we can expect the new season. It is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2026 and filming is currently still underway (August / September 2025).