Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence on Ted Lasso and the importance of heart in comedy

Bill Lawrence is a creator with a pedigree. He created or co-created beloved sitcoms Scrubs, Cougar Town, and Spin City, as well as the animated series Clone High. His latest project is Apple TV’s Ted Lasso, which finds Jason Sudeikis plopped into a classic fish out of water scenario—only in this case the water is tea, and the ocean is the world of English Premiere League soccer. The show combines Sudeikis’ good-natured positivity with the kind of “bad team makes good” mentality we’ve come to expect from our sports stories, to surprisingly heartwarming results.

For the clip above, The A.V. Club talked to Lawrence about the important of crying while you laugh, and why some of the best comedies are the ones with a little bit of heart.