Apple TV+ Review – ‘Ted Lasso’ scores GOOOOOOOOOAAAALLL! for streaming service

Nine months into the launch of Apple TV+, the streaming service may have finally found the high-quality, must-see series it needs to gain a foothold in the streaming wars.

Initially launched with the incredibly produced, mediocre The Morning Show, and the better received, however, less talked about M. Night Shyamalan psychological thriller Servant; Apple TV+ has debuted only a handful of adult series. Until now. With the addition of Ted Lasso, the premium streamer adds the most endearing television character since Mr. Rogers and the best comedy series on any network in years.

Ted Lasso can be described as a modern-day Major League, with team owners and their ulterior motives. Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) is relocating across the pond to coach West London’s AFC Richmond Football Team. Simple enough, however, Ted’s an American football coach fresh off a Division II title who has never played or coached soccer. Lasso’s unfamiliarity with English terms and culture makes for some of the biggest laugh-out-loud moments. Like Mr. Rogers, Lasso is the eternal optimist who only sees the good in people and the world — unabashed of any insults thrown his way. Despite an owner (Hannah Waddingham) plotting against him to stick it to her philandering ex-husband, and players rooting against him as well, Lasso views every challenge as an opportunity. As he states with one of his “Lasso-isms,” “Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse. If you’re comfortable while doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.” Facing relegation (relegation happens when the worst teams in a given league are forced down to a lower league), Lasso has his work cut out.

As one of Hollywood’s most underappreciated actors, Sudeikis deserves to be recognized for the great comedic talent he possesses, and perhaps, deserves to be awarded an Emmy nomination. But it’s not just Sudeikis who shines. Ted Lasso boasts one of the most talented casts on television. Whether it be veteran player Roy Kent’s (Brett Goldstein) intolerance of star player Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), or Tartt’s girlfriend Keeley (Juno Temple) figuring out who she is and what she wants in life, or Kitman Nate (Nick Mohammed) learning to speak out – with each episode, another layer of these characters is unpeeled. And, as Lasso might say, nearly all become “so gosh darn likable.”

In a time when our country is deeply divided by politics and the pandemic, both figuratively and literally, Ted Lasso brings heart, humor, and hope into our lives. And heck, when the only knock on the series is that Apple won’t release all episodes at once, you know you’ve got a winner. Gooooooaaaaaalll!!!