Award-winning ‘Ted Lasso’ returns
“Ted Lasso,” the hardto-dislike series that I never much liked, returns to stream its third season on Apple TV+. New episodes will arrive every Friday, making it much like a traditional sitcom.
To use an American football term, “Ted” has the difficult job of trying to tackle the subject of male emotions — and in a sports setting.
While the first season was embraced as a pleasant tonic during the worst months of the COVID crisis in 2020, season two introduced some emotional wrinkles, including Lasso’s (Jason Sudeikis) panic attacks and a major personality change in Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammed), who went from being a servile underling to lashing out at Ted, leaving the team and becoming a head coach at the much more prestigious West Ham.
As the third season begins, Lasso’s team, AFC Richmond, is universally expected to finish in 20th place, a riff on the old adage that “nice guys finish last.”
When asked about his former team’s status during a press conference for West Ham, Nate cracks that the only reason they are finishing 20th is that there isn’t a 21st spot. This delights Rupert Mannion (Anthony Head), Richmond’s former owner who lost the team in a bitter divorce to Ted’s boss, Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham). But it’s clear to viewers that Nate’s heart is not in this triumphant display.
In some ways, “Lasso” is a variation on the brilliant Showtime comedy “Episodes,” which blended British and American television sensibilities. But here the roles and the continents are reversed. “Episodes” cast its British writers (Stephen Mangan, Tamsin Greig) as the moral center — innocents abroad continually scandalized by Hollywood depravity, personified by Matt LeBlanc playing a louche version of himself. Here, Lasso maintains a geeshucks routine against the background of the U.K.’s savage football rivalries and vicious press coverage.
Despite its British setting, American sentimentality shines through. The season opener begins and ends with scenes of a child articulating great emotional insights, followed by a musical montage.
For all of Lasso’s surface humility, he’s essentially arrogant in assuming he can dominate a sports culture on foreign soil.
It is fitting that “Lasso” is Apple TV+’s most visible series. The main character’s confidence mirrors that of the streaming service. Apple’s rivals — Netflix, Prime, HBO Max, etc. — offer subscribers a vast library of series and movies. Apple insists that people will subscribe just to watch their original series and an occasional new movie.
Perhaps this reflects the hubris of a hardware company that can convince customers they need a new $1,000 phone every time a new model is announced.
So far, the streaming strategy has not been a raging success. Many of Apple’s subscribers are people who get a free trial with their new phones. For all the prestige that Apple’s products exude, Apple TV+ is at the back of the streaming pack, not unlike Ted Lasso’s football club.