If you’re lucky enough to have a tabletop gamer to buy for this holiday season, we’ve found the perfect presents for them—including the most popular new games, incredible gifts for Dungeon Masters and Dungeon & Dragons players, and even a game designed to get you outside to literally touch grass.

And if you’re the tabletop gamer? Give someone one of these picks from our Holiday Gift Guide and you’ll immediately have someone to play with! Win-win.

The Deck of Many Things

The Deck of Many Things is a D&D magic item so legendary that most Dungeon Masters shudder when they hear its name. (Or they cackle, which is much worse.) Just in time for the holiday season, The Deck of Many Things is now available as a gorgeous gift set with updated rules, a 66-card deck (which includes the 22 classic cards), its own supplement guide for incorporating the reimagined deck into your game, and more.

Dungeon Masters will love its ability to create adventures on the fly complete with traps and puzzles; D&D players will find new character backgrounds, spells, and star-signs inside. ($99.99, available digitally on November 14 with the physical copy release date TBD)

Disney Lorcana

Lorcana is a Disney-themed trading card game that’s taking the tabletop by storm! While the first starter sets quickly sold out, more are on the way to stores everywhere. Rise of the Floodborn, the second chapter of the game, is due out in December.

In Lorcana, players take the role of Illumineers and use character and item cards to collect 20 lore and win the game. This trading card game is easier to learn than most, but still encourages thought-out strategy and card collecting. And have you seen some of the art? Pick this up for the Disney or TCG fan in your life, and be sure to grab a starter pack for yourself while you’re at it. (2 players, Ages 8+, $5.99-$49.99)

Linkee

Part trivia, part lateral thinking, and part party game, Linkee is the perfect gift for the social butterfly in your life. (It also has two-player rules if your gift recipient prefers to cocoon at home.) Each Linkee card features four short trivia questions. Players remember the trivia answers as they’re revealed, and once they see the connection between them, they shout, “Linkee!” The first team to successfully find the common link for the answers wins the card.

Work together as a team to find the connection and earn bragging rights for eternity. Well, maybe until the next game night. (2+ players, Ages 12+, $8.45)

Magic: The Gathering – Doctor Who

All we really have to say is “Doctor Who Magic cards” and you’ll know immediately who to give this to for the holidays. But, if you need a little more info, we have you covered. The new official “Universes Beyond” set features gorgeous art of 13 Doctors and their companions. These cards with Doctor Who-themed mechanics are now available to join the Magic lineup.

Choose your gift recipient’s favorite Doctor to find the perfect 100 card Magic: The Gathering – Doctor Who Commander Deck, and allons-y! (2 players, Ages 13+, $59.99)

Nine Arches

Nine Arches might be designed like a tabletop card game, but it’s intended to take you and your friends and family away from the table. The game includes a 54-card deck similar to tarot cards that are used to choose your next adventure. Cards feature activities like “dance party,” “caravan,” and “ghost.” With the drawn cards and input from each player, the group adventure’s is talked out. Will you do the activities all at once? One at a time? It’s up to you and the group. Then you’re all off on a real-life journey based on the prompts on the cards!

If your recipient is the type who appreciates experiences instead of plain gifts, you’ll wow them with this one. (1-5 players, Ages 13+, $34.99)

Potion Pack – Cantrip Candles

Whether your lucky gift recipient is a fan of tabletop role-playing games or video game RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3, this three-candle set from Cantrip Candles will be met with delight when it’s unwrapped. The Potion Pack comes as a lovely gift set of 10 ounce soy wax candles in decorated glass containers.

The Health Potion, Stamina Potion, and Magicka Potion candles are sure to heal and reenergize any weary adventurers (or office workers) who lights them. And how can you pass up the opportunity to give someone a container labeled “Dragon’s Blood”? ($80.00)

The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons

Do you remember being a kid and re-reading your favorite book so many times you had every page memorized? This is your chance to give the youngest Dungeons & Dragons or fantasy fan in your life that same experience!

The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons is exactly what it says on the cover: an imaginative, in-depth look at the dragons that populate the D&D setting of Dragonlance. Written in-character by the kender Sindri Suncatcher, this guide to dragons is packed with personality—along with, you guessed it, lots of dragons. Dragon facts, dragon stories, dragon lair maps, it’s all here. Your lucky gift recipient will spend hours staring at the gorgeous art alone. ($39.95)

Sea Salt & Paper

The stocking stuffer-sized card game Sea Salt & Paper is a delightful set collecting game with a dash of luck to keep things exciting. Collect and play pairs of cards to score points and use their effects to earn even more points. If the player thinks they have enough points in hand, they can call for the end of the round or give everyone one last chance to try to beat them for bonus points. Reach the necessary number of victory points to win the game!

Not only does each card feature charming and original origami art, Sea Salt & Paper includes bold icons so that colorblind players aren’t excluded from the fun. (2-4 players, Ages 8+, $14.95)

Kelly Knox is a pop culture writer and the author of Star Wars Conversation Cards, Be More Obi-Wan, and the upcoming Star Wars Dad Jokes. You can still find her on Twitter at @kelly_knox.

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Coach Lasso told his players to “be a duck,” but now him and a couple of friends are going to be a different four-letter “d” word instead. Mattel Creations is bringing Barbie to the pitch with an original collection of dolls inspired by Apple TV+’s award-winning series. Ted Lasso, A.F.C. Richmond owner Rebecca Walton, and PR guru Keeley Jones are heading to shelves as the iconic toy line’s newest figures.

Ted Lasso Barbie dolls reunite our favorite Greyhounds in style. Each Gold label collectible comes from designer Suim Noh. They all feature original face sculpts, articulated bodies, and stands to help them remain upright. More importantly each wears a signature look from the series and comes packaged in a unique show-inspired box. Here’s the official description for all three from Mattel Creations:

• Ted Lasso: Our Ted doll is wearing a sporty blue tracksuit with sneakers. He also has removable aviator shades, a whistle, and trusty soccer ball. Commemorative packaging features the AFC Richmond locker room complete with “BELIEVE” sign and Nate’s homemade suggestion box.
  
• Rebecca Welton: Our Rebecca doll is dressed for her morning “Biscuits With the Boss” in a chic champagne blouse with black tailored pants and classic black pumps. Statement golden earrings and a handbag complete her sophisticated look.

• Keeley Jones: Our Keeley doll is dressed for a night on the town or a chic day in the office wearing a satiny pink midi dress, chic golden heels, and black faux fur cape. Her fabulous style is complete with her trademark high ponytail, signature golden hoops, and darling pink clutch.

All three figures ($50 each) are available to order from Mattel. Ted’s is already on sale. Meanwhile the Rebecca doll ships on November 10 and Keeley’s follows on December 8. Customers can only buy two versions of any one figure in an order, a sign the company expects them to sell out.

We do, too. So if you want these don’t be a duck and forget to buy them before Ted moves back to Kansas for good.

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Guys might have underestimated Theodore Lasso all his life, but that never stopped him from reaching greatness. Not just on the field or pitch, either. AFC Richmond’s manager could also bake. Now you can get a taste of what he was cooking in his kitchen with Mackenzie Limited’s exclusive new Ted Lasso Biscuits with the Boss cookies.

Rebecca Welton had all the money in the world, but for three seasons the Greyhounds owner got a special treat free of charge every morning. Her team’s head coach started off every workday by bringing Rebecca a little pink box of his very own homemade shortbread cookies. It was a brilliant way to “butter up” his superior. (Joking, joking. We all know Ted was far too kind to bring someone cookies for any malicious reason.) But it was also frustrating watching her eat them because we couldn’t.

That ends now. Ted Lasso backers can now enjoy them, too. For a price.

Mackenzie Limited has their very own official version of those cookies for sale. And the company’s Ted Lasso Biscuits with the Boss sweets (which we first learned about at /Film) sound as good as they always looked on the Apple TV+ series. Here’s the edible collectible’s official description:

These authentic English biscuits are a touch salty, a touch sweet, and always buttery and rich. One bite of these Ted Lasso shortbread cookies with their signature crumbly texture and you’ll realize why Ted believed in the power of biscuits. “They can bring people together, they can make you feel better, and they can even help you win a football game.” – Ted Lasso

Each box comes with ten large shortbread cookies equaling nine-ounces of delectable deliciousness in total. Obviously that’s not enough, which is why you can order up to three boxes at once. One box will run you (like Roy Kent) $29.95, two costs $49.95, and three boxes come in at a Zava-like $69.95.

If you have a Coach Beard in your life you’ll probably want to order 300 boxes. (It’s me. I’m the Coach Beard in peoples’ food lives.) For that amount, it’s probably best if you actually do have Rebecca Welton’s number. Either that or work with Ted Lasso.

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Like lots of other Ted Lasso fans I thought season three was a mess at best and terrible at worst. Being an improvement over a dreadful second year wasn’t enough. I couldn’t wait for many of the the season’s long, tedious episodes to end. Rushed, uninteresting, and abandoned subplots, along with incoherent character arcs, were too much for the show’s stronger elements to overcome. But while all the criticism following its apparent finale is more than fair and reasonable, it fails to capture what remained special about the show from the beginning until the end.

No matter how frustrated I got with Ted Lasso‘s writing I still cared about its characters and the world they inhabited. Even when I desperately wanted an overly maudlin installment to finish I still wanted to spend more time with AFC Richmond later. And even now, when the memory of a sublime first season feels so distant, I wish we were getting another year. Because ultimately, thanks to its sincerity and refusal to ever give in to cynicism, Ted Lasso always made me feel good even when it wasn’t very good.

The show’s season three issues are already well-documented. But none better captures its many problems than the story of Nate Shelley. Did he earn his redemption by the end of Ted Lasso? Not even a little bit. The only thing less developed than his heel turn in season two was his about-face in season three. (Either that or the “character” of his girlfriend Jade.) Nate never fully grappled with or acknowledged exactly what he did to his former friend and team, let alone why he did it. The series made him its biggest villain, then expected us to care about him personally before giving us a single reason to. And when it did try those reasons felt wholly inadequate.

Even Nate’s single attempt at atonement was laughably deficient. The only thing more ridiculous than Nate actually coming back to AFC Richmond after that meager act of penance towards Will was that the team—which recently despised him—unanimously asked him to return without providing a single explanation why they wanted him back.

Despite all of that maddening inanity, I always wanted Nate to make his way back to Richmond. And despite how completely unearned his redemption was, I was happy when he got it. Just like I was happy when Coach Beard forgave Nate without Nate deserving that grace.

I have never before been as emotionally invested in a character’s story without actually liking their story as I was with Nate—let alone when I actively hated a character’s story. And that wasn’t just true of him. It was true of every non-Rupert character. I didn’t like much of what the show did with Rebecca or Keeley in season three. I’m also still trying to figure out exactly why the show kept telling us Roy was such a mess when he seemed mostly fine. And yet I desperately wanted all of them to end up happy.

I think Rebecca’s final scene, when she ran into that pilot from Amsterdam, was monumentally stupid and epitomized the strained believability that came to dominate the show. But I’m genuinely thrilled to know she might finally find real love. I care about Rebecca.

That’s only true because ultimately what Ted Lasso was about was always more important than how it told its stories. And what it was about was imagining the world can be as good as we wish it were. Jason Sudeikis’ coach, despite his own problems, was a force of good in the lives of everyone he met simply because he always wanted to see the good in others. He wouldn’t give up on them and what they could be. Nor would he define them by their worst traits or moments.

He knew inside of us all is not only the best version of ourselves, but a desire to be that person. And sometimes all we need to become our best selves is someone else believing in us.

Ted’s humanity, expressed through attitude towards life and others, was infectious. His heart inevitably brought out the good in those around him, even those most reluctant to embrace him. In doing so they all created a better, more loving, more welcoming place. It’s a world that couldn’t have arrived at a better and more needed time for us the viewers. The show gave us so many of the things we desperately need and want in real life.

Compassion, humanity, grace, forgiveness, togetherness? Unfortunately these are not words that describe the world we inhabit. We’re divided by hate and fear rather than united by love and empathy. But not on Ted Lasso. The show provided a respite from all of that. More importantly it provided us a reminder of what we could do if only we all tried to follow Coach Lasso’s lead ourselves.

Did the show sometimes go from hopeful and heartwarming to annoyingly saccharine? Constantly. But that’s better than going from hopeful to overly cynical. Too much love is always better than too much hate. It’s why we know Ted was right to forgive Nate even if Nate didn’t deserve it. In fact, that was more reason to forgive him. Life is better when we let go of our animosity. In refusing to not let anger consume him, Ted not only helped his friend, he helped himself and the team he left behind. AFC Richmond is a better place with Nate on its sideline, just as he’s a better person by being there.

In the end Ted Lasso didn’t live up to its incredible first season. But to define or remember this show only by its failures is to miss how much it succeeded at what it most wanted to accomplish every episode and every season. Ted Lasso gave us something to believe in. It was something far more important than any plot or character arc’s shortcomings. Ted Lasso reminded us who we can be when we are kind to one another, and that always felt good.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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All good things come to an end. And Ted Lasso was a good thing—a very good thing (usually). The show touched many people at a time when some levity and heart were seriously necessary. Ted Lasso left us all with some excellent and inspirational catchphrases that really helped us all to believe. But having aired the final episode of season three, it seems like it’s time to say goodbye to Ted Lasso. Although the season three finale hasn’t actually been officially called the last episode of Ted Lasso, it sure does seem like a series finale to viewers and cast alike. If Ted Lasso is over now that season three has ended, well, we were glad to know it.

Brett Goldstein took to Instagram to say a proper-sounding goodbye to the show. That feels like some good evidence that Ted Lasso season three is its final season. He posted some emotional images and offered, “Ted Lasso was a truly magical experience. A show about love, made with love, by the funniest, most beautiful and kindest people on the planet. From all the writers, to every member of the crew to every single actor, no matter how small their part, to all the post production team, everyone brought their A game and their warmth to the making of Ted Lasso. I will miss getting to live in that world with them.”

Earlier in the year, Jason Sudeikis also discussed whether season three was the ending of Ted Lasso. He said, “This is the end of this story that we wanted to tell, that we were hoping to tell, that we loved to tell. The fact that folks will want more and are curious beyond more than what they don’t even know yet—that being Season 3—it’s flattering. Maybe by May 31, once all 12 episodes of the season [have been released], they’re like, ‘Man, you know what, we get it, we’re fine. We don’t need anymore, we got it.’ But until that time comes, I will appreciate the curiosity beyond what we’ve come up with so far.”

As we know, it could happen. Since season three has not officially been declared the final season of Ted Lasso, technically Ted Lasso has not yet ended. However, given the events of the episode and all the storylines tied it up, it seems like a return to Ted Lasso will be in spinoff form from here on out. Sudeikis notes, “I think that we’ve set the table for all sorts of folks…to get to watch the further telling of these stories.”

Until we get to dive back in, we’ll just remember to always be a goldfish.

The post TED LASSO Says Goodbye with Seemingly Final Episode appeared first on Nerdist.

Ted Lasso is back. Season three of the series about the lovable soccer coach/fish out of water follows AFC Richmond once more, this time in the Premier League. The underdog team has a number of rivals they must defeat to come out on top, but Rebecca is focused on one team in particular: West Ham. Her ex-husband Rupert Mannion owns the club—the same club Nate Shelley betrayed Richmond to join. The season three premiere took us to West Ham’s offices, showing Rupert’s office with an extremely Emperor Palpatine vibe. The nod to Star Wars‘ ultimate villain was intentional.

Speaking with Variety, Ted Lasso’s production designer Paul Cripps said Rupert’s office has Return of the Jedi influences. The circular window, the color scheme—nothing about it is warm and inviting. Cripps said:

We always talked of Rupert being like — not saying anything about West Ham the team — but wherever Rupert is, it’s his empire, and he’s the Dark Lord who’s interfering all the time. I just thought, well, actually, why can’t we make him an office that feels like the scene when Luke meets the Emperor?

We have no doubt that Rupert has plenty of dark side behavior up his sleeve.

New episodes of Ted Lasso air on Wednesdays on Apple TV+.

Originally published on March 16, 2023.

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The first full trailer for Ted Lasso‘s third season is a reminder you can’t always get what you want. But that doesn’t mean you never can. And this season viewers might get something they really, really want: revenge. Because even though this promo for Ted Lasso season three doesn’t have much dialogue, it seems to say a whole lot about AFC Richmond turncoat Nate Shelley. He doesn’t seem totally comfortable as Rupert’s manager. And a big showdown against Ted and his squad might not go the way the “Wonder Kid” hoped.

The Rolling Stones welcome fans back to the pitch in this first full look at Ted Lasso season three. This year the series once again has a proper villain after Nate’s heel turn during the second season.

But this trailer isn’t all good for AFC Richmond. There are plenty of problems for the team, its coaching staff, and players that go well beyond Nate.

You can also check out a first-look clip from the season below.

The season’s official synopsis provides more insight into everything we can expect to see.

From Apple TV:

In the third season of Ted Lasso, the newly-promoted AFC Richmond faces ridicule as media predictions widely peg them to finish last in the Premier League and Nate (Nick Mohammed), now hailed as the “wonder kid,” has gone to work for Rupert (Anthony Head) at West Ham United. In the wake of Nate’s contentious departure from Richmond, Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) steps up as assistant coach, alongside Beard (Brendan Hunt). Meanwhile, while Ted (Jason Sudeikis) deals with pressures at work, he continues to wrestle with his own personal issues back home, Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) is focused on defeating Rupert and Keeley (Juno Temple) navigates being the boss of her own PR agency. Things seem to be falling apart both on and off the pitch, but Team Lasso is set to give it their best shot anyway.

How bad can things really be, though, when Ted has a new “Believe” sign up. How can you not believe in “believe?” Plus, this year has Roy Kent saying things like “great job.”

Who wouldn’t want to receive a compliment like that from someone like Roy? Maybe Nate, but that guy is the worst. The rest of us will get what we really want when the show returns to Apple TV+ on March 15.

Originally published February 27, 2023.

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Every member of AFC Richmond knows the value in being a goldfish. That’s great advice for professional athletes, but not so much for television viewers. We don’t want to forget what happened on our favorite TV shows. But don’t worry if you can’t remember everything that occurred during Ted Lasso‘s second season. We went and watched game tape to get you ready for the show’s return to Apple TV+ for season three on March 15.

AFC Richmond Earned a Promotion Back to the Premier League

Season one ended with AFC Richmond relegated to a lower league. But Coach Lasso and the Greyhounds turned things around in season two. The club earned a promotion back to England’s top soccer division, the 20-team Premier League. That’s the good news. The bad news is that even though they’re back with the top dogs, it definitely won’t be easy for Ted to fulfill his season one finale promise to Rebecca. AFC Richmond will need to pull off an all-time upset to “win the whole f***ing thing.”

Nate Betrayed Ted and Now Manages Rupert’s New Premier League Team

Ted Lasso elevated the lovable Nate Shelley, AFC Richmond’s former kit man, to assistant coach in season one. As a thank you Nate the Great spent season two turning into an egotistical narcissist rage monster. The “Wonder Kid” was unhappy over his perceived lack of respect and appreciation from Ted after Roy Kent joined the coaching staff.

That unearned animosity led Nate to betray his friend. He leaked the truth about Ted’s panic attacks to (the now fired) Trent Crimm of The Independent. Nate then ripped down Ted’s “Believe” sign before walking out on the team to manage West Ham United. Rebecca’s ex-husband (and new dad), the cruel Rupert, bought West Ham to get back at Rebecca.

Roy and Keeley’s Wonderful Relationship Is on the Rocks Because of… Reasons?

The biggest problem Roy and Keeley seemed to have during season one was him smothering her. Once he realized she needed alone time things got even better in their already great relationship. It also helped that the recently retired Roy found something to do. At first he excelled at his new job as a gruff, foul-mouthed, no-nonsense football TV analyst. Ultimately, though, he couldn’t stay away from the pitch and accepted Ted’s offer to become an assistant coach for AFC Richmond.

Meanwhile, following the successful promotion of dating app Bantr, Keeley received funding to open her own PR firm. But that also meant she couldn’t go with Roy on his surprise six-week holiday, which further strained their already tenuous relationship. For reasons that remain unclear even to them, the two started drifting apart over the latter half of the season. It was almost as if neither of them (though especially Roy) couldn’t handle actually being in a happy, loving relationship.

Jamie Hates His Dad and Loves Keeley

One problem we know Roy and Keeley’s relationship faced was Jamie Tartt. The talented striker who rejoined AFC Richmond told Keeley he still loves her. He feels the complete opposite about his horrible emotionally abusive dad.

Jamie started season two starring on a reality dating show. He signed up for the series and abandoned his Manchester City team specifically to anger his father, a big Man City fan. Then he returned to AFC Richmond. Jamie’s dad got “revenge” after the two teams played. He mocked Jamie in the AFC Richmond locker room after Man City’s big win. That led to Jamie breaking down in front of his teammates and Roy embracing his former foe.

Rebecca and Sam Finally Committed to One Another

Rebecca had an up and down second season. She reconnected with her goddaughter and saw her team earn a promotion. However, she also lost her dad and learned her mother always knew about her husband’s infidelity. The detestable Rupert also had a child with his new wife Bex after always telling Rebecca he didn’t want kids. He told her maybe he just didn’t want to have kids with her. (Detestable is too kind a word for him, right?)

But it’s not obvious how anyone should feel about her new romance. As happy as it makes her it could also ruin her. Rebecca connected with someone anonymously on Bantr (no pictures allowed), and that person turned out to be AFC Richmond’s own Sam Obisanya. At first the two decided a romantic relationship would be wrong, but by season’s end they elected to be together. His affection for her is in part why he rejected a massive offer from Ghanaian billionaire Edwin Akufo to join his team. (Edwin did not handle hearing “no” well.) Instead Sam is staying with the Greyhounds and Rebecca. He’s also opening his own Nigerian restaurant.

Sports Psychologist Dr. Sharon Fieldstone Left AFC Richmond, But She’s Not Gone

Ted’s unease with Sports Psychologist Sharon Fieldstone being around the team didn’t last. Ted eventually started seeing her after his panic attacks became too much for him to handle. The coach the world knows as an unfailingly upbeat and positive person has significant problems. He’s troubled by his long distance relationship with his son and is still dealing with the fallout of his recent divorce. But his most important session with the Doctor focused on his unresolved issues of anger and grief at his dad’s suicide when Ted was 16.

Despite insisting on professional boundaries, Sharon also grew fond of Ted. She warmed up to him and stopped being so cold personally. She also hates tea just as much as he does. And he even took care of her after a bicycle accident. That’s how Ted discovered “Doc” (a nickname she only allows him to use) is a person with alcohol use disorder.

Her time with AFC Richmond ended with season two, but she told Ted she’ll always be there for her. The Doc might be gone from the team, but she’s not gone from Ted’s life.

The Rest of AFC Richmond’s Football Club

Coach Beard is still with Jane, even though their relationship worries everyone around him (especially Leslie Higgins). Dani Rojas got his mojo back after his free kick in the season two premiere accidentally killed the team’s dog mascot. “Football is life,” again, not death. And Captain Isaac McAdoo regained his confidence after some help from Roy, an experience that brought the grumpy Kent back to the pitch.

And that’s everything you need to know before Ted Lasso season three. But don’t worry if you’re a goldfish and forget. You better believe we won’t delete this so you can come back and read it again.

The post Everything You Need to Remember About TED LASSO Season 2 appeared first on Nerdist.

Nate the (Not So) Great double-crossed the man who elevated him from anonymous nobody to AFC Richmond’s assistant coach. He also leaked his former boss’s personal medical issues to the press. And he abandoned the team to work for the despicable Rupert. But Nathan Shelley’s most unforgivable sin might have been when he ripped up Ted’s “Believe” sign. That’s low even for the show’s greatest villain. Fortunately, the squad knows to be a goldfish and forget about the past. And in the first teaser for Ted Lasso season three, they also know how to make their very own replacement signs. In other exciting news, the upcoming season of Ted Lasso officially has a release date.

We believe in believe, and you better believe we’re ready for Ted Lasso to return to Apple TV+. We won’t have to wait much longer for that to happen, though. The streaming site announced the show’s 12-episode third season will return on March 15. New episodes will then follow every Wednesday.

We also know what to expect when AFC Richmond takes to the pitch again. Apple TV+ shared the official synopsis for season three of Ted Lasso, which will see the club back in England’s top division.

In this third season of Ted Lasso, the newly-promoted AFC Richmond faces ridicule as media predictions widely peg them as last in the Premier League and Nate (Nick Mohammed), now hailed as the “wonder kid,” has gone to work for Rupert (Anthony Head) at West Ham United. In the wake of Nate’s contentious departure from Richmond, Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) steps up as assistant coach, alongside Beard (Brendan Hunt). Meanwhile, while Ted (Jason Sudeikis) deals with pressures at work, he continues to wrestle with his own personal issues back home, Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) is focused on defeating Rupert and Keeley (Juno Temple) navigates being the boss of her own PR agency. Things seem to be falling apart both on and off the pitch, but Team Lasso is set to give it their best shot anyway.

We know Ted won’t root against the “wonder kid,” but we will. And if Nate can lead West Ham United to relegation, it’ll be a wonderful season. You better believe that.

The post TED LASSO Season 3 Gets First Teaser and Release Date appeared first on Nerdist.

“Be a goldfish.” A.F.C. Richmond’s players know why that’s good advice on the pitch, but for right now forget those words of wisdom entirely. (Get it? You get it.) You can forget about being a goldfish because right now Ted Lasso is focused on being a bear. And he’ll be the most perfect bear possible. Jason Sudeikis’ pleasant, mustachioed manager is getting his own plush doll from Build-A-Bear.

The most huggable coach in all of sports (real or fictional) is getting his very own huggable collectible. Starting today you can order a Ted Lasso plush doll exclusively from Build-A-Bear’s website. The standard bear comes with all of the soccer coach’s signature practice training attire. That includes his visor and official A.F.C. Richmond track suit. The soles of his paws also show off the name of his series and the team’s logo.

If you want a more authentic Ted Lasso experience you can also upgrade your plush doll with show appropriate accessories. That includes a football kit, a teacup (for garbage water), and a pink Biscuits with the Boss wristie. Combined with his mustache and sunglasses he looks ready no matter what Rebecca, his team, or his fellow coaches throw at him. Not to mention he’ll probably have all of his fellow stuffed animals rooting for him shortly after arriving.

Depending on how many accessories you opt for, Build-A-Bear’s Ted Lasso doll ranges anywhere from $44 to $63.50.

For now this is the only Ted Lasso doll in the collection. We hope to get more. (Especially one for Roy Kent, please and thank you.) But if you don’t want to wait and are looking to pair him with another bear you can always pick up Build-A-Bear’s Devilishly Cute Teddy when it’s back in stock. Simple dress him in a black suit and pretend he’s Nate the Great Terrible.

Sorry, we’re not ready to be a goldfish when it comes to Nate. With him we’re more likely to be a bear.

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Need some more wholesome football/soccer shenanigans in your life? Well, there’s good news in store for you. Ted Lasso season three finally has some updates for all of us, and they involve when we can expect the season and what we’ll see in it. Apple TV+ has released our first look at Ted Lasso season three, featuring the man himself, played by Jason Sudeikis, and Nick Mohammed’s Nathan Shelley. The third season of the beloved sports show will also officially release in the spring of 2023.

Seeing that mustache back in place sure is a good feeling. But when we left AFC Richmond, not everything was completely sunny. Still, it looks like at least Ted is willing to smile through any disagreements. That’s what we love about him.

According to Bill Lawrence, Ted Lasso‘s writer, and Brett Goldstein, who plays fan-favorite, Roy Kent, the third season will not disappoint. Deadline reports that Lawrence shared, “I’ve seen cuts of the show, and I think it’s f***ing awesome.” Goldstein, meanwhile, noted, “I love it.” There you have it.

Seasons one and two of Ted Lasso became true crowd pleasers and always hit a home run, I mean scored the goal. Ted Lasso season two actually came out in 2021, though. It’s hard to believe it’s been so long. But, although spring may still feel like it’s an age away, it’s actually just around the corner now. Hopefully, that means more about the season will follow shortly. Maybe we’ll even get a trailer sooner rather than later… And an actual release date beyond “spring” for Ted Lasso season three would be nice as well. Still, we’ll take what we can get and cross our fingers for more. We need that inspirational hilarity back in our lives, stat. Believe!

The post TED LASSO Season 3 Reveals Release Window and First Look Photo appeared first on Nerdist.

Is your pet named after your favorite TV show or movie character? According to the pet sitting website Rover, lots of people name their pets from pop culture, but also favorite foods, cocktails, and sports. They put together list of popular dog and cat names every year. Here’s the best from 2022’s list. Now we want to see these pets in cosplay.

Stranger Things

Pets named after all of the many main characters from Stranger Things saw a boost. Erica gained the most popularity for dogs while El was the most popular with cats (bald sphynx cats, we assume). Hopper, Joyce, and the others all made the list. New for 2022—the name Vecna for cats and Kate Bush for dogs.

House of the Dragon

Thanks to the Game of Thrones prequel, dogs named Daemon went up 45% and Targaryen nearly tripled in popularity. While we haven’t seen photos of these dogs, we assume they all have long flowing blonde hair. Hightower also entered the list for the first time.

Star Wars

You had to know that Baby Yoda would keep on trending. It’s up only 5% for dogs but 125% for cats. Meanwhile, Grogu is up for dogs but down for cats. Other names from a galaxy far, far away include the popular Fett and Fennec. Rancor made the list for both dogs and cats for the first time.

Other Fun Names

Ted Lasso made the list for dogs for the first time in 2022. Roy Kent sounds more like a cat name due to his gruff and elusive nature. And while the name Bella fell from number one to number two female dog name overall, the name Taco Bella popped up in the list.

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. For what it’s worth, her dog is named Minion. She moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth. 

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2022 was a big year for television, with a slew of incredible shows released across the numerous platforms available for our enjoyment. Particularly exciting for us at Nerdist were the many Primetime Emmy nominations received by genre shows. Some of our favorite TV series from the year, like Severance, Stranger Things, What We Do in the Shadows, and Yellowjackets, received nods across Emmy categories. Ultimately, a few shows, like Squid Game and Ted Lasso, took home some of the big prizes. But overall, the Emmys went in other directions. Take a look at a further breakdown and full list of Emmy winners below.

Jump to: Full List of 2022 Emmy Award Winners

When it comes to more genre winners, Squid Game and Ted Lasso did us proud. Squid Game won historical Emmys in the categories of “Lead Actor in a Drama Series,” won by Lee Jung-jae, and “Directing for a Drama Series,” won by Hwang Dong-hyuk.

Meanwhile, Ted Lasso received Emmys for “Lead Actor in a Comedy Series,” won by Jason Sudeikis, “Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series,” won by Brett Goldstein, and “Best Comedy Series” for the show overall.

We were sad to see that some series we absolutely love, like Severance and Yellowjackets, did not get further recognition this Emmy season. However, we remain thrilled about their nominations. In the past, genre shows like these two may not have gotten any honors at all. Our fingers are crossed for future wins. Though we want to extend congratulations to the other excellent shows recognized at the Emmys, especially Abbott Elementary.

In the area of Creative Arts Emmys, genre shows scored a few more wins. Among other shows, Moon Knight and What If… took home wins for “Outstanding Sound Editing For A Limited Or Anthology Series, Movie Or Special” and “Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance,” won by the late Chadwick Boseman, respectively. Netflix’s Arcane, Stranger Things, and Love, Death + Robots, as well as Apple TV+’s Severance, also came away with wins for Creative Arts Emmys.

2022 Primetime Emmy Award Winners in Major Categories

Outstanding Drama Series

Succession—HBO/HBO Max

Outstanding Comedy Series
Ted Lasso—Apple TV+

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
The White Lotus—HBO/HBO Max

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Squid Game—Netflix; Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Succession: All The Bells Say—HBO/HBO Max; Written by Jesse Armstrong

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Ted Lasso: No Weddings And A Funeral—Apple TV+; Directed by MJ Delaney

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Hacks—HBO/HBO Max; Jean Smart as Deborah Vance

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Euphoria—HBO/HBO Max; Zendaya as Rue

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Squid Game: Red Light, Green Light—Netflix; Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary: Pilot—ABC; Written by Quinta Brunson

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Ted Lasso—Apple TV+; Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso

Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
The White Lotus—HBO/HBO Max; Written by Mike White

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
The White Lotus—HBO/HBO Max; Directed by Mike White

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
The Dropout—Hulu; Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
The White Lotus—HBO/HBO; Jennifer Coolidge as Tanya

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Ted Lasso—Apple TV+; Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary—ABC; Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Ozark—Netflix; Julia Garner as Ruth Langmore

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Dopesick—Hulu; Michael Keaton as Dr. Samuel Finnix

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AFC Richmond’s manager believes in “believe.” As for me, I believe I’ll be trying to get my hands on Fisher-Price’s next Little People Collector set, because it features the most wholesome cast of characters in the English Premiere League. You can now make the Ted Lasso crew part of your home team.

The newest addition to Fisher-Price’s line of diminutive figures celebrates Apple TV+’s hit soccer—sorry, football—series. The all-new Ted Lasso Little People Collector set comes with six stars of the show. It includes:

• Ted Lasso sporting his navy AFC Richmond sweater over a collared shirt, khaki pants, and red “matchday” sneakers.
• Rebecca Welton holding a box of Ted’s tasty biscuits and wearing an eggplant suit. That’s a reference to the time Coach Lasso told her, “Being a role model’s a huge deal. Don’t you realize that there’s probably a little girl out there somewhere rocking a tiny eggplant-colored power suit, and she’s just dreaming about becoming a sports executive someday.” 
• Keeley Jones features a tight ponytail, big hoop earrings, and pink high heels. She’s also holding her cellphone. It sports a Fisher-Price Little People lion and panda. That’s a callback to when Keeley asked Ted and Rebecca if they’d rather lions or pandas.
• Coach Beard is also on the job in his signature AFC Richmond warm-up tracksuit and holding a clipboard.
• Roy Kent, looking less grumpy than usual, is in a black AFC Richmond jersey uniform.
• Sam Obisanya and his big signature smile wears a traditional AFC Richmond game uniform with a soccer ball in his hand hand.

But the box these figures come in is also part of the fun. It features more than ten Easter eggs for fans of the show to find. Barbecue sauce, indeed.

Unlike the show’s third season, though, you don’t have to wait for this set. It’s available starting today, August 9 ($29.99). And I don’t believe I’ll be the only Ted Lasso fan looking out for it. I know I’m not.

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On Ted Lasso, Brett Goldstein’s character, Roy Kent, is best known for his scowl and penchant for expletives. (A man after my own heart.) Specifically, Roy Kent loves to say f***. Which is not suitable for the basic television network, let alone an iconic children’s program. Still, in a recent Sesame Street appearance, Goldstein walked Tamir and Cookie Monster through the word of the day—a word that happens to be a particular “F” word. It’s fairness, of course.

And the clip is nothing short of a delight.

In it, Goldstein and Tamir bake cookies and talk about what it means to be fair. As Brett explains, “Fairness is when each of us gets what we need.” And if you saw that Goldstein and Tamir were making cookies on Sesame Street and were curious about a particular monster with an appetite for the sweet treats, you can relax. Cookie Monster naturally appears to partake in the cookie consuming part of the baking process. But the sweet monster also learns a thing or two about fairness. Goldstein notes there are different ways to be fair. Sometimes it’s sharing, like giving Cookie Monster a cookie to munch on. Other times, it’s whenever does their part to help out–like Cookie Monster (a.k.a. Fair Monster) washing the dirty dishes and Tamir drying them.

And while we sadly don’t get to see it in the clip, they even tease an upcoming bout of fairness in a soccer game. Of course, the Emmy-winning Ted Lasso star couldn’t grace Sesame Street and not kick around a ball with our favorite muppets.

We’re only devastated we didn’t get to see more of Cookie Monster showing off his sweet footwork. Although, his insistence that he’s the best player on the team and should be captain is giving a bit of Jamie Tartt energy. But Cookie Monster is just too charming. Frankly, this whole clip is an absolute delight. Goldstein—a noted Muppets fan—is clearly having the time of his life. We hope this isn’t Brett Goldstein’s last trip to Sesame Street. And, if anything, it has us more hyped for Ted Lasso season three than ever.

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Friends, waffles, work. The latter of those always in last place. Leslie Knope understands priorities. And those pillars of her life come into play in Funko Games‘ new Parks and Recreation Party Game. The card game has a simple, appropriate premise. You have to make deals to accomplish important projects for Pawnee, but you need to take as much of the credit as you can. That helps you get better rewards. So be selfless for the community while also keeping in mind what you’ll get out of it. It’s the Parks and Recreation way.

Funko Games announced the Parks and Recreation Party Game on Wednesday morning. It’s for three to six players and ages 14 and up. The game pieces include project cards, character characters, to do cards, and more. You can play as Leslie, April, Donna, Ron, Tom, or Andy. But most importantly—and we do mean most—the game comes with a Li’l Sebastian figure. As players take turns, Li’l Sebastian eats waffle tokens. When he finishes eating, the game concludes and whoever has the best waffles wins.

Cute, right? But that’s not all. The company also revealed its Ted Lasso Party Game. The theme for this one is feeling good. Unsurprisingly, the Ted Lasso Party Game features cooperative play, so everyone works together to help their friends and support their teammates. It even comes with a little football field to play on. D’aww!

The Ted Lasso Party Game includes a football die, an adorable little pink biscuit box you can draw tiles from, and a timer app that brings themed sound effects. Basically it sounds like the kind of good, clean fun that Coach Lasso would fully support.

The Parks and Recreation Party Game and the Ted Lasso Party Game both should arrive to retailers in mid-2022.

Featured Image: NBC

Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of A Kid’s Guide to Fandom, available now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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Apple TV+ has what it calls an “early present” for fans of Ted Lasso. This surprise stop-motion short is a throwback to classic Rankin/Bass holiday fare. It stars Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Brendan Hunt, Jeremy Swift, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Phil Dunster, and Nick Mohammed. They all voice adorable little claymation versions of themselves. (Note to Apple: We’d buy all of these as figures.)

Everything begins okay. As they all wish each other a Merry Christmas inside the team’s locker room. Things take an unfortunate turn though when Ted shows up without his mustache. Where did it go? No one knows. What does it want? That’s the real terror. Can Roy’s eyebrows replace it? No, too bushy.

Things look bleak for Ted’s FaceTime call with his son after Rebecca, Jamie, Coach Hunt, Nate (this is obviously set pre-betrayal), Higgins, Roy, and Keeley efforts to find the missing mustache prove fruitless. Or rather, hairless. Alternate solutions don’t prove anymore successful either. Though it does lead to everyone finding out Higgins can pull off a Clark Gable look.

But this is Ted Lasso we’re talking about. And this is a Christmas special no less. So everything works out in the end when AFC Richmond’s manager’s mustache miraculously returns in time for Ted’s call with Henry.

Which gives us hope for a positive ending to the live-action show’s own current story, “Nate’s Missing Morality.” For now though we hope Santa gives him coal.

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Minus the part where the ominous words of House Stark ring in our ears. Because Christmas isn’t the only big event around the corner. Winter is coming too. You don’t have to choose whether you want to be warm or festive, though. That’s what ugly holidays sweaters are for. And this year, you can be toasty while opening gifts, all while celebrating your favorite shows and movies. Warner Bros. has announced a new collection of “ugly” pop culture Christmas sweaters. It features holiday cheer for Friends, Elf, Rick and Morty, and Game of Thrones. But if you’re looking for something that screams positivity, Ted Lasso got his very own ugly Christmas sweatshirt.

The 2021 collection of new Christmas sweaters at Warner Bros. online shop has something for everyone. The green and red Friends sweater celebrates the group’s favorite hangout, Central Perk. Much like Buddy himself, the Elf sweater is basically unbridled joy in fabric form. Rick and Morty‘s “Let’s Get Schwifty” pastel top is our choice for anyone who likes their eggnog spiked. And the Game of Thrones “Winter is Coming” sweater is an homage to the wardens of the North and their reminder of the cold future that awaits all of us.

Each sweater is 100% acrylic, so it has what Warner Bros. describes as “a soft feel” that isn’t itchy. Each will cost you (or the Kris Kringle in your friend group) $64.95.

If you want to keep smiling during the stressful holiday season, though, or you just don’t like rocking a sweater, you can go caroling with a blue Ted Lasso sweatshirt ($58.95). It features a cartoon drawing of AFC Richmond’s manager donning a Santa hat. The knit fleece pullover crew neck sweatshirt is preshrunk too. So no worries that the Nate in your life might accidentally ruin it on purpose.

You can also save on each of these ugly pop-culture sweaters. The WB Shop is giving customers 15% off sitewide on Black Friday, Nov. 26. Or you can hope your size doesn’t sell out and get 20% off sitewide on Cyber Monday, Nov. 29. There’s also free shipping on all orders from Black Friday through Cyber Monday.

You don’t have to be Ted Lasso to believe that’s a nice deal. Nor do you have to swear fealty to House Stark to know both Christmas and winter are coming.

The post New Ugly Christmas Sweaters Bring Tidings of Pop Culture Joy appeared first on Nerdist.

There’s a whole lot going on in this video (which we first saw at Collider). It opens with Sudeikis playing a cross between former women’s US gymnastics coach Béla Károlyi and the worst dad you’ll meet at every Pop Warner football game. But after some genuine laughs—especially the bit about how the coach’s dad died—things take an unsettling turn. The unseen faces of the synchronized swimming team get replaced by the Foo Fighters. All but Pat Smear that is, who gets to be the janitor in a Caddyshack homage at the end.

Despite fighting with one another in the pool, one teammate nearly dying from some especially heinous flatulence, and their coach being a preening embarrassment, the squad manages to overcome their issues to get a perfect 10 from the judges. Proving once again that if you want results from a fictional coach, you call Jason Sudeikis.

Of course, this coach is dramatically different from Ted Lasso. Which means the key to being an effective manager is clear: you must have a great mustache to lead any team.

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The greatest heroes always have the greatest villains. Bruce Wayne has the Joker. Ted Lasso has, much to the surprise of every season one fan, Nathan Shelley. The former mild-mannered equipment manager transformed into a back-stabbing, diabolical monster during the show’s sophomore year. How or why is something of a riddle to many. And with that many similarities between Gotham’s most famous foes and AFC Richmond, one fan realized the two needed a perfect mashup. Which is exactly what they gave us, as Ted Lasso becomes the Dark Knight in his very own The Batman-style trailer.

YouTuber Jason Gallagher didn’t waste any time putting the new trailer for Matt Reeves’ The Batman to work. This latest look at the film just debuted as part of DC’s virtual FanDome event. The moody teaser promises an intense new entry for the franchise. As Bruce Wayne faces dark and sinister forces who work in the shadows of a violent city to threaten everything he holds dear.

Ted Lasso had to deal with something very sinister in season two. His former friend and colleague Nate not only sold him out to (apparently the worst journalist in the world) the source-burning Trent Crimm. Nate left his former team behind to work for a rival. All after burning bridges, crossing lines, and treating everyone like garbage on his way out.

Apple TV/Jason Gallagher

While we highly doubt Ted Lasso will seek the kind of vengeance Robert Pattinson’s Batsy promises to be in his trailer, we wouldn’t hate it if Ted did. Sure, that’s not who he is. At all. And we love him exactly because that’s not who he is. But hoo boy is Nate absolutely despicable. He’s just utterly detestable.

And just like the best heroes need a great villain, we need to see those good guys punch the bad guys in the face sometimes too. Or, at the very least, embarrass them out on the pitch at Gotham Stadium.

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Forget Walter White’s transformation from Mr. Chips to Scarface on Breaking Bad. It’s Ted Lasso‘s Nate Shelley who now stands as television’s most unlikely monster. During season one of the show he was one of TV’s most beloved characters. Now the once sweet, soft-spoken equipment manager is a press leaking, player hating assistant coach at AFC Richmond. So one fan gave him the trailer he deserves. By imagining the hit Apple TV+ series as a horror movie starring the blood thirsty and deranged glory hound as a dead-eyed killer.

YouTuber Francis Siberini used Nate’s heel turn to create a riveting thriller (which we first saw at CNET). With the right creepy music (discordant strings always get the job done) and enough out-of-context scenes, Nick Mohammed’s performance in Ted Lasso season two is even more sinister than it already is. Which is really saying something, since Nate has basically been a serial killer… of emotion.

This trailer also makes perfect use of Nate’s unsettling stare. Which even during the most humorous of situations has left us feeling cold and frightened this season. He makes Coach Beard’s own stare seem inviting and warm. No, wait, no one can do that. Not even Pennywise. But that he gives Coach Beard a run for his money in the creepy look game tells you how upsetting Nate has been.

Apple TV+

With one episode left in the season, it’s not clear what fate awaits AFC Richmond’s suit-wearing, backstabbing egotistical “wonder kid.” In an actual horror movie we’d be rooting for the hero to put a machete in his back. But this is Ted Lasso. The last thing we expect from the team’s head coach is a homicide.

It wouldn’t matter if Ted did, though. The best monsters always come back for a sequel. And right now Nathan Shelley is easily television’s best—and worst—villain.

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Before he was Roy Kent, best character on television, Ted Lasso‘s Brett Goldstein was simply an amazing performer. High praise? Yes, but more than deserved for the new Emmy-winner. This video of him from 2017 doing a solo performance of The Muppet Christmas Carol in just six minutes proves why he’s worthy of such high f***ing praise. And not just for his singing and acting.

He’s here, he’s there, he’s also a huge fan of The Muppets. That’s what Goldstein recently told Jimmy Kimmel. But lots of people are huge fans of Kermit and the gang. Unlike most people though, Goldstein once put his love for Jim Henson’s characters out there for everyone to see. He performed a very abridged stage version of The Muppet Christmas Carol by himself. The one-man show involved countless costume changes as Goldstein sang his way through the movie’s memorable soundtrack as multiple characters.

It’s a side of the actor that might be jarring to fans who only know him as Roy Kent. That’s also what makes this so much fun though. It couldn’t feel any further from the vulgar, no-nonsense athlete he’s best known for playing. But the truth is we could envision a world where Roy Kent himself did this. The gruff footballer-turned-coach has a big warm gooey center. He’s also a pushover when it comes to his niece. If she needed him to do this he would. (Though he’d be swearing all the way and threatening anyone who filmed it.) Especially if it was for a cause as good as the actual one Goldstein did this for.

Apple/Disney

His short Muppet Christmas Carol was part of a fundraiser for Parkinson’s UK. His delightful performance and obvious love for the Muppets aren’t the best part of this video. It’s why he did it. Just like Roy Kent was a great player with a big heart, Brett Goldstein is a great actor with one too.

And he’s going to make for an amazing Ebenezer Scrooge someday.

The post Brett Goldstein’s 6-Minute MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL Is a Gift appeared first on Nerdist.

Well Ted Lasso conspiracy theorists, you had him for the briefest of seconds. But no more! A few weeks ago a hilarious theory began circulating on Reddit and Twitter that Ted Lasso character Roy Kent is actually CGI. Brett Goldstein, who plays Roy Kent and also writes for the hit Apple TV+ series, hilariously debunked the wild theory. However, during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he joked that for a second, the theorists had him second-guessing whether he is CGI.

When asked about the theory, Goldstein gave Kimmel a hilarious response. He said,  “When I found out I was CGI, it was quite disconcerting because I’ve seen a lot of sci-fi films and I started to be like ‘I mean maybe I am.’ They’d implant memories to make me think I wasn’t, right?”

He also joked that ex-girlfriends referred to him as “the Tin man” which he’d presumed they meant that he didn’t show a lot of emotions. But this had him wondering if they were simply referring to the robot of it all. A tough break for emotionally-shy men everywhere. But, we feel very glad to have this matter put to bed—for good, please!!—even if this chocolate milk test Kimmel’s peddling seems a little dubious. I have never seen a robot drink gin either, for what it’s worth.

Apple TV+

During the interview Goldstein also recounted the story of his casting as Roy Kent, which occurred after joining the writing staff. He shared that halfway through writing season one—before casting finished—he thought maybe he was the one to play Roy. Although, as someone outwardly nothing like Roy—aside for a mutual love of profanities—he figured nobody else agreed.

But he emailed over a tape of himself reading a few scenes as Roy with a caveat to never discuss it if he didn’t get the part. The rest is history. And now, he may just win an Emmy. A real person and an Emmy nominee, what a feat!

The post Roy Kent CGI Theorists Even Had TED LASSO’s Brett Goldstein for a sec appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s a bold move for the series to shift gears. Especially for as warm and spirited as Ted Lasso is. It’s certainly divided its energetic fan base. But while this season in particular isn’t clicking with everyone, I’ve found it incredibly watchable. One of Ted Lasso’s most compelling storylines in season two is how it talks about mental health. It’s both striking for a sitcom and a piece of sports-centered media.

Apple TV+

Many, including myself, lauded Ted Lasso for its optimism and positivity after its debut. It brought a sense of warmth and levity that people really latched onto. But that’s not to say the darkness hasn’t always been there, bubbling under the surface. Season two moves the mental health conversation teased in season one forward with the arrival of Dr. Sharon Fieldstone. The aforementioned opening scene, in which a penalty kick leads to a tragic accident, results in AFC Richmond hiring Sharon to help Dani Rojas through a rough patch. She stays for the season as the players seek her out for their own needs.

Toheeb Jimoh, who plays Richmond’s rising star Sam Obisanya, commended the decision to put mental health at the forefront of the season. “What do you do when you’re a 20 something year old kid and the whole world is watching you? People bet on your performance, whatever. Regardless of work, being a footballer, their personal lives, all of them, some of them are away from home, they’re really trying to come into themselves,” he told Nerdist via Webex. 

“I think it’s just genius from the creative team to have a group of young, confident, strong young men have to wrestle with their vulnerability. It’s something that people never speak about. You look at young athletes and you just expect them to have that idea of what a man is supposed to be, that kind of toxic idea of strong: ‘You’ve got it all, don’t worry about your feelings, just go out there and perform.’ But now, they really have to reckon with it.” 

Ted Lasso’s mental health-focused journey comes at a particularly momentous time in the world of professional sports. Professional athletes all over the world are putting their mental health first, from Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles to Kevin Love and Marcus Rashford. And Jimoh’s thoughts on what the series is trying to depict get at a side of professional sports that the public often dismisses. The public that often sees athletes (and coaches) as commodities and not people.

The 12-episode second season’s been more of a slow burn, unfolding carefully. It’s all built towards the super-sized episode eight, “Man City,” in which so many of the show’s long-gestating storylines come to a head. Many fans have found the slow build frustrating. But it’s also allowed the show to dive into its supporting characters more, as we slowly get into what exactly is going on with the sitcom’s titular coach. It’s been a little refreshing to see Ted Lasso dive deeper into its character roster, even if it means some of the episodic conflict has been lighter as the season progresses. 

Apple TV+

In season one, we see flashes of what’s beneath Ted’s bubbling, optimistic façade. And it’s someone who is clearly struggling. We largely see it through the lens of his divorce, which culminates in his panic attack at the karaoke bar. But this singular event barely scratches the surface with what’s really going on with Ted. In fact, it’s something that specifically comes to a head in season two when faced with a psychologist colleague. Specifically, season two delves into the inner turmoil of two of the show’s (seemingly) cheeriest characters: Ted Lasso and Nate Shelley. 

Nate’s unraveling is certainly an interesting twist—although not entirely out of place as we see his storyline unfold. Season one featured him as a cheery underdog, lacking confidence but possessing much knowledge, which Ted and Beard encouraged. But a new coaching position, which seems threatened when Roy Kent joins the staff, quickly sends him off the edge. Specifically, his roasts, which earned him so many fans, flip from sharply funny to downright cruel. Plus his treatment of Charlie, the replacement kitman, is downright hostile. As Nick Mohammed told New York magazine’s Vulture, watching season two is like seeing him “break down in real time.” 

Meanwhile, Sharon’s arrival is jolting for Ted. His charm and goofy quips don’t have the same effect on her. She sees them for what they really are: a coping mechanism to avoid difficult situations or to keep himself at arms length. During the first several episodes, she looms in the background. She haunts Ted as she treats his players and seemingly ingratiates herself into the club. He evades any conversation that conveys honesty. Even after another panic attack—this one resulting in his early departure from a game—brings him to her office, he struggles to open up. And, in fact, he lashes out at Sharon and her profession as a whole in early sessions. 

Apple TV+

It’s a frustrating look for the protagonist, to see his usually open, earnest mind so closed off—and callously at that. His usual methods of deflection fail, because Sharon, a trained psychologist, sees through the act. And so he lashes out. He mocks Sharon’s chosen profession and belittles her capacity for compassion because she gets paid to talk to people about their problems. He’s obviously deflecting, this time using a new, purposefully hurtful method. But Sharon isn’t just a TV therapist who exists to treat characters, be stern, and disappear into the ether. Still, she—and the series—don’t let Ted off the hook for his behavior. 

Sarah Niles, who plays Sharon, deftly balances the psychologist’s professional stoicism while maintaining warmth when talking to her clients. And Sharon respectfully taking Ted to task presents a level of honesty that finally starts breaking through. She later cracks on even further, in a concussed state following her bike accident, no less. During one of their many check-ins post accident, Sharon shares her feelings and when Ted starts a pep talk, she quickly interjects. Ted’s a fixer, always jumping in to solve a problem—even if it’s not what someone needs. It’s what makes him such an empathetic coach, but it’s also a fatal flaw for him personally. One could say helping others through their difficulties is the perfect way to avoid his own struggles. But sometimes, as Sharon points out, people just need someone to listen.

“Man City” ends with Ted disclosing to Sharon the source of his deep-rooted pain. And, as some viewers probably suspect, it’s related to his father, more specifically his father’s sudden death. The father-son dynamic is central to the show. (The dynamic is famously a theme co-creator Bill Lawrence loves to explore on his shows.) It’s why Ted is particularly troubled by, and invested in, the fractured relationship between Jamie Tartt and his cruel dad.

Apple TV+

With a handful of episodes remaining, I’m interested to see how season two wraps up. I, of course, have my theories, as the episodes are building toward some sort of resolution while, naturally, leaving threads open for season three. Nate’s descent into cruelty is not pretty. With eight episodes down, and no end in sight, it’s unclear whether season two will bring the formerly-lovable character back down to earth. 

I don’t know with certainty where the series will go with Ted’s storyline. But it’s been fascinating to begin to unpack his apparently very long-held trauma. Regardless of the season’s outcome, I’m glad Ted finally found therapy.

The post TED LASSO Takes a Big Swing in Therapy-Centered Season Two appeared first on Nerdist.

Almost a year ago, a puzzled poster on Reddit pondered whether Roy Kent was a CGI character. The now deleted comment states that the poster began watching the series. However, after watching a scene where Ted calls Roy into his office, they asked, “Am I crazy, or does he look like a complete CGI character?”

Apple TV+

After 11 months of not responding, Brett Goldstein, the actor who plays Roy Kent on the show, personally addressed the question. He shared his proof of humanity on Twitter. As an avatar, naturally.

“There’s a f***ing load of mad shit happening on the internet today as usual,” he opened the hilarious confession. “And I just want to clear up something once and for all: I am a completely real, normal human man who just happens to live in a VFX house and does normal human basic things like rendering and buffering and transferring data.”

The hilarious response is delightful. However, we can see why someone would believe Roy Kent is CGI. Not only is he very easy on the eyes, but his character is ornery and a joy to behold. He’s honest and direct. He adores his girlfriend and knows who he is. Clearly, these are not human qualities. So, maybe the Redditor was right. Maybe Roy Kent is an avatar?

Goldstein should take the robot test John Mulaney speaks of. Although, CGI characters can do a lot, including pick out which boxes contain a stop sign. So, it’s not the best example. But, if Brett Goldstein wants to keep releasing statements like the one from today, we’re okay with that. CGI or not.

The post TED LASSO’s Brett Goldstein Proves He’s Not CGI with Adorable Video appeared first on Nerdist.

In the episode, AFC Richmond’s Director of Football Operations, the jovial Leslie Higgins, muses that he “can’t tell if them buying the club is a joke or not.” Which, to be fair, was definitely a sentiment shared by the masses after the pair announced their ownership. Reynolds and McElhenney shared their open letter/cease and desist on Twitter and, as expected, it’s quite funny.

In the goofy, and legally dubious, letter the pair call out the TV series and its streaming home. It’s actually a pretty efficient letter. In the space of a paragraph, they absolve Jeremy Swift of any wrongdoing, plug McElhenney’s TV series (twice), and demand some sweet snacks. Oh, and they “threaten” legal action.

Here’s the crux of the note:

“It has come to our attention that in a recent episode of Ted Lasso our very real ownership of Wrexham AFC was called into question by an otherwise beloved character named ‘Higgins.’ While we hold the incomparable Jeremy Swift in no ill regard and are honored to be mentioned on the platform that’s brought us high-quality programming ranging from Mythic Quest season one to Mythic Quest season two, we must insist that you cease and desist from the casting of any doubt regarding our commitment to the club, the fans, and the entire Wrexham community.”

They close out the letter demanding two large boxes of biscuits, delivered to Wrexham AFC’s home stadium. With a pretty tight turnaround. It’s a pretty bold remark, especially considering the season one biscuits were famously bad in real life. Unfortunately, the pair didn’t specifically request the much improved season two biscuits.

Ryan Reynolds

No word as to whether the biscuits made it to Wales, presumably hand-delivered by special envoy Colin Hughes, before the August 21 deadline. As for the game itself? Wrexham AFC and Solihull Moors tied—a fitting end considering Ted Lasso‘s season two woes.

The post Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney Respond to TED LASSO Joke appeared first on Nerdist.

In season one, Ted Lasso faced off against a country that mocks him, a team that doesn’t take him seriously, and a boss who repeatedly undermined him. And still, the titular character fared pretty well. But season two just debuted his greatest challenge thus far: a no-nonsense yet affable sports psychologist. Sarah Niles plays Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, who Higgins brings to AFC Richmond during the season two premiere after a freak accident leaves superstar Dani Rojas with a case of the yips. While the club specifically hires Sharon to help Dani, the end of the episode reveals that several other players seek her guidance, indicating we haven’t seen nearly the last of her.

Nerdist chatted with Sarah Niles, who plays Sharon, at a Ted Lasso press day in late June. The actress revealed that while she hadn’t seen the first season of the series before her audition, she quickly dove in, armed with a lot of praise for the series from friends. “I was really excited to work with Jason and the Diamond Dogs,” Niles shared, referring to the quartet of coaches and Richmond officials who pal around Ted’s office. “I was really excited to be a part of that. And just find your feet as a new person in this, and observe them and watch them. It was a real joy to be able to, as the character, observe, but as me, the actor, observe and watch them. It was really fun.”

Apple TV+

But while Sharon spends a fair bit of time with the Diamond Dogs, she doesn’t share their same brand of silliness. She meets them while they’re playing hacky sack with a piece of scrap paper. And she watches blankly as Ted does a dance by way of greeting her. If she seems amused, she doesn’t show it. An unnerving experience for the American coaches for whom joking is the premier way to get to know someone, even if it’s often a front for their own anxieties. According to Niles, Sudeikis describes Sharon as “an assassin.”

“He said, ‘She just comes in, she wants to do it and that’s it. She just wants to do her job,'” Niles said. “It’s interesting that [Ted] has ways of being funny, and he’s got ways of covering up something, and she’s got ways of covering up something as well. So it’d be interesting to see where their journeys go for them.”

Apple TV+

While Ted Lasso has never shied away from mental health, by adding a sports psychologist to the cast, season two has an even greater focus on it. Niles says it’s been an exciting role to dive into because Sharon’s arc presents a side of the sport not usually depicted in media, especially with a woman in the role.

“It’s been great, because especially when you’re talking about football, you don’t often see a lot of women in football. You don’t see a lot [of] older women in football. And when you’re talking about psychology, you don’t see many women in sports psychology, particularly in the UK. So it’s really interesting to have that position, to come in and be an older woman, and be able to come in with these young players and have some agency and drive. It was really interesting to watch them play and watch them as characters and unpack certain things.”

Of the AFC Richmond officials, Ted is the most hesitant to bring in a therapist. He brings his usual brand of Ted Lasso humor and grace, but Sharon’s presence is unsettling and he clearly struggles to find his footing with her. He initially says it’s his “midwestern skepticism” when Higgins first inquires about bringing in a therapist. But it’s deeper than that, and this dynamic really appealed to Niles.

“I’m really interested in the relationship—how they interact,” affirms Niles. “[Ted’s] been able to create his position in the role, as a coach. It’s been quite tricky for him to place his feet firmly on the ground. He’s always making decisions. Sometimes he’s observing, but he’s a decision-maker. To bring someone new into the space who is going to be observing and in a way, analyzing some of [that] decision-making and stuff, it’s going to be interesting to see that interaction between the two of them. I think they both think they’ve got it sussed.”

Apple TV+

While Sharon is very much keeping it stoic against the endless Richmond silliness, Niles admitted it was sometimes hard to keep a straight face on set. “Yeah, sometimes it was really hard because [Sudeikis is] just too funny, and he would just be cracking jokes,” Niles shared, “And there’s a naughty side of him that was just trying to make me corpse. I tried to keep this kind of sheen, [a] kind of face that doesn’t give anything away. As it got further and further along in the episodes, he would be doing stuff and I’d be just corpsing and cracking up.”

Just watching Ted do his welcome dance for Sharon on TV, I completely guffawed in both amusement and second-hand embarrassment. So I can imagine it was very difficult to not burst out laughing seeing it happen in person. Niles added that co-creator Brendan Hunt, who plays the eccentric Coach Beard, was also excellent at reducing Niles to a fit of laughs. Which is, of course, a very Beard-like thing to do. “Brendan would just come in and he would just do one thing and that was it. It was game over.” she laughed.

But even if she wasn’t duking it out against Sudeikis on-screen, Niles shared what a joy it is to watch the Saturday Night Live alum in action as Ted, bringing all the layers that took viewers by surprise in season one. She continued, “It was great to play that kind of character up against him, because I could just watch him a lot of the time. I feel like Ted’s got all these different layers and things going on. He’s not just one thing, he’s not just this happy-go-[lucky]. He is very curious, he’s very smart, very clever.”

Ted Lasso airs on Fridays on Apple TV+.

The post TED LASSO’s Sarah Niles on AFC Richmond’s New Sports Psychologist appeared first on Nerdist.

Let’s be real. Celebrating Hollywood awards shows was the last thing any of us wanted to do these past 16 months. However, the 2021 Television Academy of Arts and Sciences announced the Emmy nominees for the year and…what’s this? Close to 40 percent of all nominees in an acting category identify as people of color. The Hollywood Reporter tallied the numbers in the acting categories and found that 36 of the nominees are Black actors, six are Latino (of which two are Afro-Latino), and four are of Asian descent.

FX Networks

Not only that, but newly minted Emmy nominee Mj Rodriguez is the first trans woman to ever be nominated for an Emmy! Plus, she is only the second Latina to ever be nominated in her category—Lead Actress in a Drama Series—ending a dry spell of over 46 years! Rosie Perez, also nominated this year, is also the second Latina ever to be nominated in her category! (Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.) That makes these Emmys by far the most diverse and inclusive to date.

So we’re gonna celebrate with these incredible talents on finally being seen! Here are some of the best reactions from this year’s Emmy nominees upon finding out they were nominated.

Mj Rodriguez, on her Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series nomination for Pose

Steven Canals, creator of Pose, on the series’ Outstanding Drama Series nomination

Canals told Entertainment Weekly:

“For six months, in the midst of a global pandemic, Black and Latin and Trans and Queer artists created together. Alongside a luminescent cast, and tireless crew, I, with my magnificent collaborators, told an aspirational story of family, resilience, possibility, and, most importantly, love.”

Rosie Perez, on her Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nomination for The Flight Attendant

Don Cheadle, on his Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series nomination for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Elizabeth Olsen, on her Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie nomination for WandaVision

Olsen told The New York Times:

“I was emptying my dishwasher […] I didn’t have any plans to be nominated! I’ve never been to one of these shows, so it’s all just new to me.”

Paul Bettany, on his Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie nomination for WandaVision

The Boys star Jessie T. Usher Jr, on the series’ Outstanding Drama Series nomination

Brett Goldstein, on his Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nomination for Ted Lasso

Goldstein told Awards Watch:

“Holy f***ing s***. What an incredible honor. Proper dream come true s*** […] As a cynical English guy I’m struggling to deal with all this wonderfulness. I’m not crying, you’re crying. F*** off! You’re crying. You ****.”

Jurnee Smollett, on her Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series nomination for Lovecraft Country

Jonathan Majors, on his Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series nomination for Lovecraft Country

Majors told Awards Watch:

“Oh my. Gratitude and surprise are running laps in my heart. A full-throated thank you to the nominating body. Thank you for seeing the light in the dark, and the smile in the tears of this character, Atticus Freeman, he is one of my best friends, and I’m glad you all got to meet him as well. Playing this role has changed my life, and this nomination is yet another growing and changing moment. I’d like to offer a deep congratulations to my fellow nominees, I am honored to be listed amongst these incredible artists, all who in such a time offered humanity and respite to a historically chaotic year.”

Helena Bonham-Carter, on her Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series nomination for The Crown

Bonham-Carter said in a statement:

“Thank you dear Emmys voters for this compliment! I had the time of my life playing Princess Margaret and now you reward the fun with this! The words “Pig in S***” come to mind.”

The post The Best Reactions from 2021 Emmy Nominees appeared first on Nerdist.

Thankfully, the series returns to Apple TV+ on Friday, July 23, and with it, all of your beloved Fictional TV Boyfriends. And, giving credit where it’s due, Ted Lasso reigns triumphant in the Fictional TV Girlfriend department as well, thanks to the likes of Keeley (Juno Temple), Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), and of course, the greatest bartender in all of England, Mae (Annette Badland).  In anticipation of the return of Ted Lasso, and it’s many Fictional TV Boyfriends, we’re ranking ten of them, from the very worst to the swoon-worthy best. 

Apple TV+

Rupert (played by Anthony Head) 

Jeez, where to begin? He’ll not only cheat on you throughout your marriage, but then he’ll publicly humiliate you by flaunting his young, new girlfriend (who happens to have the same name as you!) after you’ve split, and he’ll crash and attempt to burn your charity auction by getting Robbie Williams to cancel at the last minute. He’s the one Richmond should be shouting “Wanker!” at. 

Apple TV+

Jamie (played by Phil Dunster) 

Sure, he’s stupid hot and has a “Baby Shark”-themed chant, but he is, by very definition, an absolutely terrible boyfriend. He continually treated, arguably, the ultimate Fictional TV Girlfriend Keeley badly, including the time he brought another girl as his date to an event that she was also attending. And don’t even get us started on how he treats his legendary teammate Roy, but more on him in a bit. 

Apple TV+

Higgins (played by Jeremy Swift) 

A devoted dad and jazz bass aficionado, Higgins, a.k.a. Leslie, is one of the founding members of the Diamond Dogs and truly a good guy at his core. But he also helped Rupert cover up his affairs from Rebecca and then helped her early scheming to try and turn Ted into an international laughing stock. 

Apple TV+

Trent (played by James Lance) 

Trent Crimm, The Independent. 

Nathan (played by Nick Mohammed) 

Earning the worthy nickname “Nate the Great,” he’s definitely a kind and honest soul, but he also doesn’t own a decent suit and his darling timidness can make way for some seriously sick burns when you least expect it. 

Apple TV+

Dani (played by Cristo Fernández) 

Newcomer to AFC Richmond, the handsome young player definitely has the best hair of the bunch, but let’s face it, you’re absolutely going to come in second place to a guy whose entire motto is “Football is life.” 

Apple TV+

Coach Beard (played by Brendan Hunt) 

He’s quietly, yet devastatingly funny, he gives good advice with his fellow Diamond Dogs, he always has your (and the team’s) best interest at heart, and he’ll play you in a sexually-charged game of chess, if that’s what you’re into. 

Apple TV+

Sam (played by Toheeb Jimoh) 

Like his head coach, Sam is struggling with homesickness (though his bout comes from his native Nigeria), but he’s just too damn cute for that to be a deterrent from being an excellent Fictional TV Boyfriend. For a show that is basically one giant smile, no one has a better grin than the sweet Sam. 

Apple TV+

Ted (played by Jason Sudeikis) 

We know, we know, how can the star of the show and the premiere biscuit baker not be #1? (It’s the titular role!) But, as darn tootin’ adorable as fish-out-of-water football-turned-futbol coach Ted Lasso can be, his relentless cheeriness can be a bit overwhelming (though you could take him out for very spicy Indian food, no questions asked) and he’s in the middle of a heartbreaking divorce. Besides, we’re rooting for him to make things work with Rebecca’s friend Sassy. 

Apple TV+

Roy (played by Brett Goldstein) 

Pretty much the gold standard of the Fictional TV Boyfriend, Roy is tall, dark, and handsome and though he has a gruff exterior, he’s actually a total softie on the inside. Not only is he a total romantic with Keeley (once she wisens up and leaves Jamie for good), but he sticks up for the little guy (in this case, Nate) and he’s bedtime story-reading, classroom-visiting uncle to his adorable niece Phoebe. He’s so good, in fact, we might have to change the word from boyfriend to Royfriend. 

The post Ranking TED LASSO Boyfriends, From Worst to Best appeared first on Nerdist.

Apple TV+

Cristo Fernandez (Dani Rojas)

For Cristo Fernandez, who plays AFC Richmond’s enthusiastic “ace,” it was during the team’s trip to Liverpool for their match against Everton. The team’s in a funk at the prospect of facing off against a team they haven’t beaten in 60 years, until a roast from kitman Nate Shelley, played by Nick Mohammed, ushers them into the right mindset—and an eventual win. “I love that scene we have in the locker room with Nate the Great—that change in point in his arc and how he gave us this speech,” Fernandez said. “[The] roast me amigo [scene]. I mean that just was spot on. That was just amazing. Nick Mohammed is amazing. Everyone was great. Everyone, even the people that probably didn’t say anything. There were just good vibes there in that locker room. I remember they shot many great scenes there.

Toheeb Jimoh (Sam Obisanya)

Tobeeb Jimoh, who plays rising star Sam Obisanya, revealed that his favorite scene was the team’s bonding exercise to rid AFC Richmond’s treatment room of its many, many alleged ghosts. It’s an incredibly fun scene to watch, and Jimoh shared that it was just as much fun to shoot. “I’d say mine was when we were doing [the scene] when everyone was putting their cherished item into the bin to burn it, to get rid of the bad mojo for Dani,” he said. “That day was hilarious. There’s so much that didn’t make it but we had every single one of the players. Even the SA’s who don’t speak, every single one of them come up, put an item in, and say their little piece. It was just hilarious. The amount of corpsing that happened that day was unreal. We barely got through it. Yeah, that was probably my favorite day.”‘

Apple TV+

Jeremy Swift (Leslie Higgins)

Unsurprisingly, many of the cast’s favorite scenes involve Nick Mohammed’s well-meaning but supremely unconfident kitman. Jeremy Swift, who plays AFC Richmond’s Director of Football Operations, it’s a brief but incredibly telling moment from Nate in the pilot episode that stands out.  “Oh, God. There are so many,” Swift said. “I love the darts scene, obviously. There’s a moment when Nate introduces Ted and Beard to Rebecca and then he kind of runs off. And there’s one point where he runs back in again, which is just in the first episode, but it’s just so funny. And I thought, ‘Why is that so funny?’ It’s because he’s so terrified, he doesn’t know where he is or where he’s going, even. He’s that heated. That certain panic is just absolutely hilarious.”

Juno Temple (Keeley Jones)

Juno Temple, who plays professional WAG-turned-PR maven Keeley Jones, revealed a few of her favorite Keeley scenes and ones she was just able to witness on set. “The three-way hug in the last episode with me, Beard and Ted, I laughed and cried at the same time I was so not expecting it. That was an immediate [imitates crying],” Temple revealed. “And I love the scene with [Keeley and Roy] in the press room. And I just am proud, I’m really proud of being a part of those scenes because they really hit home watching them.”

Temple also shared that a few of her favorite scenes were from the Gala episode, “For the Children.” Specifically, Rebecca and Ted’s conversation outside the gala, after Rebecca’s ex-husband Rupert crashes. “That first really honest moment between Rebecca and Ted was one that was very profound to watch,” Temple said. But as for a very different, but hilarious moment from the same scene, she added, “I also liked when Jamie Tartt spills hot soup on his nipple. That was a cold soup when we shot it. That one’s funny as well.”

Apple TV+

Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent)

Brett Goldstein, who plays the grumpy, but so very endearing captain Roy Kent, echoed Temple in saying his favorite scenes were Keeley and Roy moments. He also shared that one of his favorite scenes to witness was when Rebecca finally comes clean to Ted.  “[It’s] my favorite scene that I am in—but I’m not a big part of—but I just loved being a witness to,” Goldstein told Nerdist, praising Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham. “As I said, I’ve got loads of them, but I tell you what, I’ll tell you something, I don’t know if I’ve talked about this before. I was in the room [during] the scene where Rebecca confesses to Ted and they have that moment. I was in the room when it happened. I mean, it was fucking magnificent, like it was in the room magnificent.”

Phil Dunster (Jamie Tartt)

Like many of his castmates, one of Phil Dunster’s favorite scenes involves Nick Mohammed. The actor, who plays the team’s superstar with a very bad attitude Jamie Tartt, said, “Well, I guess as everyone knows the greatest moment in season one is the moment when trying Trent Crimm asks who Nate the Great is, and they look over to Nate the Great picking dog poop off of the field. Nick Mohammad is genuinely one of the funniest people I know. His timing is so good. I just love that bit—[it’s] such a great moment.”

Dunster also shared that one his favorite moments to film was when Ted loses his cool on Jamie in the locker room and brilliantly recreates Allen Iverson’s now-legendary 2002 “practice” press conference rant. Praising the series creators for so many incredible niche references throughout the season, the actor admitted he wasn’t familiar with the NBA Hall of Famer when Sudeikis mentioned the speech to him. 

“And so I watched this speech. The way he turned it around and the way that Jason had approached it. Certainly this was the first time, I know Ted sometimes loses his rag a bit, but very, very cautiously and only momentarily,” Dunster added. “And so to see Ted go through that process in front of me was incredible. And it was really great to watch. [To] see someone as sort of as brilliant and gifted as Jason doing that was, yeah, it felt like a really quite sort of profound moment.

Apple TV+

Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca Welton)

Rebecca Welton is the steely, glamorous club owner coming back after a humiliating public divorce. While Rebecca starts the series in an adversarial role, Hannah Waddingham plays the character with such pain and humility that it’s nothing short of moving to see her come around and let Ted and the team in over the course of the season. Waddingham spoke to Nerdist about the episode “Make Rebecca Great Again” and Rebecca’s big karaoke scene.

It’s an emotional episode for Rebecca, as she reunites with an old friend and starts to let her team—and Ted—in. But the episode also features a giant musical number from Waddingham, an accomplished West End performer, as she belts “Let It Go” at a karaoke night.  “It is a big song. I tried to wriggle out of it, because I was just like, ‘Look, one, everyone has sung it. Two, people have sung it brilliantly. And three, I was acutely aware that Rebecca isn’t a professional thing like I am,'” Waddingham revealed. “So, it was trying to make it believable that she would begrudgingly be getting up and then find her feet, and more importantly in all of it, enjoy the moment with her teammates. Almost the singing of it for me was secondary to where we find Rebecca in that moment. And that was what I wanted to convey.

Speaking of the song’s resonance to the episode, and Rebecca dedicating her performance to her goddaughter, Waddingham added, “It’s lovely that she has that moment of looking into the phone and saying, ‘This is for you.’ I mean, at the time I kind of found that quite hard to do because I have a little girl myself, so any connection there was always going to be particularly raw.”

Season one of Ted Lasso is currently streaming on Apple TV+. Season two premieres on July 23.

The post The TED LASSO Cast Shares Their Favorite Season One Moments appeared first on Nerdist.

Roy Kent is not a real person. He’s a fictional character who plays for a fictional English soccer club on a TV show. I know all of this and yet I also know I would kill to protect Roy Kent from harm. Both physical and emotional. That’s why his is the only sports jersey in the world I absolutely must own. And now I can. Warner Bros. has launched an official web store for Ted Lasso and his team.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Consumer Products and the WBShop.com’s new AFC Richmond Shop will let fans of Jason Sudeikis’s hit Apple+ TV series bring home apparel and merchandise for both Ted Lasso’s team and for the show itself. The online store is the only official retailer for AFC Richmond jerseys, hats, shirts, and more. That includes ordering a custom blue jersey ($59.95). You can put your own name and number on yours. Or you can do what I will be doing and ordering a “Kent #6” replica.

In addition to plenty of sweatshirts, tees, and tank top styles and colors to choose from, you can also order an embroidered AFC Richmond cap ($33.95), like the one the coaches wear. Or you can bring home a team blanket, laptop decal, or mug with the club’s sherpa logo. And to celebrate your new team gear you can toast with a sharp-looking 17-ounce AFC Richmond pint glass ($15.95).

Warner Bros.

For those looking to show off their love of the show itself, you can also order a bevy of collectibles that pay homage to the series. You can choose from apparel, drinkware, and bags in different designs. Select pieces say “Ted Lasso,” while others have a drawing of the head coach holding some tea. (Which we know he won’t actually drink.) Other items feature his words of wisdom, like “be a goldfish” and “smells like potential.”

And, of course, there’s also “I believe in believe.” But those with a sweet tooth might want to grab some “Biscuits with the boss” merch. They also have a drawing of his iconic little pink boxes of homemade cookies.

Warner Bros.

The site launched the same day Apple released a new season two trailer. The show returns on July 23. Roy Kent’s playing days look like they are finally behind him. But that doesn’t matter. I still plan on wearing his jersey. He might not be real, but my love for him is.

The post TED LASSO Launches Official Merch Store appeared first on Nerdist.

I love Jason Sudeikis. I also love his old commercials about an American football coach hired to manage a European soccer team. And yet I did not think that Apple TV+‘s Ted Lasso would be that good. Nor did I trust every single rave review. Even though they made the show sound like the best thing since barbecue sauce. But I finally watched the first season. And now? I believe in Ted Lasso, one of television’s best shows. And while I didn’t need anything to get me hyped to return to the pitch, the new season two trailer is utter perfection. Because you can’t beat the winning combination of Ted Lasso and Queen (and David Bowie).

After their relegation in the heartbreaking season one finale, AFC Richmond has high hopes of a dramatic comeback. But first they have a lot of work to do. The trailer teases an unfortunate run of ties, a struggling Dani Rojas, and a little visit from Ted’s tough love alter ego “Led Tasso.” Interestingly, there’s little of Roy Kent, who was on his way out of the premiere league in season one, in the trailer. And nary a glimpse of Jamie Tartt, who we last saw boarding the Manchester City team bus. We refuse to believe we’ve seen the last of the chaotic young superstar, however, so we imagine he’ll reappear when we least expect it.

It’s a pretty welcome time for a new trailer. The first dropped during a historic week for European Soccer. One most fans dubbed an historically disastrous one. The biggest clubs have announced they’re forming a Super League (no, really, that’s the actual name). It was a short-lived effort that would have consolidated more money and more power to the sport’s richest teams. In a move that effectively would have ruined the world’s most popular sport forever.

It’s all pretty awful. Which is why Apple TV couldn’t have picked a better moment to release a trailer for season two of its feel-good hit. Ted Lasso, Coach Beard, Rebecca, Keeley, Roy, and the rest of the AFC Richmond club is back to rock you. All with some help from Queen’s iconic anthem and a never-ending supply of positivity.

Apple TV+

Season two, which thankfully won’t have to worry about ramifications of the Super League, will see the team trying to make its way back up to the top division. But this trailer shows they’ll face some problems in their quest. Mainly too many ties. In an effort to change their luck, they hire a sports psychologist. Ted likes to play that role with his players, so it’ll be interesting to see how the two get along. Especially since she doesn’t eat sugar and isn’t interested in his biscuits.

But we’re interested in everything Ted Lasso does. He makes the world, both of the show and ours, a better place,. And you better believe I’ll be watching when season two premieres on July 23.

Originally published on April 20, 2021.

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It might not seem like it, but WandaVision and Ted Lasso have a lot in common. The MCU’s first foray into TV was one of our most highly-anticipated shows of 2021. Now occupying that spot is the upcoming second season of our favorite football coach-turned-European soccer club manager’s misadventures. The series star Kathryn Hahn and Jason Sudeikis, respectively, who appeared together in We’re the Millers. Now their shows have something else in common. The pair virtually reunited for an episode of Variety‘s web-series Actors on Actors. They discussed their careers, approach to acting, and their hit TV series.

Hahn and Sudeikis discussed a wide range of topics during their half-hour digital interview together, including their popular series. Sudeikis gave Ted Lasso fans an inside scoop on the show’s history, production, and future. For instance, he helped edit the first season entirely on laptops via Zoom. Which doesn’t sound ideal until you hear that he got to do it all in his sweatpants. Sudeikis also explained how it was his ex, Olivia Wilde, who first had the idea of turning his NBC commercials into a series. The process from concept to screen took longer than we realized though. He and his friends wrote the first pilot way back in 2015.

Hahn, whose early career was heading in a far more serious direction, says Sudeikis’ success has her “bursting with pride.” But as we all know, she has found plenty of her own too. The actress discussed what it was like working on WandaVision and what drew her to the role. She also explained why the part required a “sitcom boot camp,” and what it’s like playing a comic book character.

Apple TV

Sudeikis also talked about his “airplane test” for judging a film or movie.”You’d be sitting and see someone watching a screen in front of you? I get sucked in watching with the sound off,” he said. “And if you can’t tell if it’s a comedy or drama, it delights me to no end. I feel like you aim for that target.” That’s a target that also draws Hahn’s to certain characters too.

She said, “I’m always attracted to stuff that rides that line. My favorite heroines were the really messy ones from the ’70s and ’80s—a woman that was a mess. Contradictory, passionate, hungry, unabashedly embarrassing. I love that spot right between comedy and drama where you’re not sure if you’re going to burst into tears or start laughing. That’s the sweet spot.”

Marvel

Make sure to check out the entertaining sit-down. It includes lots of great insights and tidbits about WandaVision and Ted Lasso. As well as stories from some of our other favorite shows and movies. Plus, the two sprinkled in plenty of gems. Like how “everybody knows contractions put butts in seats.” Along with why both consider Michael Keaton to be the definitive Batman.

Variety

Plus they also shared some incredible stories from their time filming We’re the Millers. We’re definitely going to be watching that movie’s blooper reel now. Just like we’ll watch pretty much anything that stars either of these two.

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Despite spending an entire season as the manager of an English Premier league team, Ted Lasso still doesn’t have all of the game’s basics down. Or, you know, most of them. For one, he keeps calling it soccer instead of football. He also can’t remember the team has training, not practice. And dang it if he still doesn’t quite understand the offside rule. But Xs and Os have never been what makes him a great coach. What makes him great is that no matter how dire things might seem, Ted Lasso lives by one code: “believe.” And whether he wins or not, we believe we’re going to watch Jason Sudeikis, in character as Ted Lasso, play in EA Sports’ upcoming FIFA video game tournament.

Especially since Coach Beard will be by his side.

Apple TV

EA Sports has announced (in news we first heard at GameSpot) its new “FIFA Face-Off” esports game show. The two-part live competition will pit celebrities, “top EA Sports FIFA professionals and influencers, and four lucky contestants” from the FIFA community against one another. For the celebs that will be like plucking an American college football coach to manage a professional English soccer team.

So it’s only fitting Sudeikis will participate as Ted Lasso. That’s not the only thing fans of the show can look forward to though. Sudeikis will also be joined by his co-star Brendan Hunt, who plays Coach Beard on the series.

“Having previously no experience coaching soccer, or football if you will, I think Ted Lasso is the perfect candidate for dominating in an EA Sports FIFA esports competition,” said Sudeikis, in a press release. “That said, Ted’s passion for competing and having Coach Beard at his side in support may just be enough for him to achieve esports glory in the world’s most popular sports video game. Never underestimate Coach Ted Lasso.”

We would never bet against him.

The Daily Show‘s Trevor Noah will also participate. Along with musicians Becky G and Nicky Jam. The two-part show airs live on March 19 and 26 at 12:30 pm EST. You can watch via EA Sports FIFA Twitch and EA Sports YouTube channel. The celebrities should have at least a fighting chance though. They won’t be playing alone.

“During both episodes, celebrities and EA Sports FIFA pros will pair up, select their rosters through FIFA Ultimate Team, and compete in a two-legged competition to win a share of a $25,000 prize pool on behalf of lucky EA SPORTS FIFA fans. These fans were selected after winning a video submission community contest that accumulated tens of thousands of submissions.”

We don’t care if he calls it a field instead of the pitch. Or even that he doesn’t know the first thing about English football. Believe us when we say we always want Ted Lasso on our team.

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I believe in Ted Lasso. Like the titular character does on the Apple TV+ series, I also want someone to bring me delicious cookies at the start of every work day. Well, not cookies. Biscuits. Every single time Ted arrived for “Biscuits with the Boss”—and Rebecca reacted like a starving wolf standing over a fresh kill—I felt that. I need that. But I don’t need to hire the world’s nicest person to coach my soccer/football team to get my hands on some. One of our favorite YouTube chefs, Andrew Rea of Binging With Babish, has a new video showing how we can make them at home.

And that’s huge news for Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, as the biscuits consumed while filming weren’t nearly as good as they looked.

Just like Ted Lasso, Andrew Rea has cracked the recipe to make scrumptious crumbly, buttery shortbread biscuits, the very same treats the coach brought his boss every morning. There’s a simple, easy, short version you can try, which would be great to make with kids. It requires just salt, butter, granulated sugar, and flour. But as Ted’s homemade biscuits are top tier, to make something special you’ll want to try Rea’s more complex recipe.

That involves baking with toasted sugar (my new favorite thing in the world) and browned butter. All the other ingredients are standard kitchen fare. But this batch is also coated in demerara sugar, for some extra delicious oomph.

Binging With Babish

As much as we want to eat these—every day—the person who most needs this recipe is AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton. The actual biscuits Waddingham ate on set weren’t good. In fact, they were terrible. She told Variety that eating them was “the greatest acting job of my life.” Because snacking on one was “literally like sticking a piece of sponge in your face.”

That’s because they used what star Jason Sudeikis calls “near biscuits,” which are low sugar. That doesn’t make for a great tasting cookie. But Waddingham said it was necessary so she “didn’t just expand” while filming. Which is genuinely funny, because I wondered how anyone, even Rebecca, could eat cookies every day and still stay so fit. Turns out you actually can’t. You need to just pretend to eat them. Especially when shooting multiple takes.

Maybe I don’t know for a fact that I want someone to bring me buttery shortbread biscuits every morning. But I believe I’d still like to find out.

Featured Image: Apple

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This has been a horrible year. That almost goes without saying at this point. The COVID-19 pandemic made us desperate to escape into other worlds, galaxies, timelines, and eras, just to get some respite. Luckily, there was plenty of amazing television in this year that helped us do just that. Here are Nerdist‘s picks for the best TV shows of 2020.

AMC

Better Call Saul

Better Call Saul had already established itself as one of the best spin-off series in television history before its fifth season premiered in 2020 Now? It might be the best ever. The show was so incredible it now has an opportunity to do the unthinkable in its final season. It could best Breaking Bad itself. That’s how good the explosive, emotional, intense fifth season was. It featured superb performances, impeccable writing, and memorable villains, as Jimmy McGill lost more of his soul to Saul Goodman. Worst/better yet, Kim might be losing hers too. – Michael Walsh 

Netflix

The Haunting of Bly Manor

Part ghost story, part love story, Mike Flanagan proves once again that he has the most tender heart in horror. The Haunting of Bly Manor had a lot to live up to. Its precursor, The Haunting of Hill House, was a perfect season of television. And it’s loosely based on one of the most famous horror stories of all time, The Turn of the Screw. But wisely, Bly Manor struck out on its own path. It didn’t double down on themes from Hill House or stick too closely to its source material. It told it’s own lovely story, about the power of love, and its ability to heal the depths of our trauma. – Lindsey Romain

Tsuburaya Productions

Ultraman Z

As a blessing to audiences outside of Japan, Tsuburaya Productions has put subtitled episodes of their current Ultraman season, Ultraman Z, on YouTube. This season has been some of the most fun and exciting tokusatsu storytelling in years. The lead character Haruki is such a loveable goon who nevertheless wants to help people and has a real compassion for the monsters he has to fight as Ultraman. The show features some amazing crossovers with earlier Ultras of several eras, intriguing mysteries involving a returning villain, and one of the most banger theme songs in TV history. That half of it was made during a pandemic is even more amazing. – Kyle Anderson

Hulu

High Fidelity

On paper, a High Fidelity TV series sounds like a bad idea. The original film, based on the book by Nick Hornby, is a classic. But Hulu’s revamp did the impossible; it not only lived up to its predecessors, but it bested them. Zoë Kravitz stars as a gender-bent take on the lead character Rob, a lovelorn Brooklyn hipster who revisits old relationships to see where she’s gone wrong. The series wisely updates the material in fresh, modern ways: Rob is a queer woman with a diverse roster of friends. But it also holds her accountable for the ways she’s gone wrong, never taking it easy on the character. The result is a brilliant condemnation of too-cool culture, and a testimony to growing up. Too bad we won’t get a season two. – Lindsey Romain 

FX

Devs

After Ex Machina and Annihilation, not to mention his earlier screenplays for Danny Boyle, Alex Garland was already in rarefied air with me. His FX on Hulu mini-series Devs proves Garland’s sensibilities work great in episodic format. A treatise on technology, metaphysics, and determinism, Devs is at its core a deeply moving story of the lengths we’ll go to run from grief. Sonoya Mizuno carries the show with her soulful, stoic performance, while Nick Offerman and Alison Pill provide the perfect degree of hippie-infused menace. Tech companies sure are weird. – Kyle Anderson

Netflix

The Baby-sitter’s Club

Netflix gifted us with so many wonderful gems in 2020, and brightest among them was their lovable take on The Baby-Sitter’s Club. The series is a delightful, updated take on the book series from Ann M. Martin that so many of us grew up on. It’s refreshingly modern, self-aware, funny, touching… basically everything we could want in an updated Baby-Sitter’s Club and more. – Lindsey Romain

Hulu

PEN15

There are lots of great comedies on TV. Just like there are both lots of great coming-of-age series and dramas. Hulu’s PEN15 is all of those things and more. By playing 13-year-old versions of themselves, stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle have managed to create something special. PEN15 is an honest, hilarious show about middle school that can go to uncomfortable places and take chances a series with actual teenage performers couldn’t. And this year the chances they took were even bigger, in a truly superb season that was equal parts insightful, touching, painful, and funny. – Michael Walsh

FX

What We Do in the Shadows

Quite simply the funniest show on TV. While the first season was very good, the second season of FX’s vampire mockumentary takes everything up 15 notches. Each member of the cast gets their moment (or 90) to shine, but the diversion for Matt Berry’s Laszlo to become a real human bartender was sublime, and Harvey Guillen’s Guillermo really goes from the butt of the joke to the hero we all deserve. BAT! – Kyle Anderson 

Netflix

The Queen’s Gambit

Already a frequent topic of praise and discussion online, Netflix’s highest rated limited scripted series deserves every bit of it. A showcase for the subtle acting of Anya Taylor-Joy and ’60s set and costume design more striking than Mad Men, The Queen’s Gambit made chess matches feel like pitched battles, the endgame of which leaving all of us breathless. CHESS! How did they make that exciting?!?! – Kyle Anderson

HBO

I May Destroy You

I May Destroy You is one of the most inventive, brutal, and beautiful shows of the last several years, and the best thing I saw all year. The British comedy-drama was created, written, co-directed, and executive produced by the incredible Michaela Coel, who also stars in the series. She plays Arabella, a Londoner who tries to put her life back together after being raped. The 12-episode show balances gut-wrenching truths with laugh-out-loud humor, and culminates with a stunning finale that you won’t soon forget. – Lindsey Romain

Lucasfilm

The Mandalorian

The Mandalorian is the most exciting thing happening in Star Wars right now, and that’s all thanks to Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. The love poured into this series is so palpable. It’s clear that these guys love Star Wars, and have created a perfect series for hardcore fans and newbies alike. The second season has been non-stop delightful, with appearances by beloved characters like Ahsoka Tano and Boba Fett. Just when it feels like it can’t get any more exciting, Baby Yoda gets a name and a backstory, and the world opens up even more. It’s a joy to tune in every Friday and escape into the galaxy far, far away. – Lindsey Romain

HBO

Lovecraft Country

Lovecraft Country’s ability to expertly blend Lovecraftian horror and magic with deeply moving examinations of racism under Jim Crow laws is enough to set this series apart from the crowd. But its appeal runs deeper than it being scary and suspenseful weekly entertainment. Lovecraft Country serves as a history teacher with nods to Emmett Till, redlining, and the Tulsa Race Massacre. It delivers an ensemble of passionate, captivating, and flawed Black characters who are given the space to be messy, hurt, empowered, heroic, and afraid. It provides a basis for conversations about masculinity, sexuality, and family dynamics and makes distressing connections to our current racial and social plights. Lovecraft Country is a story that encapsulates Black pain, power, and plights in a way that breaks your heart, gives you hope, and sticks in your consciousness. – Tai Gooden

Apple TV+

Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso is, without question, one of the best new comedy shows of 2020—if not the best. A sitcom about an American football coach moving oversees to manage a Premier League team sounds funny enough. But Jason Sudeikis-led series is not only hilarious, it’s bursting with an optimism and sincerity that anchors the many delightful hijinks that ensue. It’s been a joy watching people discover and subsequently fall head over heels for Ted Lasso—and I cannot wait to see what the next two seasons bring. – Meaghan Kirby

Hulu

Normal People

I adored Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People, so I was primed to like the show. What I didn’t expect was to like it even more than the source material. It’s a story about the evolving relationship between two Irish teenagers, Connell (Paul Mescal) and Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones). The show follows them from high school and through college, as they grapple with class politics, sexual desires, and other things that disrupt and complicate their love for one another. It’s a simple story, really, but it’s told in such an achingly human way, that it’s impossible not to relate. And beyond everything else, it’s worth it just to watch Mescal and Edgar-Jones in the early stages of what’s bound to be superstardom for both. – Lindsey Romain

HBO

Betty

The television I’ve gravitated toward this year, new and old, has had a bit of a maudlin streak. While lightweight comedy has failed to drown out my anxiety, the intensity and despair shows like The Leftovers, Mad Men, and even golden era ER have proven up to the task. The exception to this rule: Betty. The delightful slice-of-life dramedy follows a troupe of young queer women skateboarders just trying to live the lives they deserve. Betty’s six-episode run is funny and tender, and armed with engrossing authenticity. Whether at play and on the warparth, the girls’ stories are shown to be of utmost importance to them—and felt as much to me. – Mica Arbeiter

Pop TV

Schitt’s Creek

The sixth and final season of Schitt’s Creek was nothing short of a triumph. From its humble beginnings on a little-watched basic cable network to becoming one of the biggest sitcoms in the world, the series always stayed close to its Canadian roots. And it was better served for it. Season six was the beautiful culmination of years watching the Rose family stumble, embrace, and finally come into their own. Dan and Eugene Levy were firm in wanting to end the series on their own terms. They did, and it was an absolute pleasure to watch all the way to the end. – Meaghan Kirby

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In a post Geico cavemen world, it’s hard to believe one of 2020’s best new series is based on a commercial. The Apple TV+ sitcom Ted Lasso, which debuted in August, has become a bit of a sleeper hit, earning a two season pick-up from the burgeoning streaming site. With Saturday Night Live‘s Jason Sudeikis and Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence among its co-creators, it’s not surprising that Ted Lasso is funny. But what is surprising is how warm and earnest the series is.

When the character debuted in a 2013 NBC Sports Network ad, he was arrogant and foolish—a Premier League’s bumbling Michael Scott. But it worked. Certainly well enough to earn a sequel commercial following Ted’s football endeavors after his all-too-brief stint with the Tottenham Hotspurs. The premise alone—an American football coach takes a job managing an elite British football club—is a bit built for laughs. Still, it was hard to imagine it could sustain an entire series without quickly running out of gas. Especially as networks discovered Steve Carell’s branch manager isn’t easily replicated. Instead, when Ted Lasso returned in sitcom form, he did so as an eternal optimist with his heart unabashedly on his sleeve.

Apple TV+

Remarkably, there’s a lot of NBC Sports Network’s Ted Lasso in the Apple TV+ Series. The first episode is full of bits from the commercial, including the disastrous press conference. However, in the transition from caricature to TV protagonist, Sudeikis and his collaborators—Lawrence, Joe Kelly, and Brendan Hunt, who also plays understated icon Coach Beard—made a crucial change to Ted that lays the groundwork for the entire series. Indeed, it takes hubris to leap from coaching American college football to managing a Premier League football club. But Ted Lasso softens its titular character’s arrogance and leans into his earnestness.

Ted and Coach Beard arrive in the UK under the guise of rebuilding the AFC Richmond program after a successful college football coaching stint. They’re recruited, perhaps, to bring some American charm to the consistently mediocre Premier League team… or so owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) can use Ted Lasso to tank her ex-husband’s beloved team. Ted and Coach Beard are self-aware enough to understand the sheer absurdity of their accepting the position in the first place. But they dive headfirst into their new challenge. Beard absorbs all the technical aspects of the sport; meanwhile, Ted works to turn his hodgepodge group of elite players into a cohesive team.

As Ted tells Trent Crimm, an Independent columnist and early adversary, his focus isn’t on wins and losses; it’s encouraging his players to be better people—on the pitch and off. It’s a slightly flawed logic considering they’re a professional athletic club facing relegation (a demotion from the Premier League). And it’s something Ted contends with eventually. But his intent sticks. Ted’s relentless optimism and openness takes root, often reluctantly, in everyone around him. From Rebecca to Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein)—the grumpy captain nearing the end of his pro-footballer career—to semi-professional WAG-turned-marketing-guru Keeley Jones (Juno Temple). To obnoxious rising superstar Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), even.

Apple TV+

Ted Lasso never purports its titular character to be the arbiter of reason or turn his team into an overnight success. In fact, one of his greatest obstacles is that his players, the club’s ownership, and even the club’s fanbase spend the first half of the season actively undermining him. Yes, Rebecca had ulterior motives in offering Ted the job. But his reasons for accepting it extend far deeper than his giddy “can do” attitude suggests. However, Ted’s innate goodness is never a gimmick or cheap punch line. Nor is that of long-suffering, knowledgable kit man Nathan Shelley (Nick Mohammed).

In fact, so much of what makes Ted Lasso click is what’s lacking from another recent streaming hit: Netflix’s Emily in Paris, which also follows an expat bringing an American perspective to her new job in a new country. The Lily Collins-led series lives and dies with its titular character. Every episode progresses more or less the same way. A client presents an idea; Emily disagrees with her French colleagues; everyone writes off Emily’s American ways, she nevertheless pushes forward, stumbles, and ultimately prevails. Supporting characters are more or less irrelevant when not immediately in Emily’s purview. It’s disappointing. Especially when considering the talented supporting cast and the rich opportunities their characters present. By the time we bid adieu to season one, only two things are clear: Emily’s generally right and she still doesn’t speak French.

During a time where most of us aren’t leaving our homes, it’s a fun jaunt through what is essentially an Instagram filter of Paris. But ultimately, it’s a hollow interpretation of whatever American ingenuity claims to be. To the point where it feels like a parody—if only the show wasn’t taking itself so seriously.

Apple TV+

So much of Ted Lasso’s success is rooted in character growth. There’s something really wholesome about watching its characters learn and grow and stumble. Especially considering so many of the characters are based on professional sports’ real-life hierarchy. A lesser show would reduce Keeley or Nate to bit parts or play them for cheap laughs. But Ted Lasso unlocks the potential. The series isn’t perfect. I’d love to see a few more AFC Richmond players—namely Dani (Cristo Fernández) and Sam (Toheeb Jimoh)—given more to do. And knowing two more seasons are around the corner gives me hope the series expands their roles.

It’s impossible to watch Ted Lasso and not find yourself rooting for AFC Richmond to squeak out a win. Or even a tie! Ted Lasso is an extremely funny series. But arguably one of its best selling points is a kindness that first takes you by surprise and then leaves you weeping to a Marcus Mumford cover. In a way that leaves you wanting more shows like it.

Ted Lasso season one is currently streaming on Apple TV+.

Featured Image: Apple TV+

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